Cllr Bowles toured the site and was shown the piling rig, which is laying the foundation for the Bourne Place leisure site.
After the tour, the councillors met with some of the local people who are employed on site. Frank, who lives in Sittingbourne, started working as a gateman after asking the site manager for a job on the site.
Speaking about the regeneration, Frank said:
“We see a lot of people very happy about what’s going on here and I am as well because I’m local. I think it’s brilliant, definitely something Sittingbourne needs and will hopefully bring more people here”.
The work will involve the construction of a new restaurant quarter, with restaurants including Nandos, Pizza Express and more yet to be announced.
As well as the restaurants, a state of the art cinema and Travel lodge will complete the square.
The work on the site is due to complete in 2019, with the fit out occurring before the opening of the restaurants and cinema in early 2020.
The works will deliver the leisure quarter in Sittingbourne town centre, with a state of the art Light Cinema, a host of new restaurants to the town and a Travelodge hotel.
Safe pedestrian routes are being maintained in accordance with highway permits, with pedestrians able to walk around the site using the new pavements once the site entry and exits are in place.
As part of PDR’s commitment to the Considerate Contractors Scheme, the surrounding footpaths and highways will be maintained in a safe and clean condition for pedestrians and road users.
Vibration monitoring equipment has been installed to monitor the vibration and noise caused during the piling phase. We will try to minimise the impact on nearby properties as much as possible, though there will inevitably be a degree of disturbance caused, which we apologise for.
The piling phase will last for a period of 5-6 weeks. The work will pause during the Christmas period, with the site fully secured 24 hours a day from 20th December, until the works resume on 2nd January 2019.
For further information regarding the leisure site, contact info@spiritofsittingbourne.com. For questions regarding the works, PDR Construction are contactable on 01482 64444 or info@pdrconstruction.co.uk
The Spirit of Sittingbourne will offer free parking at all car parks in Sittingbourne on Saturday 8 December, it has been announced. The move comes as an expression of gratitude to Sittingbourne residents for their patience during the roadworks.
The the town centre developer behind the roadworks has covered the cost of parking with Swale Borough Council for the Saturday.
The decision to cover the costs followed feedback from local businesses who were concerned after Swale BC announced they will not be providing free car parking this December, as they have done in previous years.
The free parking will apply to all car parks in Sittingbourne town centre.
The free parking day will also be promoted with adverts on social media and in the Sittingbourne News Extra, helping to generate additional footfall in the town centre as we enter the Christmas period.
As well as covering the cost of the parking, we have taken out adverts in the local newspaper and on social media to promote the day.
We encourage shoppers to take advantage of the free parking and support local businesses by visiting Sittingbourne town centre as part of their Christmas shopping this December.
A short period of works is due to begin on West Street for two separate periods of four days.
The works will cause minimal disruption, with access unimpeded for pedestrians and an assisted traffic flow programme in place.
Delivery access will still be in place for local businesses.
The first period will begin on Monday 26th November, with the works lasting until Thursday. The second period will run from Sunday 2nd December until Wednesday 5th.
The Spirit of Sittingbourne roadworks hotline is still available on 01795 602 011 and roadworks@spiritofsittingbourne.com
With the second phase now complete, the disruption outside of the train station will be minimised. The re-opening of Dover Street will significantly improve traffic flow in Sittingbourne town centre, helping to boost footfall for local businesses.
As part of the completion of the second phase, Station Street is now permanently closed off at the northern end to vehicle traffic.
We apologise for the delay in opening the road and fully appreciate the patience of the people of Sittingbourne during the works.
The regeneration will continue, with works on the leisure quarter now underway.
The regeneration will provide the town with new jobs and brand new retail offerings, including Nando’s, Pizza Express and The Light Cinema.
The opening of the newly realigned A2 began on Monday 22nd October with St. Michael's Road and Milton Road. This will improve traffic flow through Sittingbourne town centre. The remaining works on Dover Street will continue and are due to be completed shortly.
We can now begin construction of the leisure quarter, which will bring a host of high-quality leisure facilities to Sittingbourne, as part of the wider regeneration of the town.
The second phase of Spirit of Sittingbourne roadworks in Sittingbourne town centre will be complete by October 22nd, it has been announced today.
The completion date is slightly later than anticipated due to additional works required outside the control of contractors, including the removal of a structurally unsafe wall within the site.
The completion of the second phase will see the opening of the newly realigned A2 and the opening of the taxi rank outside of Sittingbourne train station. This will deliver improved traffic and pedestrian flow in the town centre. As part of the completion of the phase two works, Station Street will permanently close to vehicle traffic at the northern end.
The roadworks are part of the Spirit of Sittingbourne scheme, which will provide hundreds of new jobs and brand new retail offerings to the town, including Nandos, Pizza Express and The Light Cinema.
Commenting, a Spirit of Sittingbourne spokesperson said:
“We apologise for the slight delay in the completion of the second phase of the roadworks.
“Local residents will understandably be frustrated with any additional delay incurred.
“The decision was taken because our foremost concern is the safety of road users and delivering a high quality of works.
“We now expect KCC sign off to reopen the newly realigned A2 and complete the second phase of roadworks, by October 22nd, as we continue with the Spirit of Sittingbourne regeneration programme which now moves to the construction of the landmark leisure quarter, recently named by the public as Bourne Place.
“In the meantime, we remind residents that businesses in the high street and The Forum remain open for business, as they have throughout this summer’s roadworks.”
Ends
CONTACT: Please contact Kevin McKeever or Gordon McKee at info@spiritofsittingbourne.com or 01795 602 011
Spirit of Sittingbourne LLP is a Public Private Partnership between U+I plc, Swale Borough Council, Quinn Estates and Essential Land.
Full details of our regeneration scheme are available online at www.spiritofsittingbourne.com
The new Princes Street Retail Park was officially opened at a ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday morning, Monday 9 July 2018.
Leader of Swale Borough Council, Cllr Andrew Bowles, was joined by cabinet colleagues from the Spirit of Sittingbourne regeneration partnership.
The opening of Princes Street Retail Park marks the completion of the first stage of the Spirit of Sittingbourne regeneration programme. Attention now turns to construction of the leisure quarter, recently named Bourne Place, with work starting at the end of the summer on the Light cinema, Travelodge and restaurants including Pizza Express and Nando’s.
Commenting,Leader of Swale Borough Council, Cllr Andrew Bowles said:
“It’s fantastic to see the new units fully open, and I want to warmly welcome these new businesses to Sittingbourne. I hope they settle in quickly and thrive in their new homes.
“The retail park is the first element of the Spirit of Sittingbourne scheme to be completed, and marks a real turning point for the town. People are now seeing that the regeneration they’ve been waiting for is really happening, and there is a real buzz and excitement about the future for the town.
“We haven’t got to this stage by accident. It’s down to the continuing hard work of everyone involved – the Spirit consortium, and our partners in the public and private sectors – who are delivering a project that will breathe new life in to Sittingbourne.”
Rob Sloper on behalf of Spirit of Sittingbourne commented:
“It’s great to see the first phase of our regeneration scheme open to the public. “We’re looking forward to starting building work on the leisure quarter later this summer, complementing the businesses on the High Street and Forum, which of course remain open for business throughout roadworks and construction.”
Residents can keep updated on further news related to the Spirit of Sittingbourne project at www.spiritofsittingbourne.com
Cllr Andrew Bowles, Leader of Swale Borough Council said:
“Nando’s signing up for the new leisure quarter is another confirmation of confidence in the Spirit of Sittingbourne regeneration programme, which has seen the Council under my leadership invest in Sittingbourne’s future. We all look forward to Nando’s opening, but there’s disagreement in the Cabinet on which PERi-PERii sauce we can handle!’
Richard Upton, Deputy CEO at U+I said:
“We are delighted to have Nando’s onboard and to be powering ahead with work in Sittingbourne. The multi-million-pound investment will soon be delivering many benefits including; popular shops, a hotel, cinema, six restaurants and hundreds of new jobs. Local people can look forward to having the evening attractions Sittingbourne deserves on the doorstep and the quality restaurant and leisure offer will attract new visitors to the town centre.”
As part of the Spirit of Sittingbourne regeneration, preparatory works are beginning to take place that will enable the construction of the cinema and new leisure quarter later this year.
Work to improve drainage and resurface the Forum car park will begin this week with a new temporary entrance being installed from 9 April.
The main resurfacing work will commence from 16 April when the Forum end of the car park will be fenced off and the substantive drainage and resurfacing work will begin.
Throughout the works, we will provide the current number of 6 disabled parking bays with the temporary bays connected to the Forum by a safe and level route.
In addition to the above works, this week will see work to excavate and divert sewers in preparation for construction of the new multi-story car park.
St Michael’s Road will be closed for a short stretch on the westbound carriageway for up to 3 weeks. The closure runs from Station Street to the point where the bus access road from Station Street joins St Michael’s Road. The diversion route is via Station Street and using the bus lane to re-join St Michael’s Road, east of the Station Roundabout.
We’re delighted to announce the name for our new retail park off Eurolink Way, known as Site 6 in planning speak.
After a public poll run online and in the Kent Messenger, Princes Street Retail Park has been chosen.
Opening in 2018, Princes Street Retail Park will be home to new retailers including Home Bargains and Food Warehouse from Iceland, alongside a Costa drive thru.
Cllr Andrew Bowles, leader of Swale council, said:
“I’m pleased to announce the clear winner of our public poll to name the new big box retail site as Princes Street Retail Park.
“It’s pleasing to see that local people chose a name that helps connect the history of the town to the bright future ahead.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what ideas people come up with for the new public square and leisure quarter when we ask them to help pick a name next year.”
As you can see from our latest snaps, construction is well underway at the new retail site off Eurolink Way (formally known as ‘Site 6’ in council planning speak).
We’re on track to complete the building works by the end of March. We will then hand over to the tenants, including Home Bargains and Food Warehouse from Iceland, for fit out, which will take from four to twelve weeks depending on their programme.
Exact opening dates will be announced in 2018, so watch this space!
Why not have your say on the permanent name for the new retail park? Spirit of Sittingbourne has been working with Swale Borough Council and the Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne (HRGS) to come up with a shortlist of names for the site to be put to the public vote.
You can vote for your choice here.
The poll will run until Wednesday, 29 November and the final choice will be announced at the council meeting on 13 December.
Construction of the retail units will be complete by March 2018, when Costa Coffee, Home Bargains and Food Warehouse from Iceland take up residence. Essential service works by UK Power Networks on Milton Road to service the new units will take place from July 25th 2017 and last a maximum of three weeks.
Roadworks to facilitate the construction of the new leisure quarter will take place in four phases, with the first phase kicking off at the beginning of August and finishing by the beginning of December. Phase one will see westbound traffic from St Michael’s Rd diverted onto Station Street, allowing works on West Street, Station St, St Michaels Rd and the adjoining car parks. Whilst these works will not result in significant diversions to traffic, we do anticipate some disruption, so drivers may want to allow a little extra time for their journey.
Phase two roadworks will begin in the New Year. Completion of the second phase of works will fully release the leisure quarter land, meaning work can begin on the new Light Cinema and new restaurants, including Pizza Express and Wildwood.
Cllr Mike Cosgrove, Cabinet Member for Regeneration at Swale Borough Council: “After a thorough process to ensure this vital regeneration project could go ahead, we’re now looking forward to realising our vision for Sittingbourne town centre’s future, benefiting local people through new leisure and employment opportunities.”
Rob Sloper of Spirit of Sittingbourne: “A lot of work has gone into ensuring plans for the regeneration of Sittingbourne reached this stage. We’re delighted that we’re now able to move from concept to construction this summer, with work on the ground bringing the benefits of our development to the local area.”
To view proposed roadworks, click here.
