New plans have been revealed which will see two empty units in a Welsh shopping centre transformed into a large, late-night food court. St Elli Shopping Centre in the heart of Llanelli has, like many high street areas, seen shops close in recent years, especially during and after the various lockdowns that were brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Two of the units that shut up shop were previously filled by retail giants Sports Direct and Argos. But now, it is hoped that new life can be breathed into the empty units and the shopping centre in general through the food court. You can keep up to date with the latest Carmarthenshire news by signing up to the local newsletter here.

Argos confirmed in March, 2021, that its store inside St Elli Shopping Centre would not re-open following a period of closure brought about by the lockdown put in place in December, 2020. Then, in September, 2022, it was confirmed that Sports Direct would follow suit and leave St Elli, along with fellow retail giant Wilko, but a spokesman for the shopping centre did tease that “we have exciting plans for the redevelopment of Argos and Sports Direct buildings which will bring more people back to the town centre”.

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Those plans have now been revealed, with the centre announcing: “We are delighted to share the plans submitted to convert the former Sports Direct and Argos units in the Centre into a food court. We are of course looking to make this an area that will attract customers and diners across evenings and weekends, and further compliment our town's existing food outlets. The opening hours of the centre will of course dramatically change to tie in with those of both the Ffwrnes Theatre and Odeon Cinema, which in turn we hope will bring a vibrancy back to the town centre to benefit all customers and traders.”

Artist's impressions of what the food court will look like once open

According to planning documents submitted to Carmarthenshire Council by Asbri Planning: “The site lies within Llanelli Town Centre which has seen a marked deterioration in terms of its overall retail/commercial function over the past decade as a result of the impact of out of town retail developments, the general decline in the retail sector and the Covid-19 pandemic. The centre is characterised by a high percentage of vacant retail /commercial units with a high number of low quality retail operators/charity shops within the main retail core of the centre.

"The Regeneration Strategy for Llanelli, which closely aligns with the objectives of the Welsh Government’s Targeted Regeneration Initiative (TRI) programme, seeks to ensure significant investment and resources are available to address matters such as the redevelopment of empty properties within the town centre and the introduction of new and modern building stock to support a mix of end uses. At this juncture it is critical to note that Carmarthenshire County Council commissioned a recovery masterplan for Llanelli town centre in response to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The masterplan reviewed existing regeneration activity and sought to provide a fresh focus on the priorities and the strategy for recovery and future growth.

"With the decline in retail, and larger format stores the masterplan acknowledges that there is the need to repurpose and adapt a large amount of town centre property. Vacancy rates have grown in Llanelli, particularly in the central area along Vaughan Street, Stepney Street and the St Elli Centre. Sustaining occupation levels and avoiding a ‘hollowing out’ of the centre will be critically important.”

No opening date for the food court has yet been announced, but people are already excited about the development and what it could mean for the centre of Llanelli. On the shopping centre’s Facebook page, people said the plans looked “amazing” and were a “great idea”. One person said: “Well done St Elli Shopping Centre for wanting to bring things to our town centre - these plans look absolutely great,” while another said: “About time something good came to Llanelli and hopefully it will attract people to the town”.

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