New Monks Farm: IKEA reacts to Lancing superstore approval

Swedish flat pack furniture giant IKEA has responded to the New Monks Farm development finally being given the go ahead.
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On Tuesday (February 5), a legal agreement was finally signed between the developer, The Community Stadium Ltd, and West Sussex County Council for the 600-home and IKEA development to begin.

Some observers had grown concerned IKEA's interest in the site may be waning as the saga rumbled on, exacerbated by the recent closure of its store in Coventry city centre - although it is worth noting that the seven-floor, urban store is a different beast to the familiar, sprawling rural IKEA planned for New Monks Farm.

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A statement from the homeware giant has addressed the ongoing development.

An artist's impression of the IKEA superstoreAn artist's impression of the IKEA superstore
An artist's impression of the IKEA superstore

“We are pleased that the plans for the New Monks Farm Development, which includes a proposed new IKEA store, are now progressing," said a spokesman.

"The timescales will be determined by certain elements of the scheme, including a new junction for the A27, which must be in place before a store can open.”

The application's legal conditions - known as a section 106 agreement - state the IKEA store cannot be occupied, nor any more than 249 homes, until infrastructure improvements are completed including the construction of a new roundabout on the A27, improvements to Grinstead Lane and the Manor Roundabout and a new byway near the Sussex Pad traffic lights.