Work on a £140 million designer outlet shopping centre on the A1 is due to start this year and be completed by 2028, the developer has said. The new shopping centre, which is expected to have 137 shops, cafes, and leisure outlets, will bring more than 1,200 jobs to a rundown, struggling town close by.

The complex was originally scheduled to open in 2021, but work is finally set to begin this year. Giles Membrey, the managing director of Rioja Estates, said the scheme had suffered “a lot of setbacks”, but would become “a tourist attraction in its own right” when finished. As well as the usual chain stores, there will be facilities for local artisans and business pop-ups to help create a more town-centre feel. To that end, there will also be public green spaces and squares for shoppers to relax in and enjoy.

Grantham Designer Outlet Village will be the UK’s only premium outlet with a visible frontage and direct access from the UK’s 3rd busiest highway (A1), the developers say.

They said: “With the construction of the new junction south of Grantham on the A1 completed, Grantham Designer Outlet Village is one of the few Outlets in the UK to have both visibility and direct access from a major highway.

“At Grantham Designer Outlet Village, we’re creating a state-of-the-art retail destination that will transform our visitors’ shopping and leisure experience.

“Inspired by the surrounding countryside, our buildings are conceived as traditional forms with contemporary finishes and high-quality shop fronts. Our research tells us to expect 3.8M visitors to visit Grantham Designer Outlet Village.”

Last year, Grantham was described as a “dump” and a “shanty town” according to YouTube channel Turd Towns. Their video, entitled The Worst Towns In the Flat World of  Lincolnshire, names 7 Lincolnshire towns as being some of the worst in the country, including Grantham, Gainsborough, Grimsby, Boston, Cleethorpes, Scunthorpe and Skegness.

The new shopping centre will be just three miles from Grantham, as well as being easily accessible from the A1 motorway. The designer shopping village is expected to pull in visitors from Lincoln, Nottingham, Leicester, Peterborough and Cambridge.

It will be a 50 minute drive from Leicester and a 65 minute drive from Cambridge and 3.5 million shoppers are predicted to visit it annually.

The designer outlet village will include free wifi, fastcharge car park points, active media boards, a VIP suite, ATMs and shop mobility.

However not everyone is thrilled at the plans.Councillor Richard Davies, who represents Grantham West on the county council, criticised the delays and said he would prefer to see the site used to support local industrial companies, rather than retailers.

Plans for the Grantham Designer Outlet Village were originally approved by South Kesteven District Council in 2017.

Davies said it had faced “a lot of delays, and added:”Our little corner is crying out for business space, decent quality hi-tech workshops – space for businesses to grow,” he added.

However Mr Membrey said with the development he was trying to “create something that’s massively beneficial, not only for Grantham but also for Lincolnshire”.

The site was “one of the most strategic locations in the UK, in terms of where it sits on the A1”.

“So we are looking at other hotels and services on the site, so in total there’ll be around 1,200 to 1,300 jobs created,” he added.

Dozens of high street pharmacies have been saved from closure after a new deal was agreed to keep vital services running in towns across the country. Allied Pharmacies has confirmed it will take over the running of 60 high street branches, helping to protect jobs and ensure local communities continue to have access to essential healthcare.

The company said its “immediate priority” is to reopen pharmacies that were closed or struggling, and to restore services to the areas that rely on them most. Many of the affected locations had reportedly faced long periods of disruption in recent months, with closures linked to staffing shortages and low stock levels.

The 60 pharmacies were previously operated by Jhoots, a chain with around 150 branches across the UK. Several had already closed, and others were facing an uncertain future.

Some branches are thought to have shut suddenly, leaving locals without access to prescriptions, consultations and other support.

In a statement, Allied Pharmacies said: “We recognise the fundamental role that community pharmacies play in supporting public health and wellbeing and understand the disruption caused by these closures, particularly for vulnerable groups who depend on local access to vital healthcare services.”

It added that the wider industry had been under pressure for years, blaming what it called “systemic underfunding for almost a decade” and warning that more support is needed to prevent further closures.

As part of the new deal, Allied Pharmacies said it will also work to rebuild confidence with staff and customers. It confirmed it is “taking steps to address outstanding salary arrears of employed staff” who were affected by the takeover.

According to The Sun, staff at Jhoots Pharmacies were reportedly owed hundreds of thousands of pounds in missed wages. Locum pharmacists, who often work on a freelance basis, were among those said to have been impacted.

The Pharmacists Defence Association claimed the total unpaid wages could be as high as £670,000.

Allied Pharmacies said it appreciated the efforts of those affected during a “difficult period” and encouraged any locum workers to contact the administrators of Jhoots.

The company already operates around 150 branches and the move brings its total number of sites to over 200 across England and Wales.

Redhill, located  in Surrey and just below Croydon, is facing a public inquiry over plans for the town’s ‘tallest building’. Disability activists claim the station will be made unsafe and inaccessible for some, the Redhill Residents Action Group adding their support against the developing of their “rural market town“. The residents group claim the new devlopment plan to be a “Croydonisation” of Redhill.

Solum, the developer of the controversial Redhill station project, plans to bulldoze the car park and forecourt – two towers of up to 14 and 15 storeys, as well as 255 new homes, to replace it. First rejected by the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council in October 2024, the initial plan was questioned over general worry of the height, scale, layout and design of the buildings. Now, the new plan would see the return of the taxi rank to the station’s rear, and the redirection of cyclists and drivers and cyclists to the Redstone Hill entrance.

Campaigners approached the inquiry on Tuesday, September 2, stating that the plans would exclude and “shut out” those with mobility issues, reports the Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) Service. In response, a spokesperson for the Surrey Coalition of Disabled People, Nikki Roberts, shared: “Disabled people will no longer be able to use the railway station safely,” reports the BBC.

Roberts added that government guidance suggested disabled access should remain as close to the station’s entrance as possible. Interestingly, a legal representative of the council relayed to the inquiry that the two towers would “puncture the character of the area”.

Redhill Residents Action Group’s lawyer spoke at the hearing, describing how “Redhill is not a large city but a small rural market town with only a few tall buildings”. Overall, this left the developers to present the benefits of new housing in what they dubbed a “phenomenally sustainable location” –making sure to also point out that any train improvements would outweigh the supposed harm.

Lawyer of the developer Solum, Chris Katkowski, stated that Redhill’s council was unable to provide proof of enough land that could be dedicated to housing, therefore deeming them unable meet its five-year target. The lawyer asked why the grounds of which the building application was rejected were due to it’s lack of affordable housing when the council itself was accepting of the scheme’s inability to be viable with non-commercial units.

This inquiry is set to take place over nine days, and due to adjourn on Friday. Plans for it to resume have been confirmed for November, 2025.