Rumours have circled in recent months over the potential for a new shop to move into the High Street shopping centre after workers were spotted in the empty unit. 

However, fresh plans have now been submitted to Southend Council requesting permission for a series of Dunelm signs to be put in place around the shopping centre. 

Matt Dent (Image: Archive)

Primark closed its doors in 2020 and the shop relocated to the High Street, with the space sitting empty ever since.  

The plans reveal the furniture and homeware giant would sit on the ground floor, with a Pausa Kitchen cafe and a “Made to Measure” curtains and blinds area on the second floor. 

Proposals were initially unveiled in 2022 for Dunelm to take over the empty Primark, however they were scrapped after the firm announced big plans to open at the Mayflower Retail Park in Basildon. 

Trevor Harrison, 65, from Southend, believes the addition would help encourage people to return to the area, and would help fill the hole left by Debenhams which closed in May 2021.

Empty – the Primark unit when it closed in 2020 (Image: Newsquest)

He said: “It would be a very good addition to the High Street, it will bring people back to Southend. We need something to boost the High Street, you walk down now it’s not particularly encouraging, it would be nice to see some independent shops in the High Street as well.”

The new shop could serve as an “anchor business” attracting more visitors to the High Street, a councillor has said.

Matt Dent, Labour councillor for business, tourism and culture, said: “It’s very promising, I know Dunelm have been interested in the Royals before, The fact that it might still be on is terrific news. Getting it into the city would be fantastic, and getting it into the old Primark would be tremendous news for the Royals.

“There’s been a lack of a big anchor business in the Royals and I think Dunelm could fill that hole.”

Sadiq Chikte, director of the Seven Hotel on Clifton Terrace, hailed the news as a real positive for businesses.

He said: “It’s definitely a good thing, especially for the Royals, the High Street, and Southend. There are a lot of empty shops on the area, there was nothing there for a while.”