Princes street retail park officially open for business

The new Princes Street Retail Park was officially opened at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday morning.

Leader of Swale Borough Council, Cllr Andrew Bowles, was joined by cabinet colleagues from the Spirit of Sittingbourne regeneration partnership.

The opening of Princes Street Retail Park marks the completion of the first stage of the Spirit of Sittingbourne regeneration programme. Attention now turns to construction of the leisure quarter, recently named Bourne Place, with work starting at the end of the summer on the Light cinema, Travelodge and restaurants including Pizza Express and Nando’s.

Commenting, Leader of Swale Borough Council, Cllr Andrew Bowles said:

“It’s fantastic to see the new units fully open, and I want to warmly welcome these new businesses to Sittingbourne. I hope they settle in quickly and thrive in their new homes.

“The retail park is the first element of the Spirit of Sittingbourne scheme to be completed, and marks a real turning point for the town. People are now seeing that the regeneration they’ve been waiting for is really happening, and there is a real buzz and excitement about the future for the town.

“We haven’t got to this stage by accident. It’s down to the continuing hard work of everyone involved – the Spirit consortium, and our partners in the public and private sectors – who are delivering a project that will breathe new life into Sittingbourne.”

Rob Sloper on behalf of Spirit of Sittingbourne commented:

“It’s great to see the first phase of our regeneration scheme open to the public. “We’re looking forward to starting building work on the leisure quarter later this summer, complementing the businesses on the High Street and Forum, which of course remain open for business throughout roadworks and construction.”