M Club to be demolished to make way for Sainsbury's
by Emma King
A POPULAR music venue is to be demolished to make way for a new superstore which could create up to 500 jobs.
The M Club in High Street, Crewe, is to be bulldozed along with the vacant MFI store and Dunelm Mill on the Vernon Way site.
A planning application for a 60,000 square foot Sainsbury's store, which will be built on stilts, has been submitted to Cheshire East Council.
Under the plans, soft furnishing store Dunelm will move elsewhere in the town.
M Club owner Chris McGarrigle told The Sentinel he also hoped to move to another venue in the town – and transform the club into a social enterprise.
He said: "We opened the M Club two years ago and we've had some fantastic times.
"We've had some massive bands play here but I've always thought that when the time was right it may be worth moving the club.
"Sainsbury's came along and made me an offer. The club won't be closing immediately. It will still be here for at least another year to 18 months.
"It's a positive move though. I'm in discussions with Cheshire East Council about using a council-owned building to house the club and turn it into a music, arts and media centre."
The development will feature a petrol station, customer restaurant at mezzanine level and 445 parking spaces beneath the building.
There will be a link into the town centre and access will be improved from Vernon Way.
The aim is for the supermarket to act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the town centre.
Shopper Lynn Dawson, aged 34, of Richard Moon Street, said: "I usually go to Sainsbury's in Nantwich to do my shopping so it's excellent that Sainsbury's is coming to Crewe. It will mean less travelling and it will be more convenient having a store on your doorstep."
Ian Windass , aged 28, of West Avenue, said: "It's a shame the M Club is being knocked down as it's a good building for a music venue and I've been to a few gigs there. I hope the place where they move it to has just as good an atmosphere."
A council decision on the application is likely to be made by the end of the summer.
Related content:
500 jobs created by new store plan
Story filed in: Council | News | Crewe | Planning | Regeneration
Comments
by Pierre, Crewe
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 10:33AM
“Do we really need another supermarket in Crewe?
We're going to have 3 big supermarkets all within 2 minutes of each other.
I guess the only plus would be the job side of it, i suppose theres nothing wrong with bringing in more trade for the workers.”