New plans submitted to Tewkesbury Borough Council reveal how Marks and Spencers now intends to open a new store in Gloucestershire, having taken a prime spot at the Cotswolds Designer Outlet, which is tipped to open for the first visitors in July.

Details of a request made to Tewkesbury Borough Council confirm that Marks and Spencer will be opening an M&S Outlet store at Unit 15 of the shopping centre on Ashchurch's Platinum Drive. Backing onto the A46, the new retail hub sits just seconds from Junction 9 of the M5.

The coup for the retail hub means that the iconic name will add further gravitational pull to brands already known to be on the way. 

Alongside being home to Wagamama, cosmetics firm Rituals, Puma and Zizzi, the venue is now known to be limbering up to offer outlets from Mountain Warehouse, Tefal, ProCook, Five Guys, Samsonite, Under Armour and Sweaty Betty. To meet their combined customer needs, parking is planned for 607 cars.

Sited close to Dobbies garden centre, the retail outlet comes within the scope of a broad development for some 1,500 new homes. Ninety shops and restaurants are planned, of which 55 will be in phase one of the work, with the developer saying that the project will create 500 jobs.

M&S's application for signage tells planners: "Marks and Spencer will soon be opening an 'M&S Outlet' store at Unit 15 of Cotswold Designer Outlet. M&S is keen to ensure its new stores are legible, uniform and easily recognisable to its customers."

It adds: "Advertisement consent is sought to reflect the most up-to-date M&S branding in alignment with the Company's wider renewal and new store openings programme."

The bid details four signs and once open, it will mean the retailer has four outlets in the county, the other three being on Gloucester Quays, Gloucester's Eastgate Street and on Cheltenham's High Street. Last Easter, M&S closed its outlet at the Cheltenham's Kingsditch Retail Park.

While welcoming the bid, Ashchurch Rural Parish Coincil said it "would request that a restriction be placed on the hours that all retail outlet signs are illuminated to reduce the accumulative light pollution."

Gloucestershire Highways have added that the proposals and consequent illumination do not present any impact on highway safety.

No date is yet set for the final approval.

● Punchline-Gloucester.com Editor Mark Owen said: "This is great news for the emerging Cotswold Designer Outlet. M&S is a key new tenant which only adds momentum to the development's prospects. At the same time though, we are concerned for the implications for Tewkesbury town centre's retail and hospitality sectors – what are the long-term lasting effects of the Cotswold Designer Outlet going to be? This is a question that isn't confined to Tewkesbury – with many businesses in Cheltenham watching the development gather pace, concern is rippling out"