New developers in the frame for '˜Waitrose' supermarket site at Midhurst

Artist's impression of the Waitrose store which was never built

There appear to have been at least five bids for the site of the former Grange centre which was bulldozed in April 2014.

After the first bidding process CDC gave Waitrose and Kimberley Developments ‘first refusal’ in January last year, in a deal which was set to see an 18,000 square foot store opened in the autumn of this year.

But in September 2015 Waitrose pulled out of its original deal saying due to ‘trading conditions’ in the supermarket sector it had had to work with its partner Kimberley Developments on a ‘revised offer’ to owners of the land Chichester District Council (CDC).

However a new deal was never struck and by December there were fears Midhurst might have missed the ‘supermarket boat’.

But earlier this summer CDC issued a new marketing pack for the site and it appears there have been several bidders although CDC has not publicly said whether these are supermarket or housing developers.

At a behind closed doors meeting of CDC’s Cabinet last week members were asked to authorise further negotiations with ‘bidder E’.