Wrexham’s former Debenhams to host trampoline centre

Since the retail giant’s demise three years ago one of the largest units at the city’s Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre has remained vacant.

Councillors also approved proposals for new visitor facilities at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and a drive-thru McDonald’s restaurant for the city centre.

Former Debenhams

Wrexham Shopping Mall is behind the leisure plans for the 42,000 sq ft unit which represents almost a third of the retail floor space at Eagles Meadow.

The council’s planning committee approved the change of use for the building at their meeting this week.

This is the latest example of a former Debenhams store being repurposed. Gravity Active Entertainment took the old Debenhams unit at Liverpool One to operate a 100,000 sq ft entertainment venue featuring a go-karting track.

Debenhams was one of the anchor tenants when Eagles Meadow opened in 2008, but planning officers told councillors at the meeting that the unit had been marketed for retail over the past three years without success.

The space will be subdivided horizontally with both ground floor and first floors becoming separate leisure units, with a children’s trampoline centre operator understood to be lined up as a tenant for the ground floor space.

Covell Matthews Architects drew up the plans which can be viewed by searching for application reference number P/2024/0152 on Wrexham Council’s planning portal.

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

Plans to create an additional entrance to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site were also delegated for officers to approve by Wrexham Council’s planning committee.

The proposals include the provision of parking areas, landscaping, the creation of pathways, drainage infrastructure, and fences.

A visitor car park with 25 accessible bays, 170 standard spaces, 57 overflow bays, and nine spots for coaches to park up is a key feature of the plans.

Grant funding for the project has only been secured until March next year meaning a tight timeframe for delivery.

With this in mind, councillors opted to delegate approval so officers can handle any issues which may arise from ecological appraisals being undertaken in the meantime.

It will also allow progress to be made towards appointing a contractor.

Arcadis Consulting is leading this project.

The plans can be viewed by searching for reference number P/2024/0105 on Wrexham Council’s planning portal.

McDonald’s

Plans for the city’s third McDonald’s, a drive-thru restaurant near the Range at Plas Coch Retail Park were also approved by Wrexham Council’s planning committee.

Other McDonald’s branches in Wrexham are located at Regent Street in the city centre, and at Central Retail Park which opened earlier this year. This is the city’s first McDonald’s drive-thru.

McDonald’s is the latest big name to move to the retail park with M&S opening a food court at the site of the former DW Gym last year, a stone’s throw from Wrexham AFC’s Racecourse Ground stadium.

To view these plans, search for application reference number P/2023/0384 on Wrexham Council’s planning portal.