Scotch Corner Designer Village on track to open in September 2024, say bosses

Scotch Corner Designer Village is on track to open in September next year, say bosses behind the development.

In an update on the project issued this week, Scotch Corner Richmond LLP has released photos of the site so far, with a number of buildings starting to take shape.

The company said several of the retailers set to operate from the complex had decided to have larger stores.

It said in a statement: “Scotch Corner Designer Village is really taking shape and already Skechers, Levi’s, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and ProCook have upsized their stores to carry extra lines and satisfy demand.

“Thank you for your patience. Our objective is always to bring you the very best of the best and this is going to be the number one destination in the region.

“There will be 80 stores including Boss, Levi’s, Dune London, Costa, Moss Boss, Clark’s, Levi’s, Wagamama and the UK’s largest Blue Diamond lifestyle, home and garden centre.

“We are on track to open in September next year and will have more to share here soon about more brands.”

Rumours had circulated on-line that work on the site had stopped in recent weeks, but the company said: “Due to the extra demand for space from retailers, we are taking this opportunity to rescope our build programme to accommodate them, and this will be complete by the end of August, when the next phase of construction gets going in earnest.”

The scheme was initially due to be completed by summer 2020, however this was later moved back to the autumn of 2021.

Last year, developers said the scheme would open this autumn.

The developers say “dynamic event spaces” will host “fun and interactive experiences that will reflect the cultural buzz of Yorkshire”.

There will be “state-of-the-art play spaces” as well as free wifi.

Plans are also being drawn up for a garden centre to be build beside the shopping complex in the future.

The developers say Scotch Corner Designer Village’s low-rise, uncovered design will create a “village feel and pay homage to Yorkshire architecture through a series of open streets, courtyards and terraces”.

This week, North Yorkshire councillors told National Highways the upgrade of Scotch Corner interchange was needed “sooner rather than later” due to major developments being planned beside the junction.

Councillor Stephen Watson said queues of traffic regularly backed down the junction’s A1(M) slip roads, adding: “That junction barely copes as it is.”