Plans to build a wild west style store on a bike park near Newmarket have been submitted.

A planning application to build the store on the site of Phoenix Cycleworks in Kentford was submitted on January 24.

The proposed store would sit on the site of a former petrol station between the A14 and B1506, and would employ eight staff.

The planning statement says the aim of the development is to "develop the old forecourt and form a cohesive Phoenix Cycleworks brand across the whole site."

%image(15108781, type="article-full", alt="The new shop is designed to have an "American West" style look.")

Jeremy Greadly, owner of Phoenix Cycleworks, said: "It's a small convenience store really – sort of a farm shop – more for local people.

"We've developed the site of the past few years, setting up a bike shop, coffee shop, and the bike park.

%image(15108782, type="article-full", alt="The high facade is intended to break up the square profile of the container crates")

"This latest shop will be made out of six shipping containers. With this one, we are going to put a big facade on the front and clad the edges.

"I went with the American West style design because it meshes well with the rest of the site, which has lots of exposed wood.

"I've always liked the Tombstone look, and with the height, you can get a lot more presence out of the buildings. The containers are a bit square otherwise, and it helps to break up their profile."

Will Dutch, the architect working on the project, said the "pioneering philosophy" of mountain biking had inspired the design.

"The site sits on the edge of Kentford in a transient position against the A14 and as such the architecture and landscape have been designed to fit its context," he said.

"The site, in its essence, is a bit Wild West, on the edge, in new territory and a place that allows freedom and exploration. The site allows an element of fun and tongue in cheek and so that shows in the way the site has been designed.

"The architecture is predominantly containers, they create ready-made structures that have been chopped and arranged on-site to create the new cafe, bike shop and stores. They are contextually strong with the A14 being a major transport route of shipping containers from Felixstowe.

"The new store's fronts on Bury Road have that pioneer town feel and will create a bold and enticing entrance to the site and they will start to tell the story of what you are to expect once you are in."