THE COMPANY behind a long-awaited £30 million shopping centre has revealed it is close to signing clothing giant Next for its flagship store.

Stainsby Grange, which is spearheading Keighley's Worth Valley Shopping Centre development, has been working with Next for several months on the design of the two-storey shop in East Parade.

Once contracts have been signed, a number of other national chains are expected to complete deals for the planned centre’s other shop units.

Popular restaurant chain Frankie & Benny’s has already signed up for one of the six planned food outlets, serving the eight shops and on-site eight-screen cinema.

News of major progress on the Worth Valley Shopping Centre project, after several months of silence, has been hailed by local politicians as a boost for the local economy.

Stainsby Grange development director David Williams said: “The situation with Next is that we have agreed the design for the flagship store. The transaction is still in legal hands.

“Signing a flagship store that is a huge brand will instil confidence in the other names.

“Other companies are in detailed negotiations with the solicitors. Some of them might be on the verge of signing.

“Frankie and Benny’s are signed up and we have names in the frame for most of the food outlets.”

The 145,000 square-foot Worth Valley Shopping Centre will occupy a five-acre site between East Parade and the River Worth, formerly occupied by nine companies whose premises have now been demolished. It will have a 350-space car park.

Bradford Council gave planning permission for the complex in May 2012, but construction work has been on hold while Stainsby Grange continued the complex web of negotiations with potential tenants.

A Next deal would see two branches of the clothing chain in central Keighley. The existing Next store is in the nearby Airedale Shopping Centre.

Airedale Centre manager Steve Seymour said Next had last year renewed the lease on its existing store in Queensway for the next 10 years.

He said: “It’s a commitment to the future. Next have seen the potential in Keighley. They believe the town can sustain two stores.”

Keighley MP Kris Hopkins said the progress on the Worth Valley Shopping Centre was extremely good news for Keighley.

He said: “The quality of the names being mentioned as likely tenants serve as a compliment to the efforts of the developers who have worked hard to get the project to this stage.

“The scheme will deliver another major boost to the town’s infrastructure and will significantly increase the likelihood of other firms choosing Keighley as their ideal location for relocation or expansion as the economy continues to pick up.”

District councillor Andrew Mallinson, a member of Keighley Town Centre Association, described the news about the shopping centre as “absolutely fantastic”.

He added: “This shows confidence in the town. It’s going to be an extremely popular retail destination.

“It will be a massive wave that sends ripples across the town. People who come to visit the centre will explore the rest of Keighley.”

Keighley town mayor Graham Mitchell said it was good to hear that things were progressing positively on the project.

But he added: “We must press the district council to push on with the planned one-way system in the town centre. It will become essential when the Worth Valley Shopping Centre is open.”