Developers have revealed the names of High Street retailers to be based at a new £36 million shopping development at the Centre 27 complex in Birstall.

London-based Grantchester Retail Parks is building nine non-food units, covering a total of more than 111,000sq ft, and a 550-space car park off Gelderd Road, opposite Ikea.

The scheme also includes major road improvements to help ease congestion at the shopping, leisure and business park which attracts thousands of customers every week.

Director Nick Alford said the new ten-acre development, which will be called West Yorkshire Retail Park, would be opening in June.

He revealed the development will have branches of Curry's - which will replace the existing store at Centre 27 - Furniture Village, Textile World, JJB Sports, Electricity Plus (part of Scottish Power) and the restaurant chain TGI Friday's.

Mr Alford said: "The three other units are still available to let.

"We believe the retail park will complement the existing businesses such as IKEA the Showcase Cinemas and restaurants at Centre 27.''

The company had also planned to open West Yorkshire's first "holiday hypermarket'' as part of the scheme but this has been withdrawn although Mr Alford would not say why.

But Kirklees Council's planning officers had objected to the idea because they said the site should only sell "bulky goods'' to protect the viability of shops in town centres in Kirklees.

The road improvements being carried out as part of the scheme include widening the A62 and Holden Ing Way, creating a new link road and junction with traffic lights, and turning the private link road between Holden Ing Way and Oakwell Way into a public highway.

The retail park is being built on land previously owned by Bradford-based kitchen and bathroom giant Spring Ram which had two huge factories on the site. These were demolished to make way for the scheme.

Other businesses based at Centre 27 include Comet, MFI, Toys R Us, Homebase, the Barcelona night club, Carpet Right, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Milwaukee Exchange and Diner, twin diners Chiquitos and Frankie and Benny's.

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