Five Valleys Shopping Centre hits redevelopment milestone
The redevelopment of Stroud’s Five Valleys Shopping Centre has reached a key milestone with the completion of the third and most significant phase of work this September.
Speller Metcalfe began work on site in May last year, undertaking a complex operation to create a retail experience that will attract visitors and investment into the town.
A key feature of the works has been the removal of existing stores and reorganisation of walkways to introduce a large, central space that has enabled Five Valleys to create a Borough Market-inspired indoor marketplace as a key highlight for the Centre.
The first trader opened for business in July, with food stalls include Japanese, Thai, Italian, Middle Eastern and British cuisine, alongside a butcher, chocolatier, greengrocer and bakery now on site.
Internally, a series of goods and passenger lifts have also been installed to improve access, including a new customer lift on the top level car parking area, which has also been extended to house an additional 94 car parking spaces, alongside a further 26 spaces throughout each floor.
The 1960s car park has also undergone a face lift with improvements made to its exterior, alongside the addition of a new glazed elevation that has modernised the frontage on Merrywalks Road into a welcoming, light entrance for shoppers.
Overall these building improvements, alongside works in previous phases, have contributed to the transformation of what was the original Merrywalks Centre into a much enhanced feature for the town centre.
Andy Metcalfe, joint managing director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “It has been exciting to witness the development of Five Valleys into a very attractive and thought-out shopping experience for Stroud, with retailers establishing themselves in the Centre before works have even completed.
“The Speller Metcalfe team has also been delighted to be a part of this scheme, as being a local contractor, it has directly benefited our supply chain who hail directly from Stroud and the wider Gloucestershire region.”
The original Merrywalks Centre was rebranded following investment by Dransfield Properties Ltd who, alongside investment from GFirst LEP, have set about transforming the city centre retail hub, creating both an attraction for visitors and those looking to invest and establish businesses within Stroud.
Mark Dransfield, Managing Director of Dransfield Properties, said: “This phase of works at Five Valleys has really helped to transform the centre – creating much better connectivity and a much more pleasant shopping experience.
“It’s great to see what has been achieved over the last 12 months and the changes coming to fruition. We have had really positive feedback from our shoppers and our tenants and we are pleased to see so many new businesses now opening and thriving at the centre.”
