Residents have opened up on what it is like to live in-between two of a Nottinghamshire town's largest retail parks. People love living in the "beautiful" Warwick Brewery, situated next to North Gate Retail Park, Newark.
The historic building is split into three parts, Tankard, Cavalier and Roundhead, each named in honour of Newark's famous civil war history. The building has always bordered the North Gate Retail Park, which was built on the rest of the former brewery site.
However, earlier this year a second retail park opened in the town centre, The Maltings, on the opposite side of the brewery. Residents within all three parts of the brewery are able to benefit from the close proximity of dozens of shops, including the new M&S, TK Max, Boots, B&M, Costa and Currys.
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Nurse Karen Pover, 52, and her family have lived at Warwick Brewery for almost four years in one of the "lovely" flats. Karen said: "I don't mind living between the two retail parks although I was dreading it when they started building.
"It is great having M&S next door, I also enjoy having Northgate retail park shops close, it's very handy. I love living in the brewery, the location is fantastic, close to the shops, the town and the train station."
Karen added: "The only real issue I have is people walking through our carpark, I feel it is potentially very dangerous, especially for pedestrians. There should be a specific path for them, maybe using a strip of land from the other side of the metal fence."
Medical communication worker, Andrew Dobb, 37, has lived in his flat for seven and a half years. He said: "There's a trade off with the convenience of the shops and the additional traffic, but it works for me.
"The shops are convenient and It's useful having them nearby when you need something. I'm not bothered by the location, but we do get more people wandering aimlessly across the road and car parks, which you have to watch out for." He added: "The brewery is a great bolt hole, there's everything you need nearby, but it is it's own quiet space with a great community."
IT worker, Dylan Richards, 40, has lived in the brewery for less than two years. When asked what it's like living between the two retail parks, he said: "It’s busy. As a resident getting out of the car park onto the main road is a pain."
"Lots of shoppers fail to remember that residents live in the brewery and just pull out on you. From a customer stand point if they only visit the retail park once or twice a week it’s no issue, from a resident perspective it’s annoying."
Dylan continued: "Having M&S is great, that's a fantastic addition, also M&S and Costa have a separate entrance for traffic which is great. In a radius of about half a mile we have Asda, Morrisons, home bargains and B&M, how desperate are we to get a deal on dishwasher tablets and 24 cans of Pepsi."
When asked his favourite part about the brewery, he said: "The brewery is a beautiful building with lots of character and heritage." In addition to dozens of flats in the brewery, it is also home to three independent businesses, The Coffee Chain, Arena Health and Fitness and The Beautique - Beauty In The Brewery.
Owner of The Beautique, Anna Leach, opened her salon in late 2020 and said: "The brewery is surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the retail parks yet has an air of calm and community spirit thanks to the neighbouring businesses and the familiar friendly faces of the residents. The brewery has charm character and history which makes it a real gem amongst the larger retailers around us.
"It’s also close to a very nice walk along the river which is a great plus point. I personally love this mix of busy over there.. tranquil over here and find it extremely convenient to have all the other shops nearby."
When asked what her clients thought of the building, Anna said: "My clients love it too as it’s so convenient to get to without the hassle of going into town, the traffic and the parking etc. Here at the brewery and the retail park there’s lots of parking, lots of places to shop as well as us three independent businesses.
She added: "I love this fabulous building, it’s charm and it’s character, as well as it’s community and friendly feel. I believe it is the best shopping location in Newark and a great place to work or live."
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