King's Lynn's H&M to open in spring next year

A new clothing store which is being built in Lynn is set to open in spring next year.

Work on the new H&M store on the former Beales site in the Vancouver Quarter began in August last year.

The Vancouver Centre's owners, a consortium led by retail specialist LAP in joint partnership with West Norfolk Council, engaged retail architects the Colman Partnership to design a replacement of Beales.

Following a tendering process, Lynn-based company Chalcroft was appointed to bring this addition to the town's shopping centre to fruition.

Once the site was cleared, a number of investigations were carried out on the existing utility services and underground structures, with some services, including water, gas, electricity, sewerage and high-speed cables, being diverted.

Chalcroft has now moved on to the piling, foundations and steelwork phase.

Andrew Hardy, Chalcroft operations director, said: "We're proud to be playing our part in an important project that will help to bring more people into King's Lynn, where our head office is based."

The £3.8 million project will see H&M and four smaller retail units added to the centre.

Alistair Beales, cabinet member for corporate projects and assets, said: "Having a vibrant town centre is vital for the local economy.

"This development is something we were keen to support as it will be the catalyst to regenerate this part of the town centre, building on our investments in the bus station, car parks and heritage assets."