Shoppers dismayed as much-loved store announces its closure in Milton Keynes
Shoppers have taken to social media to mourn one of the city’s longest-established stores, which is to close down next month.
Farm Foods has been in Bletchley’s Brunel Centre for many years, selling frozen products and groceries often at discounted prices.
But it will close its doors for good on February 23, it has been revealed this week.
Many shoppers rely upon the store for staple goods and have said how much they will miss it.
"I’ve shopped there every week for more years than I can count. The town won’t be the same without it,” said one Bletchley resident.
The only other Farm Foods store in MK is at the opposite end of the city, in Wolverton.
Meanwhile, the nearby Select clothing store is also set for closure in Bletchley, leaving the once-thriving Brunel Centre almost empty.
This fits in with the City Council’s plan to demolish the building and build high density new housing on the site, which includes the former Sainsbury’s store and car park.
Both the Brunel Centre and the old Wilko site are owned by the MK City Council’s ‘business arm’, Milton Keynes Development Partnership (MKDP), while the former Sainsbury’s store and car park belongs to the council itself.
The “modern mixed use” redevelopment project will form part of the Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Deal, which will see major improvements to Bletchley and Fenny Stratford - partly paid for by £23m in government funding the city council has already secured.
The Brunel Centre was built in the 1970s by Milton Keynes Development Corporation, with architects intending it to become a landmark urban building similar to centre:mk.
But the result was not a great success, according to the council. Their redevelopment plan states: “The very modest earlier buildings are drained of personality by the forbidding presence of the later ones.”
Meanwhile, plans are also progressing to attract more events to Queensway such as food festivals and offer grants for entrepreneurs to open small business on the high street.
Shoppers have seen a list of closures in the town over recent years, including the large Wilko and Boots stores.
One resident said: “There will be nothing left in Bletchley soon… It’s becoming a ghost town.”