Council chiefs have overcome a major hurdle to bring forward plans for a new £15m cinema scheme.
Cheshire East Council has finally agreed to sell Churchill Way car park in the town centre to the developer Ask Real Estate so it can build a six screen cinema, six restaurants, a cafe pod, retail unit and public realm.
Contract negotiations have been vigorous, with the council keen to avoid a repeat of the Silk Street flop.
But the delay means the cinema will not open in spring 2018 as first suggested, and has been pushed back to the end of the year.
It is now over to Ask to start a public consultation ahead of submitting a planning application, which is expected in the spring.
In the meantime the council is planning to spend £1m enhancing Exchange Street, Castle Street and Mill Street to complement the cinema scheme.
Councillor Ainsley Arnold, cabinet member for planning, said that alongside existing schemes, investment in the town is now over £30m.
He said: “To secure the confidence of a prestige developer such as Ask is great news for the town.
“We have said that we will strive to improve the town centre and this scheme is one of a number of projects the council is pursuing to enhance the town centre and will complement Eskmuir Security’s investment in the Castle Street section of the Grosvenor Centre.”
Paul Hodgson, managing director of Eskmuir Securities, said: “It’s a very exciting time in Macclesfield and we are extremely pleased to be playing a significant role in the growth and expansion of the town centre.
“Our £11m redevelopment of the Grosvenor Centre shows real confidence in the future of Macclesfield.”
The cinema scheme is expected to be based around different sized screens and not like the standard box-shape of most multiplexes.
Ask has agreed terms with a cinema company and has discussed a potential ‘anchor tenant’ for the retail scheme.
Well known restaurant chains such as Pierre Le Bistrot, Loungers, AskItalian, Las Iguanas, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Cote Brasseries and Wildwood, have been named as potential tenants.
Leon Guyett from Ask Real Estate, said: “We look forward to discussing our proposals with residents, the business community and local stakeholders.”
