Chilling ‘ghost city’ procuring centre nonetheless rotting 25 12 months after swanky opening
The UK’s ‘ghost city‘ procuring centre, Five Sisters Freeport Shopping Village, has been left to decay for over 20 years.
Once a bustling hub with greater than 40 retailers and a high spot for designer garments, it is now eerily quiet. Located between Edinburgh and Glasgow, simply off the M8 motorway, the once-thriving procuring centre was simply accessible and open seven days every week. It boasted massive manufacturers like Versace, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Rockport and Levis, The Mirror reported.
The procuring village additionally had a Leisureland facility filled with enjoyable actions for youths, together with mushy play and go karts. There have been two cafes and two eating places on-site to cater to all buyer wants. After its grand opening, the bosses at Freeport Leisure had massive plans for growth.
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They submitted a planning software to West Lothian Council for an £18million improve, which might have included ski slopes, toboggan runs, snowboarding and a youngsters’s winter wonderland. However, these plans by no means got here to fruition because the fortunes of the Freeport started to vary quickly.
The opening of the Livingston Designer Outlet in 2000 led to a mass exodus of shoppers and tenants from the Freeport retailer, leaving it abandoned. The BBC even used the deserted website for filming a zombie children’ present in 2015.
Sean Collidge, chairman of Freeport, confessed that the brand new outlet was their downfall, saying: “This scheme was 100 per cent let when it opened in 1996 and had four tremendous years. Then retail in Scotland became overpopulated in the central belt.”
West Lothian Council has turned down proposals for housing however is keen for redevelopment. A council spokesperson stated: “The re-development, or re-use, of Westwood (Freeport), near West Calder, previously operating as a factory outlet centre, is supported by the council. Leisure and tourist uses, specialised employment, starter units (Class 4), or institutional uses appropriate to a rural location will be supported.”
They added that some new constructing or housing could be thought of if it is proven to be mandatory for the monetary viability of an applicable scheme.
“Some element of new or extended building outwith the development envelope on site and/or housing (very low density and a maximum of 30 houses meriting a rural location, all confined to the development envelope) will be considered, where this is shown to be necessary in terms of the financial viability of an appropriate scheme.”
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