Sad that they couldn't incorporate the Albert Schools' frontage in the re-build. Marple has lost too much of it's originality over the years.
Rumour has it that there is to be a "Convenience Store" on the ground floor front. One would think there is enough empty commercial property in Marple without building more.
What we know from the planning applications are thus:
- It's going to be retail
- They've got planning permission for a cash machine
- They've got someone lined up to take it.
- They've asked - on behalf of the prospective tenant - for opening hours to be 7am-11pm seven days a week
That just screams small supermarket. Something akin to the Co-op, a Tesco Express or Sainsburys Local. What other shops that size almost always have a cash machine, and open that kind of hours? There isn't anything. The only question in my mind is who is the tenant? One of the big companies, or someone else.
And yes, there's empty shops in Marple. But nothing that's big enough to house something like a Tesco Express. Even the old Natwest would be too small. The old Post Office certainly is. There's a reason Tesco have taken over/destroyed several large pubs to make into supermarkets. That's the size of building they want.
