Planning permission has been granted by Dover District Council for a change of use to allow the creation of a 5,500 sq ft gym at St James Dover, the brand-new, 150,000 sq ft retail and leisure development in the heart of Dover, Kent. Anytime Fitness has signed up to operate the 24-hour a day health and fitness club, the first gym by a national health club brand in the town.
The phased opening of St James Dover will start from Friday 9th March, with stores and restaurants welcoming customers as individual tenants complete their fit-outs. Cineworld will be first, following during the course of March with Nando’s, Poundland, Travelodge and The Food Warehouse by Iceland.
Additionally, JLL has been appointed as retail property manager to handle day-to-day operational matters of the scheme.
Legal & General Investment Management, Real Assets, the owner of the scheme, is proactively marketing the scheme to attract new brands to the town. Some 90 per cent, by floor area, of the development is now pre-let or in solicitors’ hands, with a further 6,000 sq ft in negotiations.
St James Dover is a £53.25 million development, alongside the A20 main road leading to the near-by harbour. Some 13m passengers travel through the Port of Dover a year, including 200,000 cruise passengers a year making it the UK’s second busiest cruise terminal. Also, 650,000 day-trippers visit the town each year, especially to see the world-famous White Cliffs and Dover Castle that overlooks the development. However, historically, few of these tourists visited the town centre to the detriment of the local economy.
Richard Poyser, Head of Retail Relationships & Leasing for Legal & General, said: “We want the scheme to appeal to local residents, visitors to the town and tourists travelling through Dover. With the port operational around the clock, a 24-hour a day fitness club plus the 108-bed Travelodge will a major addition to the town. And by providing a welcoming rest-stop so close to the port, tourists will be enticed to explore the town centre in a way they didn’t before.”
St James is connected to Dover’s existing main shopping area, Cannon Street and Biggin Street, enhancing their retail offers by attracting increased footfall. By offering modern retail and leisure units designed to match the expectations of shops and restaurants nowadays, St James has given those retailers that previously were thinking of leaving the town a compelling reason to stay. This means St James is helping Dover keep more of its leisure and retail spend, retaining choice to the benefit of customers. St James brings the benefits and convenience of out-of-town retail and leisure, but in the heart of Dover, close to the town centre, port, Dover Beach and marina.
The scheme is arranged around parking for 445 cars, where the latest number plate recognition system will be used for easy entry and exit, with costs in line with neighbouring town centre car parks.
Top retail brands at St James Dover include anchor stores Next and M&S Simply Food, plus Trespass, Poundland, Shoezone, Card Factory, Carphone Warehouse and Superdrug. Additionally, The Food Warehouse by Iceland will open in a 10,000 sq ft store, bring its new concept to Dover offering great value frozen, fresh, chilled and branded choices.
As well as the Anytime Fitness and Travelodge, dining and leisure will include a 6-screen Cineworld, plus Nando’s and Costa Coffee. The inclusion of a cinema, health club, casual dining plus later store openings will build a stronger evening economy for the town.
St James Dover has a residential catchment of 257,000 and a potential spend of £1.2bn. Over 15,000 new homes will be built in the area over the next 10 years.
The site was previously occupied by an apartment block that had remained empty for some 20 years. St James replaces this with an eye-catching alternative that is a catalyst for the regeneration of the town centre, attracting customers, retail and leisure brands and visitors into the town. Additional investment by the local council, such as the redevelopment of the waterfront, will add to this increased vibrancy.
Joint leasing agents for St James Dover are JLL and HRH.
