The developers of the Wellgate Centre have lodged a detailed planning application to create a new main entrance and a food court.
The city council has already granted permission for a major overhaul of the shopping centre, including a 900-seat multi-screen cinema, with the aim of attracting more visitors and making the Wellgate a key part of the night-time economy.
A revamp of the Murraygate entrance has also been on the cards, with extensive use of glazing proposed to make the centre more welcoming.
Stefano Faiella, from ThreeSixty Architecture, said: “The design of the new elevation focuses greatly on the visual impact on the street and seeks to enhance the building and the overall area by creating a focal point at the end of Murraygate.
“The key issue with the entrance is that it lacks any real presence onto the street and the foyer area is rather unwelcoming, dated and quite gloomy.
“The proposal is to create a two-storey void over the new entrance.
The large double height space will allow the centre to ‘spill out’ on to Murraygate as visitors to the Wellgate will be able to appreciate from the street the internal activity through the highly glazed elevation.”
Centre owners St James’s Place UK are also asking the council for permission to change the use of 3500 sq m of units on the third level from retail to food and drink, with another restaurant at street level as part of the new entrance.
Their agents, Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL), said the regeneration was necessary to fit the changing demands for floorspace, with fewer shops seeking units but a rise in interest from leisure operators.
“The Wellgate has experienced pressures in recent years from out-of-town facilities and new retail facilities elsewhere in the city centre resulting in increased vacancies, as well as experiencing the wider influences in terms of market and economic factors,” JLL said.
“The Wellgate cannot stand still and must seek to address the opportunities to improve and enhance the retail offer and introduce appropriate wider uses to complement this offer.
“The proposed development will be supportive of the existing retail provision within the centre by encouraging footfall and increasing the ‘dwell time’ spent by visitors to the centre across an extended period throughout the day and evening.”
Light Cinemas have already been lined up as the operator of the eight-screen cinema, which will occupy a large area of the third and fourth levels.
The developers have said they hope the refurbishment will create up to 330 jobs.