Turnstone Estates has submitted a planning application to East Cambridgeshire District Council for the proposed Ely Leisure Village.
Located at the junction of the A10 and Downham Road, if planning permission is granted, the £16 million Ely Leisure Village will provide Ely with a six-screen Cineworld cinema, 4 restaurants and further stand-alone restaurants, including two drive-thru’s. This is Phase 1 of the application.
Accompanying the development will be a new underpass providing access for pedestrians and cyclists under the A10, highway improvements along Downham Road and considerable landscaping. The scheme will also provide improved access for the existing sports clubs.
The application has been submitted following a successful public exhibition earlier this year. Two hundred people came to see the plans at Ely College and 95% said they thought that the Leisure Village would be a welcome addition to Ely.
If planning permission is granted then it is envisaged that construction work will begin in late Summer 2015 and the cinema/restaurants will open in mid-2016. Upwards of 280 jobs will be available at the Ely Leisure Village when it opens plus a number of temporary roles during the construction phase.
Phase 2 of the application seeks an outline planning permission for a new, district-wide Leisure Centre. This will enable East Cambridgeshire District Council to develop the site, which immediately borders the Phase 1 location to the West along the A10, at a future date.
Tim Deacon, Development Director at Cambridge based Turnstone Estates, said:
“We are delighted to have submitted a planning application to East Cambs for the proposed Ely Leisure Village and hope that the Planning Committee is able to approve the proposed development.
“At our public exhibition there was overwhelming support for our proposal. We have also listened to what local residents told us and made changes to the underpass and the proposed cycle access route.
“The cinema and restaurants will enable Ely residents to have a meal out and see the latest films in state of the art facilities without having to travel far to do so”.
Turnstone Estates can also announce today that Frankie & Benny’s have agreed that, if planning permission is granted, they will be coming to the Ely Leisure Village. Further tenants will be announced shortly.