A DEVELOPER has dismissed fears that plans for more shops in a major regeneration scheme will create “just another retail park”.

Neptune Developments, who recently appointed a contractor to carry out the final phase of the £60m New Brighton scheme, have submitted a planning application to change the use for two units to allow additional retail units.

New Brighton councillor Tony Pritchard said he was concerned the development was becoming “more of a retail park and less a mixed use development” with the main focus on leisure facilities.

Cllr Pritchard said: “We have to be careful we were going for a mixed development and if we go to more retail units it could end up just another retail park.”

Earlier this month, Bowmer & Kirkland, one of the country’s leading privately-owned construction groups, was appointed by Neptune to build the £35m phase two of the scheme.

This includes a new Morrisons supermarket, a 66-bed Travelodge hotel, a digital cinema, bars, restaurants, a watersports training centre, a new model boating lake, a public Lido and other public spaces, as well as improved public transport links. The Marine Lake and the new Promenade and Model Boating Lake are due to be completed by summer 2010 with the Morrisons supermarket ready to start fitting-out just after Christmas next year.

It is two units which open on to the car park in front of the Morrisons which Neptune says leisure developers are not keen on, but retail developers prefer.

The planning application says they will continue to market these units to leisure operators, but “interest in these two units continues to be worryingly negligible” for these types of uses.

However, it added that interest in these has been expressed by Argos, Pets at Home, Next, TK Maxx, Sports Direct and B&M Bargains, among others.

Neptune Developments Director Rob Mason, insisted the basic aims of the schemes were not changing and the amendment to the scheme was approved by Wirral Council, as landlord last year, and they were now seeking planning permission.