Renewed hope for Southend United stadium move

Cineworld has unveiled plans to build the 12-screen cinema at Fossetts Farm as part of £25million plans for the club’s new ground.

The multiplex, which will be built in partnership with British Land, will form part of wider plans by Martin Dawn and includes 35 shops, ten restaurants and more than 1,000 free car parking spaces.

Ron Martin, Southend United chairman, said the announcement by Cineworld would “breathe fresh air” into the project which has been beset by delays and false starts since permission for a new ground was granted in 2008.

Mr Martin said: “The club’s relocation plans have been a long time in gestation.

“In view of the uncertainty that has surrounded the regeneration of Roots Hall, the club’s current ground, for a mixed retail and residential development, the proposal with British Land will breathe fresh air into the project.

“This development will in addition to placing Southend United on the football map, also make a significant contribution to the town’s attraction and economy.”

The move to a new ground at Fossetts Farm was backed by supermarket giant Sainsburys which are set to build a store at Roots Hall – which would have financed the move to Fossetts Farm.

But the Sainsbury’s store has yet to come to fruition.

Now, Mr Martin’s company Martin Dawn is in advanced talks with property company British Land to pay for the first phase of development – including the new stadium.

The new Cineworld cinema will include a super screen theatre which includes a wall-to-wall screen, dual projectors for 3D films and state-of-the-art speakers.

Cineworld’s property director Kevin Frost said: “We are delighted to have found the perfect home for our Southend cinema.

“British Land is an ongoing partner of ours and we are looking forward to working with them again, while also providing synergy with the club’s plans.

“The location will allow us to serve customers in both Southend and Basildon and the proposed scheme will give us the room to offer our new customers the full choice of movies and formats available.”

Cineworld pulled out of a £50million Southend town centre development for Seaway car park in July.

A deal with Cineworld was due to be signed in January but the company changed its mind.

Fans give cautious welcome to the plans

FANS have given a cautious welcome to news of the plan to bring in Cineworld to kickstart Southend United’s stadium plan.

The new 22,000-seat ground is set to form part of a multiplex at Fossetts Farm, which will include a 12-screen cinema, 35 shops, ten restaurants and more than 1,000 car parking spaces.

But lifelong Shrimpers fans Chris Bent, 43, and Jamie Forsyth, 33, were refusing to get overexcited, citing the numerous false starts the proposed move has had since the club first announced its intention to leave Roots Hall in 2000.

Mr Forsyth, who lives in Witham and co-edits the All At Sea Southend United fanzine, said while he did not think the club could fill a 22,000-seat stadium now, but if they made progress through the leagues, there was a good chance of this happening.

He said the club had no problem filling Roots Hall when it welcomed big teams for cup games, but had to compete for support against the bigger London clubs.

“I would say the fans won’t be jumping for joy with the news, though obviously it is promising that the funding allocation could be in place.

“We will be hoping that is the case and we can get moving because we have had so many false dawns,” he added.

Wickford resident Mr Bent said the club desperately needed the new facilities, and said the improved catering areas would be welcomed.

However, he did express some concern for the future of pubs around the current Roots Hall ground, including the Spread Eagle, which will lose trade on matchdays and provided a good atmosphere prior to the game.

On the positive side, he cited the examples of Reading, Swansea City and Bournemouth as clubs that had experienced an upturn in fortunes on the pitch after moving to new stadiums.

He added: “I am a little cynical when it comes to Fossetts Farm because it should have happened ten years ago. But if it is true and it looks like it is happening, then I look forward to us playing there.”

Southend Council’s leader, Ron Woodley, added: “This clearly shows how Southend-on-Sea is an attractive investment location.

“I look forward to seeing a detailed planning application when it is submitted.

British Land - their background

THE COMPANY behind the ambitious plans for the Fossetts Farm have built London skyscrapers.

Martin Dawn is in talks with British Land, a real estate company which finances a high-quality property portfolio, to provide the funding for the site, including the new stadium.

British Land is the UK’s largest listed owner and manager of retail space and a market leader in the design and development of shopping parks.

The company is behind developments including the Cheesegrater in central London – a 610,000 sq ft office tower in the centre of the City of London.

It is nicknamed because of its distinctive tapering shape which appears to lean away from St Paul’s Cathedral when viewed from the west.

Other developments include Regent’s Place, a 13-acre West End campus home to 16,000 workers and residents.

British Land also has close links to Sainsbury’s, having been involved in selling many of its store sites.

The new Bas Vegas?

THE Festival Leisure Park has transformed Basildon since opening in 1997.

It is now home to an 18-screen cinema, including an IMPACT screen and the IMAX cinema, a bowling complex, two hotels, two gyms, and dozens of big name restaurants, which attract customers from across the county.

Phil Turner, leader of Basildon Council, believes the Festival Leisure Park model is bound to bring success to Southend.

He said: “Festival Leisure Park has brought something different to the borough.

“We've got restaurants, bars, and a cinema, all household names, all on one site.

There really is something for everyone, whatever their age.

“It’s in a good location, away from the settled community, and the management company there has got a really tight grip on antisocial behaviour.

“I can only wish Southend well. If they learn from Festival Leisure, then they won’t go wrong.

“I know a lot of people say these out-of-town developments ruin our high streets, but they work and are what our residents want.”

The park’s clubbing scene, which is undergoing a major revamp, has long attracted revellers from both in and out of Essex.

Liquid, Envy, New York New York, and JJ’s, have closed and are being transformed into a soft play centre and new restaurants, including Coast to Coast and Bella Italia.

A new three-room clubbing complex is being built in the former Sky Bar to cater for thousands of music-loving youngsters.