Case Studies
Retail: Ikea, Southampton
Ikea Southampton
Indigo has been advising IKEA since early 2005 and began by reviewing a number of potential sites across the Country. Following a longstanding requirement for a store in the Southampton area, an application was submitted to Southampton City Council in April 2007 for the erection of a new 31,205 sqm (gross) Ikea store at the former Pirelli site, located at the edge of Southampton City Centre.
The scheme included a supporting warehouse, multi-storey car park, new vehicular access arrangements and the creation of new pedestrian routes totalling 68,669 sqm (gross). The store represents a new generation of multi-storey IKEA stores, designed specifically to fit within city centre locations. The application was supported by a full Retail Assessment, an Environmental Statement, a Flood Risk Assessment and a Transport Assessment.
A public consultation event was also held prior to the submission of the application. The event was attended by 3,325 people and 97% of attendees expressed their support for the application.
Southampton City Council resolved to approve the application at planning committee in November 2007. The application was subsequently referred to the Government Office for the South East (GOSE). GOSE did not call-in the application and the application was fully approved in January 2008. The store is now open and trading.
