Leighton Buzz Radio Reveals KFC Opening Date

KFC Opening Date Confirmed on Gaz & Drena Show

Yesterday the Gaz & Drena show exclusively revealed the much anticipated opening date for the long delayed KFC on the Leighton Buzzard Grovebury Road Retail Park.

The Gaz & Drena show is mostly known for it’s weird news headlines and silly chat.   Broadcast at its regular time of 1pm on a Friday the show also includes, music, local interviews, news and what’s on for the upcoming weekend for the Leighton Buzzard area.

In Friday’s (9th August) show the couple included an interview with Leighton-Linslade Mayor Cllr Dave Bowater as he attended the ribbon cutting at the official opening of the Grovebury Road Retail Park and after the interview they exclusively revealed that KFC would is expected to open on Monday 19th August, according to a spokesperson for the developers.

The full interview from Leighton Buzz Radio presenter Bekka Prideaux can be listened to below.

Cllr Bowater discusses job opportunities, his own work experience and also begins his discussion with the development proposals for land South of the High Street

OPENING CEREMONY MARKS THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE GROVEBURY RETAIL PARK DEVELOPMENT

Leighton Buzzard town Mayor Cllr Dave Bowater, along with the developers Stephen Cole from Claymore Group and Cllr Eric Kerry, Chair of Nottinghamshire County Council Pension Fund who provided the forward funding for this project.

The 8th August, marked the eagerly awaited official opening of the Grovebury Retail Park in Leighton Buzzard, the town’s only out-of-town shopping centre.
Grovebury Retail Park is now home to six leading retail outlets: Subway, Costa, Topps Tiles, B&M, M&S Food, Pets At Home along with Aldi and KFC, which will be the two final additions to the park when they open doors to the public in the next few weeks.

With the retail park’s eight outlets now fully let, residents of Leighton Buzzard and its surrounding villages can now take advantage of the park’s impressive out-of-town shopping experience, with all stores open seven days a week and free parking available for shoppers.

The seven-acre former greenfield site was acquired by developers Claymore Group who, in a joint venture with Conrad Phoenix Properties, transformed the site into a 70,000sq ft retail park. Forward funding for the park was provided by Aberdeen Standard Investments Ltd (ASI) on behalf of the Nottingham County Council Pension Fund in a £15m deal.Stephen Cole, a Director at the Claymore Group, comments:

“We are delighted that we have reached this end point in our Grovebury Retail Park development project. We would like to thank the public for their continued patience and support over the past few years while we completed this prestigious development. With the park now fully let and boasting a fantastic array of popular retail brands, we are confident that the local community will benefit greatly from this valuable addition to the region’s economy.”

Councillor Kevin Collins, Executive Member for Planning and Regeneration at Central Bedfordshire Council, adds:

 “Leighton-Linslade is experiencing housing growth, but is in an increasingly strong position to meet the needs of shoppers and retailers, both in the town centre and at this new retail park. Whilst the picturesque town centre continues to boast many bespoke and specialist retailers, ‘out of town’ retail parks, such as this one, also have a role to play in helping to provide the existing and new residents of the town and surrounding areas with a broader retail offer and greater consumer choice. And of course, more stores mean more local jobs.”

The official opening was marked by a ribbon cutting ceremony by Councillor Dave Bowater, the Mayor of Leighton Buzzard, and Councillor Eric Kerry, Chairman of Nottingham County Council’s Pensions Fund. They were also joined by representatives from the Claymore Group and a selection of the park’s store managers.
The opening ceremony is the culmination of a lengthy development project which was granted planning permission in 2013. Construction work took place between October 2017 and November 2018, with the first tenant – Subway – opening its doors in December 2018.