Earlier this week, Punchline-Gloucester.com reported on the transformation of redundant retail space in Cheltenham's former Lidl supermarket on Grosvenor Terrace into a storage hub.

The 34,000 sq ft site, which was originally built in the late 1970s, has been vacant for almost two years since the supermarket relocated to Swindon Road in September 2020.

But the story has been met with some criticism that the site could have been better utilised to drive more footfall and employment into the area.

David Jones, managing director of Evans Jones in Cheltenham, said: "Within the hierarchy of town centre uses, self-storage uses are one of the least beneficial, generating little new employment and doing nothing to support the wider high street. Visitors to self-storage facilities tend to be infrequent, hence self-storage uses tend not to drive significant increased footfall to the town centre.

"Mindful that the car park is currently closed and performed poorly when open, it is in my view a missed opportunity that the borough council did not investigate whether the site as a whole (the car park, gym and former Lidl premises) could have been demolished and redeveloped for a use or range of uses which would have better supported the town centre."

And now Paul Jones, executive director of Finance, Assets and Regeneration at Cheltenham Borough Council has responded to the comments.

"Firstly the site in question - whilst Cheltenham Borough Council owns the freehold it is let on a long leasehold (88 years remaining) and therefore it was not in our gift to dictate how the owners (in this case Lidl) disposed of their interest," he said.

"Secondly, on behalf of the borough council, I did investigate and held extensive conversations with both the owner and potential developers as to whether the borough council could purchase, demolish and redevelop.

"The asking price of £1.4m unfortunately made it unviable so we had to step back and let the market dictate the future. David, I believe is aware of this so it is disappointing that he is able to express his opinion without any fact checking.

"The council is now in dialogue with the new owners, Storeaway, and we hope to bring forward some form of repurposing of the car park to make it both viable and reduce the anti-social behaviour."

StoreAway plans to open its facility, complete with 325 storage lockers, on July 4.