Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council with strategic partners Queensberry, today announce Really Local Group – the team behind Catford Mews, Ealing Project, Peckham Levels, Reading Biscuit Factory and Sidcup Storyteller – as a major anchor for its major mixed-use town centre development, Grayson Place.
Really Local Group will open a 14,000 sq ft leisure and culture space at the scheme to include a 5-screen cinema, live performance area, café, bar and community hub, and will be the company’s first major project outside London and the South East.
The regeneration specialists renew and restore high street spaces into inclusive and affordable venues for communities, designed to reflect their locality.
The cinema and community space will form part of Grayson Place’s extensive leisure offering; in total the scheme will include 29,000 sq ft of leisure alongside a 10,000 sq ft food hall and 8,000 sq ft of other F&B and retail, as well as new public realm designed to offer a safe and flexible space for markets, pop-ups and other cultural uses.
Preston Benson, founder of Really Local Group, said: “It is our mission to create cultural and community venues that reflect the heart of local high streets, with and for the local community. Nuneaton is brimming with character, and our ethos aligns closely with the Council’s transformation vision for the town centre, one that will bring a diverse programme of culture and uses that are driven by the local community. So, Nuneaton was the clear and obvious choice for our first major project outside London and the South East.
“Our venue will be a place for people to watch, eat, relax, work, drink and experience; bringing creativity and people back to the centre of town. We hope this new space will act as a positive catalyst for further transformation in the area and is a vital step in creating a new destination for Nuneaton and wider Warwickshire community.”
Grayson Place is a 5.7-acre mixed-use redevelopment in Nuneaton town centre, within easy reach of the train and bus stations, as well as benefitting from a catchment of 186,000 people within a 15-minute drive.
The venue will be part of the second phase of the development, which is already under construction with partners BAM Construct UK, completing end of 2024 and opening early 2025. In addition to the cinema, this phase will introduce a new public square and town centre campus for North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College. The first phase, a 145-room Hampton by Hilton hotel is on track to open in early 2024.
Alex Hyams, senior asset & leasing manager, commented: “Really Local Group choosing Nuneaton as the location for its first major project outside of London and the South East is testament to the scale of the opportunity in this Warwickshire town, and to the impressive vision that Nuneaton & Bedworth Council has to transform the town centre into a thriving hub that serves the needs of local people.
“Securing the Really Local Group marks a significant milestone. The cinema will act as an important anchor occupier, which will not only be the heartbeat of the diverse community we’re curating at Grayson Place, but also the catalyst for a vibrant new retail, food and leisure offer in Nuneaton town centre. We’re excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for the scheme and will be making more leasing announcement in the near future.”
Developed by Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council together with its strategic development partner Queensberry, Grayson Place is the first landmark project in the Transforming Nuneaton programme, undertaken by the Borough Council and Warwickshire County Council.
Cllr Kris Wilson, leader of the Nuneaton & Bedworth Council, added: “The regeneration of Grayson Place delivers on the Council’s vision of breathing life into the town centre and creating a vibrant new destination where people want to go for multiple different reasons throughout the day. With Really Local Group on board to operate a major new cinema and event space, that vision is being realised – paving the way for a wealth of business opportunities and additional housing development and infrastructure.”
