The former Peacocks retail store on Bangor High Street is set for a £2.2 million redevelopment.
The fashion retailer closed its branch on the High Street in September 2020.
The 10,412 square foot unit, which occupies 290-294 High Street, will now be turned into a ‘flexible commercial space’ on ground floor and 18 residential units on the floors above. A new building, to accommodate 6 residential apartments, will be built at the rear of the property, if plans for the scheme are approved.
Pollecoff’s
The main building will be known as ‘Pollecoff House’ and the new build to the rear as ‘Plas Llwyd’. The name ‘Pollecoff’ retains a connection to the site’s Jewish history, with ‘Pollecoff’s Household and General Drapery store’ opening on the site in 1908, owned by Philip Pollecoff, who escaped the Jewish persecution in Russia the 1880s. Pollecoff’s store remained at the site until the 1980s and was one of several stores across north Wales.
Development
Developers plan to start work on the project as soon as planning permission is approved, with the building work expected to take around 18-24 months to complete. The estimated cost of the project is £2.2m.
In the main building flats will be built for rental and suited to young professionals, while the new build flats to the rear will be for sale on the open market once completed.
Residents will be able to utilise the underused car parks at Plas Llwyd and Ger y Mynydd, with drop-off parking also available. The city centre location and easy public transport links should mean parking is not usually required by the residents.
A spokesperson for the developers said: “We are currently agreeing heads of terms with a tenant for the whole ground floor of the commercial unit”.
“They are a national chain of co-working and enterprise hub providers. Their plan would be to provide remote working spaces and support services for small businesses.”
The project has received financial support from Gwynedd Council’s Economic Regeneration Team and Welsh Government through the PRIS scheme (Property Regeneration and Investment Scheme), along with further loan funding from Gwynedd Council’s City Centre Loan Fund.
The developers are also keen to improve the appearance of the neighbouring properties and are believed to be working with the local planning enforcement department for action to be taken to improve the standard of these buildings.
The planning application is likely to be determined over the coming months.
For more information about Pollecoff’s and Bangor’s Jewish History visit: http://www.jtrails.org.uk/trails/bangor/places-of-interest
Photos: (1) The former Peacocks store on Bangor High Street (2) Pollecoff’s which opened in 1908 and remained on the High Street until the 1980s (3) Sketches of the new development.
