Defence Online

The proposed £300m leisure hall extension of Sheffield’s Meadowhall is needed to ensure Yorkshire’s largest shopping centre remains competitive after major investments by rival destinations and cities, planning documents have revealed. New images of the eye-catching glazed dome have also been unveiled.A detailed planning application was lodged by British Land earlier this month (November) and the extension, which could support about 1,400 jobs, will follow a £60m refurbishment which is underway and due to complete at the end of 2017.A planning statement prepared by Quod highlights that Meadowhall has a very low proportion of non?retail uses compared to many shopping centres, with more than 90 per cent of the centre’s floorspace in retail use.In particular, investments at Manchester’s Trafford Centre and the White Rose Shopping Centre in south Leeds are cited, while the significant expansion of the leisure and food and drink offer in the city centres of Manchester, Leeds and Nottingham is also noted.Alongside the introduction of about 107,600 sq ft of additional food and drink space, the cinema facilities at the centre will be upgraded.A sector review by CBRE highlights how cinemas within shopping centres are now the most visited in the country and help drive footfall into restaurants and shops.The proposed new cinema will lead to an increase from the current 11 screens to between 14 to 18, but only a small increase in the number of seats from 1,941 to 2,290. However, the new cinema will comprise smaller auditoria than currently available and an average of 127 seats per screen compared to 176 currently, providing the latest cinema technology.This change is designed to provide the cinema operator flexibility in terms of the range and duration of screenings it can offer customers.The report argues that there is no evidence to suggest that the replacement cinema proposed would have any significant adverse impact on town centre cinemas or the vitality and viability of existing facilities.The existing cinema will be turned into a 44,100 sq ft leisure box, and there is strong interest in the building from operators in the “urban recreation” sector such as indoor climbing and zip wire attractions. A glazed façade is planned to open up the rear of the existing cinema building.From a food and drink beverage perspective, the development of the Leisure Hall is said to be essential in order to “provide a much improved experience for the existing customer” and top keep pace with competition from “regional supermalls”.The existing offer at Meadowhall is described as “homogenised”, not suitably distributed throughout the centre and not properly serving the current audience, overtrading at peak times and giving rise to long waiting times.A single fully-glazed dome of 568,000 sq ft will encapsulate the extension while external space will also be developed.As well as the extra space for leisure, the scheme includes a 32,300 sq ft foodstore and “transition” retail of 58,00 sq ft, with mezzanine capability of a further 18,800 sq ft.The building will be built on the existing red car park, on the southern part of the Meadowhall estate.Other professional working on the scheme include David Bonnett Associates, Arcadis, Wessex Archaeology, BSG Ecology, Peter Brett, WSP Parsons Brinckhoff and Lexington Communications.