Peterborough's Boulevard Retail Park plans to enhance offering for Dunelm and Lee Longlands stores

Plans have been drawn up to enhance the shopping experience for customers at a leading retail park in Peterborough.

Well-established furniture retailer Lee Longlands has been lined up for the Boulevard Retail Park in Maskew Avenue.

And home furnishings retailer Dunelm is looking to expand its presence on the park with a move to a larger store on the site.

Dunelm’s transfer will allow Lee Longlands to move into the home furnisher’s former store.

Lee Longlands also plans to open a cafe within the store for use by its customers.

The application has been submitted by real estate operator Hobart Activum (Peterborough) which is seeking approval for an ancillary cafe on the site and for a 1,416 square metre mezzanine in the new Dunelm unit.

A document submitted with the application for the cafe outlines the changes that are set to take place.

It states: “An opportunity has arisen for Dunelm to relocate to a larger unit to achieve the twin objectives of providing a more efficient store layout and enhanced customer experience whilst maintaining continuity of presence at Boulevard Retail Park.

"As a result, Dunelm are set to relocate to Unit A, which has been vacant since 2020 when Currys / PC World moved to a larger unit in Maskew Avenue.

It adds that at the same time Unit F2, currently home to Dunelm, is set to be occupied by Lee Longlands, a well-established furniture retailer.

The document states: "A small ancillary café serving coffees, sandwiches, pastries, and a limited hot food offer for consumption on the premises by customers is proposed as part of their retail offer in store and this application seeks planning permission for this element.”

What is Hobart Activum?

Hobart Activum is the new owner of Boulevard Retail Park and acquired the site at the end of 2021.

The company specialises in the letting and operating of owned or leased real estate.

A document prepared on its behalf by planning consultants Firstplan states that Hobart Activum is ‘committed to investing significant capital into the retail park with a view to improving both the retail and leisure offer and the appearance of the site to the benefit of its customers and the local area.’