PORTLAND PARK, ASHINGTON SALES BROCHURE A new cinema for Ashington Adding to Northumberland s appeal as a place to live and work
1. We re making Ashington a better place for everyone Northumberland County Council s development company with support from Europe s leading cinema consultants CinemaNext Consulting, are joining forces to deliver a major new cinema, leisure and restaurant development at Portland Park, Ashington. Ashington is a great town and a great place to invest. It has significant potential and we are delighted to be delivering the further development of Portland Park. These really are exciting plans for Ashington and for Northumberland. We are looking at a major cinema development one that would draw people from across the county. And with a cinema you also attract and support a wide range of leisure offers that will really complement the highly successful leisure centre. There s a great deal for the people of Ashington to look forward to. RICHARD WEARMOUTH, CHAIR OF ARCH Serving a catchment of over 100,000 people this is a new leisure and lifestyle development situated in the centre of Ashington, close to other leisure and tourist attractions. The Portland Park development aims to deliver investment and regeneration which will see the expansion of Ashington town centre through creating high-quality jobs into the heart of the town, transforming the town centre s physical and economic environment and wider vision for a healthier and more prosperous Ashington. The Portland Park development is at the very heart of our ambitious vision for Ashington. It s about vibrancy, uniqueness, culture, heritage, employment, health & well-being, events, food and drink and things to do. Through the Portland Park development, Ashington can offer this and more PETER JACKSON, LEADER OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL 2 A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON 3
2. Drive times DRIVE TIME FACTS The County of Northumberland is Approx. 6.5m people go to the cinema in home to 316,000 people. the North East each year and they spent The majority of the population live to c. 42m on cinema tickets in 2016. the south east of the county, in and Vue Cramlington, which is positioned on an around Ashington. out of town retail park, is the only multiplex TRAVEL TIMES - POPULATION There are 138,000 households (2.29 residents per household). 89% of residents offer within a 20-minute drive-time distance from Ashington. NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK 0 to 10 min - 51,805 10 to 20 min - 204,888 live in a house or bungalow, with 33% owning outright, which is higher than the U.K. average. Odeon Silverlink is 22 minutes and Odeon Metro Centre 35 minutes drivetime away from Ashington to the south. NORTHUMBERLAND 20 to 30 min - 660,354 30 to 40 min - 1,230,607 Ashington has a higher number of family residents and a higher number of residents aged between 16 and 64 than Going north there are no other full-time cinema s in operation for 100 miles on the A1 route to Edinburgh East. the UK average. There are 1.2m people within a 40 minute Ashington s overall population has drivetime of Ashington. ASHINGTON remained relatively stable, but with a rising commuter population facilitated in part by new housing developments on the fringes of the town with easy access to road connections. The population size, and the profile of residents within the drivetime provide a positive base for potential cinema development. There is a higher number of people working in skilled trades and as machine operatives within the drivetime area than the average across England & Wales. NORTH SHIELDS 70% of the drivetime population own at NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE GATESHEAD SOUTH SHIELDS least one car, vehicle ownership has grown 19% from the 2001 census. WASHINGTON SUNDERLAND CHESTER LE STREET HOUGHTON LE SPRING DURHAM COUNTY DURHAM HARTLEPOOL 4 A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON 5
3. Ashington and the surrounding area Prospect of train station re-opening for links to Newcastle Northumberland population will grow by 4.6% in the period to 2031 660,000 customers in 30 minutes drive 17% Share of the county retail market second only to Cramlington 8 key bus routes going north to Alnwick, south to Newcastle, west to Morpeth and east to the coast 976 free town centre parking space plus additional spaces for Portland Park 250 businesses trading in core commercial area 62% of retailers are regional independents Market day footfall is over 60% higher than usual 75% of town centre users visit at least once a week Media and film studies focus at Northumberland College in Ashington 6 A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON 7
4. What will make Ashington a great place? Homes Ashington s population has seen a steady rise in commuters, with new housing developments on the edges of the town with easy access to Portland Park and Station Road. This local identity and sense of ownership helps a place thrive. Making a place successful takes more than just investment. Ashington has all the components for a sustainable destination with a strong sense of identity. With the right inputs it will be a place with real opportunity, a place that people want to live, work and visit. Heritage A rich history creates a sense of identity and local pride. Ashington has a place in mining history and gave rise to the globally celebrated Pitman Painters. There are many local sports personalities most notable being footballers Bobby and Jackie Charlton and Jackie Milburn. Art, culture, creativity Culture is, amongst many other things, about relationships, shared memories, experiences and identity. Tourism and culture businesses are an important part of the Northumberland economy. There will be a focus on improving the quality and productivity of the sector and related leisure, arts and heritage activity. People & community People want to feel a sense of pride and belonging; great places are made by communities that get involved in their area. Ashington is already a close-knit town; Portland Park and the new Ashington Community football stadium will help to galvanize the community. Entertainment Escaping the everyday and enjoying time with those that matter are essential to our wellbeing. Portland Park will be a place where people can come together to eat, shop, rest and play. Variety of offer Keeping things fresh with events, pop ups and markets encourages people to return. Ashington s footfall on market days is already over 60% higher than usual and this can be built on to develop an exciting, evolving offer. Flourishing businesses Businesses of all shapes and sizes already provide footfall. New businesses moving in will help make the town a destination, whilst excitement over new developments can be leveraged. Transport & connections Being well connected with excellent bus services, the prospective train links to Newcastle, easy road access and free parking make Ashington brilliantly connected. Public realm Clean, open spaces and green areas give people a place to congregate and relax. Ashington s rejuvenation has already seen improvements to Hirst Park and more will follow. Change To be successful placemaking activity needs the impetus of landowners, councils, communities and other important stakeholders. There is a focused effort and a real sense of vision in Ashington. With a commitment from the council, positive change has already been set in motion. 8 A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON 9
5. The Portland Park development: key facts Portland Park will bring a wow factor to Ashington, attracting people back into the town centre giving local residents a great place to meet, shop, eat and enjoy themselves. PORTLAND PARK WILL FEATURE: 21m Leisure centre already generating over 500,000 visits p/a 5 screen cinema 9,000 sqft restaurants and bars (with terrace options) 41,000 sqft of retail unit space or option for residential apartments 9m invested in new infrastructure New public realm (already in place) Free car parking for over 300 cars Bus links and parking for tour buses Connected walkways to the town centre and to local residential areas Engaging leisure offer including competitive socialising The Portland Park development offers a vision for the future of Ashington and we are fully behind it. A successful development in Ashington will act as a major economic driver for the county as a whole. It is essential that we continue to create the conditions for Ashington and the surrounding area to flourish, and this new development will be a key part of that. PETER JACKSON, LEADER OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL 10 A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON 11
6. Portland Park Masterplan and 3D Images PROPOSED PORTLAND PARK CINEMA 12 A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON 13
LOWER LEVEL UPPER LEVEL 14 A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON 15
7. The cinema offer Through Northumberland s development company, the primary aim of the Ashington Investment Plan is to re-establish the town centre as its thriving heart and attract resident and visitor custom. The Portland Park redevelopment will be a mixed-use extension of the town centre to provide new offices, retail, leisure and cultural space based around attractive new streets and public space, including a multi-screen cinema. PORTLAND PARK VIEW FROM THE SOUTH WEST A leisure centre already generating over 500,000 visits per annum McDonalds restaurant in operation ASDA regional superstore in operation J D Wetherspoon Rohan Kanhai Bar & Restaurant in operation 2x Restaurants (south facing with terrace options) Free car parking for 300 cars Regional bus links and parking for tour buses Proposed train links to Newcastle New retail units in demand and to cater for the second biggest retail economy in the county Connected walkways to the town centre and to local residential areas Prospective new residential space PORTLAND PARK VIEW FROM THE NORTH EAST In a Street Survey in Ashington town centre carried out by CinemaNext 92% said that Portland Park would be their main cinema 16 A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON 17
8. MCDONALDS THE ORIGINAL FACTORY SHOP ASHINGTON LEISURE CENTRE LIDL ASDA ASHINGTON SUPERSTORE Why a cinema? THE SITE As a focal point for the community, an exciting cinema can be aspirational, getting people to think again about their town centre. A broad programming strategy that spans blockbusters to ballet can have a positive and sustainable effect; it will inspire, entertain and widen horizons. STATION ROAD RETAIL J D WETHERSPOON POUNDSTRECHER Ashington is currently underserved for indoor family and cultural attractions. A cinema will provide an all-weather, all year visitor attraction for the local, coastal and rural communities around Ashington and for tourists. A survey carried out in the town centre by CinemaNext uncovered real support for a cinema 78% said that they would go to a new cinema in Ashington and 92% said that this would be their main cinema. 42% said they visit the cinema more than once a month the average for the North East of England is 2.3 visits per year. 18 A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON
9. Social media engagement yielded especially positive qualitative results. I m a 15 min drive away but I would definitely support it, just what Ashington needs and I love the new leisure centre. - NORTHUMBERLAND RESIDENT, MALE A cinema and shops in Ashington would be great. I love Tyneside cinema and go often, but for family and stuff for the kids I think it s a great idea to have something on the doorstep. - ASHINGTON RESIDENT, MALE I 100% would. I very rarely go into Ashington but with the addition of any of these amenities I most definitely would. I truly believe it would help the other shops increase their footfall. - ASHINGTON RESIDENT, FEMALE I think it would be perfect for myself and my family. We love the cinema but we don t drive and getting to Cramlington cinema wouldn t be easy via bus. Getting to Ashington town centre is very simple and we would love to be able to visit a cinema there regularly. Best thing ever if this were to happen. My grand children travel to either Cramlington, Silverlink or Newcastle, it would be a bonus. - NORTHUMBERLAND RESIDENT, FEMALE - ASHINGTON RESIDENT, FEMALE 20 A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON A NEW CINEMA FOR ASHINGTON 21
CINEMANEXT CONSULTING Rob Arthur Senior consultant M: +44 (0) 7881 952 740 E: rob.arthur@cinemanext.consulting BARKER PROUDLOVE Mark Proudlove Director T: +44 (0) 113 388 4859 M: +44 (0) 7808 479 310 E: mark@barkerproudlove.co.uk ARCH: THE NORTHUMBERLAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY Michael Black BSc (Hons) MRICS Head of Investments T: +44 (0) 1670 528 483 M: +44 (0) 7969 381 787 E: michael.black@arch-group.co.uk