intu has received outline planning consent to create a multi-million leisure development at intu Lakeside, its market leading centre in Thurrock.
The leisure proposals mark the continuing evolution of the centre, building upon existing plans for a £180m expansion of the centre that will bring 30-40 new stores and a substantial investment in local community infrastructure.
Wide range of new leisure and restaurant uses
The development will create a series of outdoor spaces, the focal point of which will be a large town square around which a wide range of new leisure and restaurant uses will be provided over two levels. Discussions are progressing with potential tenants with a view to securing such uses as ten-pin bowling, family restaurants, a health and fitness centre, a night club, a comedy venue and a hotel.
The public spaces will host an exciting events programme which may include farmers’ and Christmas markets, street theatre, music shows and live screenings of big sporting events throughout the year. The spaces can also be used to host some of intu’s events which have a strong point of difference to those you may find at other shopping centres, such as Everyone’s Invited which works with the local community to showcase talents within the arts.
During public consultation, 82% of respondents said that they would spend more time at the centre if additional leisure activities were available.
The development will provide a boost to the local economy during both construction and operational stages, with up to 1,400 permanent new jobs being created across the leisure, hospitality and retail sectors. There will be approximately 660 jobs created on site during the two year construction phase.
Construction could start as early as 2015, which would mean that the leisure development could open in 2017.