Cannock cinema axe defended by retail bosses
Bosses behind a new £115million designer outlet village in Staffordshire have defended the decision to axe a cinema from the plans, saying it will still be a 'leading' attraction.
It emerged earlier this week that the picture house planned for the Mill Green Designer Outlet Village off the A5 in Cannock had been removed from the project.
The reason it was axed was due to the council receiving interest from a cinema developer to build a facility elsewhere in the town.
Rioja Developments is the company behind the outlet proposals which have now been submitted to Cannock Chase Council.
Giles Membrey, managing director, said: "I would like to thank everyone who provided us with valuable feedback throughout the consultation period, enabling us to reach this point.
"The public input we received helped shape our proposals and we are delighted to have submitted the application.
"As well as creating hundreds of local jobs and providing a much-needed injection of inward investment, we are confident that this development will result in a regional destination for the area.
"Our ambition is to create the most dynamic and attractive outlet centre of its kind in the UK.
"There has already been significant interest from many of the top designer brands, all keen to have a presence at Mill Green. "This promises to be one of the leading designer outlet villages in the country and we are very excited about the development plans."
Chiefs say the cinema was pulled from the scheme so that the council can 'explore' if a site for a new cinema could be found in the town centre.
The updated application will also bring forward a number of road improvements, including the widening of Eastern Way to facilitate traffic flow and the addition of much-needed crossings on Eastern Way, as requested by residents.
If planning approval is granted, the area will also benefit from an extra £6m for off-site costs and improvements including a heritage trail.
Boasting 130 designer outlet retail units, restaurants and around 2,000 car parking spaces, the 23,758 sqm village would be the biggest development of its kind in the West Midlands.
Progressed in phases by development partners Development Securities PLC and Rioja Developments, the retail and leisure destination will include a mix of quality designer brands.
A decision on the plans is expected to be made in the next few months.
If the go-ahead is given, work could begin by the end of 2016 and Mill Green is expected to open in 2018.
