Vacant Wilko store could become food retailer

The former Wilko store has been vacant for 18 months

A former Wilko store at a South Yorkshire retail park could soon be brought back into use as a food retailer.

Planning documents have been submitted to allow the sale of food and drink from the building at Cortonwood Shopping Park, which has been empty for more than 18 months.

The application to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council would apply to Unit 1B, a 462 sq m space set to be created from the original Wilko store.

At the moment a planning condition restricts the "primary" sale of food on the site.

While planning permission already allows up to 230 sq m of the unit to be used for food sales the application seeks to extend that allowance by 232 sq m.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the change would support the arrival of what is described as a "small-scale national multiple food and drink retailer."

The proposed use falls under Use Class E, which covers small supermarkets or convenience stores, cafes and restaurants.

The applicant states the small increase in permitted food floorspace is "inconsequential" in the context of the retail park's existing operations, which already include M&S, Poundland, B&M and Morrisons, but would allow the unit to be brought back into use, creating around 25 jobs.

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