ST. MODWEN UNVEILS A REEL CINEMA PARTNER IN SKELMERSDALE SCHEME
The UK’s leading regeneration specialist, St. Modwen has revealed the anchor leisure tenant for the regeneration of Skelmersdale Town Centre.
Reel Cinema has agreed to take a lease within the scheme, which is set to bring 50,000 sq ft of leisure and entertainment space to introduce a new night time economy and transform the town centre.
A planning application for the scheme is currently under review after being submitted by St. Modwen, which is working in partnership with West Lancashire Borough Council and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), in November.
The news comes as St. Modwen unveiled new CGI images of the mixed-use town centre scheme, which showcase the 100,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and entertainment space.
The scheme will bring essential new retail, leisure and entertainment facilities to the town and is estimated to create in excess of 500 jobs. In addition, it is anticipated that this long-awaited scheme will become the catalyst for further investment and improvements to the town, and is a vital piece of Skelmersdale’s vision for the future as set out in the Local Plan of 2013.
St. Modwen already has outline consent for a mixed-use scheme in Skelmersdale including a cinema and a large food store in the town centre. However, because demand for large format food stores has decreased, the proposals have been adapted to meet current market requirements and the revised application reflects these changes.
Paul Batho, Projects Director at St. Modwen, said: “Securing our anchor leisure tenant is a vital step forwards in delivering the long-awaited transformation of Skelmersdale and demonstrates growing market confidence. We have had planning permission for a scheme that includes a cinema since 2012 and our current application is a revision to those existing proposals to ensure that the scheme meets current market requirements. Our scheme will bring essential leisure and retail facilities to the town, as well as £10 million investment. With an anchor tenant in place, work could start as early as next year subject to securing planning consent.”
KC Suri, Managing Director of Reel Cinema, said: “Our new cinema in Skelmersdale will provide six screens showing all the latest blockbuster releases and a full range of children’s programmes. All our cinemas have a programme designed for the local area and we will be offering our Kids Club, Seniors Club and Reel Teens, making this long awaited facility the perfect family destination for the people of Skelmersdale. We are looking forward to bringing this cinema to the area and being part of a vibrant, integrated leisure development with a range of restaurants and bars.”
There will also be extensive improvements to the public realm as part of the proposals, including the long-awaited new high street linking between the college and the existing town centre, together with major investment in new street furniture, lighting and public art. There will be significant enhancements to the public areas outside the library and Nye Bevan Leisure Centre. The Scheme also integrates into Skelmersdale’s hidden gem, the Tawd Valley.
St Modwen has been working in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and West Lancashire Borough Council since 2007 for the delivery of a comprehensive regeneration scheme in Skelmersdale town centre.
