With the official opening just days away, Bradley Stoke’s new town centre is a hive of activity. Hundreds of construction workers and shopfitters are labouring flat out to ensure that the Willow Brook Centre can open to the public on Monday morning (13th October 2008).
The Journal’s reporter was allowed in to the centre on Friday to record the scene just three days before opening.
The new Town Square is now fully paved and work is underway to install art works designed by the Walter Jack Studio. A children’s activity zone is already in place, but delays in installation of stonework pillars mean that the feature wrought iron gateway into the square is unlikely to be ready in time for the official opening.
Stores set be be trading around the Town Square on the opening day include Subway, Costa Coffee, Greggs the Bakers and KFC.
Inside the main Willow Brook Centre building, the Tesco Extra store is fully stocked and ready to trade. Other stores in the adjoining shopping mall are in various stages of completion. Carphone Warehouse and Shoe Zone appear almost ready to trade, but the Reflections hairdressing salon is at a less advanced stage and the O2 and 1st Equity (Nationwide) stores are little more than shells.
Contacts at 1st Equity and Reflections have told The Journal that their stores will now open on Monday 20th October, one week after the official opening ceremony, while contractors in the O2 store said that they would be working on the store well into next week.
The Willow Brook Centre opens its doors at 8am on Monday, when the Tesco Extra store will begin trading. The official opening ceremony will take place at 10am within the shopping mall.
Photos from Friday’s tour around the Willow Brook Centre can be seen in The Journal’s PicasaWeb gallery:
Thursday evening last week saw members of Bradley Stoke Town Council invited to a preview tour of the centre [more photos, courtesy of Tesco Stores Limited].
