A £70,000 investment in facilities at Beverley’s Flemingate centre has been made during lockdown.
Wykeland Group, owner and developer of the popular retail and leisure destination, has used the closure period to introduce a wide range of improvements to enhance customer experience and support businesses as they resume trading.
Monday will see the first non-essential shops and services re-open, with special measures in place.
Upgrades include expanding the click and collect facility to the rear of the Debenhams store - itself expecting to open on Wednesday - from six to 16 parking spaces. It will feature automatic number plate recognition allowing shoppers to park for free for a maximum of 30 minutes as they collect online purchases.
The play park has also been doubled in size, while Covid-19 safety signage, social distancing floor vinyls and marker strips have been introduced across the site as well as 30 hand sanitiser stations at key locations.
Flemingate has also undergone a comprehensive cleaning programme across the entire centre and a new regime has been introduced, including additional disinfecting three times a day to stairwell banisters, pay stations, entrance barrier buttons, communal door handles and other surfaces.
There has also been a comprehensive programme of painting and refurbishment across the centre, as it closes in on its fifth anniversary, including all seating and street furniture, and line painting in the centre’s 500-space car park.
Plans are also in place to extend outdoor seating areas for the centre’s restaurants, cafés and bars, to enable them to accommodate the need for social distancing and waiting areas when they re-open.
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David Donkin, property director of Hull-based Wykeland, said: “Rather than react to these unprecedented times by retrenching, we have decided to continue to invest and make Flemingate an even more attractive, safe, convenient and welcoming place to shop and spend leisure time.
“We have seen this period as a time to make further improvements that will benefit members of the public and all the businesses across the centre, now and over the long term. We’ve given the centre a thorough makeover, with the safety of customers very much to the fore.
“It all means Flemingate is ahead of the game as retail, leisure and office operators within the Flemingate community re-open progressively over coming weeks.”
The improvements set the scene for the re-opening of businesses across the centre, but Flemingate has continued to operate throughout the lockdown.
Wilko and Poundland have remained open and busy throughout, while independent restaurants Sumo Pan Asian and Pizza Baby have provided collection and delivery services, with the latter adding takeaway too.
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Wykeland also provided a free unit to independent Beverley grocer Fresh ‘n’ Fruity to support the local community, including providing boxes of fruit and vegetables to local vulnerable people.