NEW YORK WHOLESALE

A woman collapsed and injured her knee while out shopping with her three dogs – in a wheelchair. Great Western Ambulance Service received a 999 call on Wednesday from Swindon shopping centre staff reporting that the woman had collapsed as she pushed her wheelchair accompanied by the three dogs – including two hearing dogs, as she is deaf. An ambulance crew and a rapid-response vehicle went to the scene to assess the patient and took the clinical decision that she needed to go to hospital for further treatment to her injured knee.

A NEW public exhibition is planned so people can look at proposals that could change the shopping face of Beverley forever.

The massive £120 million proposed redevelopment of Flemingate in Beverley has split the community.

Companies behind the scheme, which will include shops, a college, a cinema and a hotel, say it will bring more people to the town.

But traders in Beverley's historic town centre have objected, fearing it would hit them hard by creating another retail core on the edge of town.

About 500 householders living near the site were sent plans of the proposal in February. Hundreds more attended an exhibition at the Beverley Arms Hotel.

A spokesman for lead developer Wykeland said: "The public's interest in the proposed redevelopment of Flemingate, Beverley, has been so great that the consortium behind the scheme feels it is necessary to provide the public with better access to the submitted application."

The exhibition will be held in the south transept of Beverley Minister, starting this Monday and ending on Friday, June 1.

In addition to a scale model of the development, a series of pop-up displays will show a range of alternative views of the proposed development and a plan of the entire site. Some literature will be available and visitors will be encouraged to send their views in to the consortium, which consists of the Hull-based Wykeland Group, the C P Group of Hessle and Quintain Estates and Development PLC.

The group has now submitted a full planning application to develop retail units, a cinema, hotel, restaurants, office accommodation, a multi-storey car park and a community centre. The site will also house the Beverley campus of the East Riding College.

The scheme has won the backing of East Riding Council Leader Stephen Parnaby and outgoing Beverley mayor Peter Astell.

But, because the planned retail area was increased by 34 per cent from that originally proposed, Beverley and District Chamber of Trade has officially objected.

The chamber elected David Bird, boss of Carol Bird Interiors, in North Bar Within, Beverley, to speak on its behalf in relation to the proposals.

He said: "There can be no doubt that this scale of development would harm the existing town centre dramatically.

"Imagine if some existing retailers moved out – Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Wilkinson, Boots, WHSmith. Who in this climate would move in?

"The rents in the new development would no doubt be lower than town centre, with easier access for deliveries, larger windows, easier to staff and therefore more attractive to multiple retailers.

"Consider what has happened in Hull where St Stephen's for all its success has served to move retailers around, leaving much of Whitefriargate and Princes Quay empty.

"It is vital that Beverley does not go the same way.

"It is my view that the changes proposed amount to a significant departure from the original approved scheme.

"As such, should the council not turn the application down, I will be writing to the inspector to request that the application be called in for public enquiry."

While welcoming the exhibition, staff at Beverley Minster have asked visitors to respect any services that might be held during that time.

The exhibition will not be open on Sundays. Visit www.east riding.gov.uk/newpublicaccess and enter the reference number 12/01031/STPLFE to view the plans.