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Fashion retailer Next could be opening a new store in Caerphilly, creating 21 jobs.

The firm has submitted an initial planning application for an empty unit at the Gallagher Retail Park, which if approved would pave the way for the town’s first Next.

Its arrival would be “a substantial benefit to the residents of the local area by increasing choice” and would also create 21 full-time equivalent jobs, according to a statement by agents Q+A planning.

Next is prepared to spend around £1.9 million on getting the shop up and running, and the proposals for the Caerphilly store include a cafe as well as the usual clothing and homeware items.

At this stage, the firm is seeking permission to vary the goods that can be sold at the unit, and if successful will later submit a full application for the store.

This would include a new mezzanine on the first floor of the unit, and the addition of new windows and fire doors.

With the nearest Next store currently eight miles away, in central Cardiff, the agents argue there is a “gap” in the firm’s presence in Caerphilly, and residents have to travel “significant distances to use a bricks and mortar store”.

They also said the unit has stood empty since it was built nearly 20 years ago, and Next’s arrival would support the wider retail park and its businesses.

Empty sites in Caerphilly town centre would be too small to accommodate the type of store Next is hoping to open, they added.

They said opening the store out of town “will not result in any significant adverse impacts on investment on Caerphilly town centre or on its vitality and viability”.

The application is currently out for consultation, and can be viewed on the Caerphilly County Borough Council website under reference 26/0232/NCC.