Today we're open 8am - 6pm
You might think you are seeing things this coming Saturday (28 June) if you think you see football legend David Beckham demonstrating some of his typical footballing skills at Yate Shopping Centre.
No need to rush to the opticians! It’s not actually him but a celebrity lookalike demonstrating both his well rehearsed act and teaching the crowd a few of the megastar’s tricks.
Tracy King, Centre Marketing Manager: “Unfortunately, David was a bit busy so we got a stand-in to come and entertain the crowds. With the World Cup going on what better time is there to learn some of the famous star’s tricks of the trade? It’s just a shame that England is no longer in the competition but future stars will have their chance to show the crowd how good they are. You never know it could be your opportunity to learn a few tricks to impress Roy Hodgson for Qatar 2022!”.
David’s lookalike will be appearing between Noon – 3pm on Saturday 28 June in the Centre Square at Yate Shopping Centre and full details can be found at www.yateshoppingcentre.co.uk
Summer promises to be full of fun this year with a wide array of activities to keep children and shoppers in a sunny mood at Yate Shopping Centre.
In addition to the beach in the Central Square – and there until the end of August – there will be a host of fun days to keep the kids occupied and entertained with beach parties, Punch & Judy shows and sea shell decorating between 11am & 3pm.
Adults won’t be left out either so they should dust off their Bermuda shorts and sun hats to join the fun at the beach parties and the opportunity to swing to calypso music with a steel band duo on 14thAugust.
Tracy King, the Centre’s Marketing Manager, said: “The sun is here and kids are flocking to the beach already! It is proving a popular attraction as ever but we have plenty more in store to help parents through the long summer days with weekly events during August.”
The full list of events is:
10 July Punch & Judy Show
31 July Beach Party
7 August Punch & Judy Show
14 August Steel Band Duo
21 August Beach Party
28 August Sea Shell Decorating
Full details of the events can be found on the Centre’s website at http://www.yateshoppingcentre.co.uk/Events
Works will start next week on addressing some of the ecology issues at the site for the proposed new cinema-led development on land adjoining the overflow car park in Link Road, Yate.
Following South Gloucestershire planners’ decision to grant approval for the scheme last month, legal issues are being finalised and the decision notice will be issued shortly. This allows the developer, Crestbridge Limited owners of Yate Shopping Centre, to start preparing the site for the relocation of the badgers as a first step towards construction starting later this year.
The badgers are currently under-mining the two cottages that sit on the site and will eventually be demolished to make way for new car parking.
Commenting on these initial works, Crestbridge’s Mark Hull, said: “The cottages are in a severe state of disrepair, mainly because over the last few years the badgers have established a main sett under the buildings which has prevented us from going into the houses to undertake repair works to them. Our first priority is to establish a new sett in the adjoining South Gloucestershire Council land and we are working closely with Natural England and the Council to build this so that the relocation can go ahead over the next few months.
“We will also be undertaking further works on the Council land to tidy-up and improve the site so that it is of maximum appeal to wildlife and is an asset to the town.”
In coming months as the development progresses, Crestbridge will be implementing a Nature Conservation Management Plan to ensure the retained features within the site are properly maintained. This will include management of Council’s woodland habitat to the rear of the development site, promoting growth of fruiting trees and establishing structural diversity which is currently lacking. This will increase the value of this area for nesting and foraging birds and bats.
Work on building the new badger sett is expected to commence Tuesday, 17thJune and will last for approximately three days.
The management of Yate Shopping Centre are to jump on their bikes and head for Paris in June for a heart-felt cause.
Centre Manager, Andy Lowrey with colleagues Mark Hull, Gary Hale, Tracy King, Jeny Hillson and Tim Davis of DTZ’s Bristol office along with 7 colleagues and friends, have signed-up to cycle from Reading to Paris during June in aid of Basingstoke & Alton Cardiac Rehabilitation Charity Ltd.
The ride will take place between 5th-7thJune and involves three stages: Reading – Portsmouth (55 miles); Le Havre – Louviers (65 miles) and on the final day Louviers – Paris (70 miles).
Andy Lowrey said: “We have chosen this particular charity as a colleague of ours recently suffered a major heart condition and through the good work and care of the cardiac rehabilitation unit he went on to make a full recovery.
“We are all on a strict training programme as for some us a long cycle ride like this will be a major challenge. Between us we hope to raise £2-3,000 and every penny will go to the Cardiac unit as the trip has been generously sponsored by the shopping centre’s owners with a contribution from all of the riders. Furthermore the centre’s managing agents, the Bristol office of DTZ, will match fund the sponsorship monies raised.”
Tony Causton General Manager of ‘Cardiac Rehab said that the charity are very grateful to the management of Yate Shopping Centre for their fantastic support and effort in riding the 190 miles in three days between Reading and Paris in June. Cardiac Rehab has to raise over £100,000 each year in order to continue offering it’s rehabilitation services and the £2-3,000 target of the Yate team will be a great contributor.’
On Thursday 29thMay from 10am – 3pm, members of the Yate team will be taking part in a spin-a-thon outside of Boswells to raise awareness of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit and to raise funds for the organisation.
People wishing to sponsor the riders can donate through https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/yateshoppingcentremanagementreadingtoparis
Plans for a cinema and leisure development on the land adjacent to Link Road in Yate were given the thumbs-up by South Gloucestershire planners this afternoon.
After a lengthy debate members decided that the benefits of a cinema and new restaurants to Yate’s night time economy were an over-riding benefit to the town. Councillors repeatedly referred to the massive public backing the plans had received and the fact that the town has been waiting so long for this moment.
Andrew Lowrey, Yate Town Centre Manager: “It’s a great day for Yate and I can’t thank all our supporters enough. We have been working towards this moment for a long time and all we’ve got to do now is build it! The support the public, Town Council, and local politicians have given us has been overwhelming. We are indebted to you all for standing-by us and helping us!
“You won’t see diggers on the site tomorrow but rest assured having got this far we are working hard behind the scenes to get this project up and running as soon as possible. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THE SUPPORT!”
THE owners of Yate Shopping Centre have urged South Gloucestershire Council to next week approve plans for the town’s long awaited cinema or face the consequences.
Crestbridge Corporate Trustees, which bought the centre in 2005, said if the £12million proposal for a six-screen cinema and associated new shops and restaurants on land next to the overflow car park on Link Road is not approved it may consider selling the shopping centre altogether.
Crestbridge property developer Mark Hull told the Gazette the scheme, which was deferred by the council’s development control east committee last month, was pivotal to the future of Yate.
“We have owned the centre for 10 years,” he said. “In that time we haven’t missed a single town centre strategy meeting and although it has been difficult, with the recession particularly, we have persevered and have delivered on our masterplan getting Tesco to build their Extra store and building the very successful East Walk scheme.
“We are bucking the national trend and operators who previously dismissed Yate want to come here.
“We look at the cinema as our next commitment.”
Cineworld would operate the cinema and high-profile retailers and restaurants are said to have agreed leases or the new units.
Mr Hull added: “We are talking about big name concerns and they have seen what we intend to build and know it will work.
“But they can go anywhere they want and if the scheme is delayed they will look elsewhere.”
He said increasing building costs, which have gone up from £9million last year, may also mean a further delay would make it unaffordable.
The project has the backing of Yate Town Council, Thornbury and Yate MP Steve Webb and hundreds of residents who have signed a petition calling for the cinema to be built. But it was deferred by councillors because of concerns over the amount of traffic the site would generate and the relocation of a badgers’ set, which is only permitted between June and November.
“We are working to a critical time plan with the badgers now,” said Mr Hull. “Everyone knows we have to get planning permission now. Even deferring until May might mean it can’t happen this year.
“This is a massive investment in the future of Yate and something people want. It is the centre’s 50th anniversary next year and it would be a great way to celebrate with the opening of a new cinema.
“Otherwise I expect the shopping centre will be under the ownership of someone else.”
Shopping centre manager Andrew Lowrey said: “I have been here since 1998 and have watched five owners come and go, they have been here for the short time for investment purposes.
“Crestbridge came in with long-term aspirations and have really worked with stakeholders on a vision for Yate. They have invested not just money but time and to see that disappear would be a real shame.”
Council planning officers have recommended the plans for approval for the second time in as many months. The application will be decided at a meeting at Kingswood Civic Centre on Thursday, May 8 (3pm).
Yate Shopping Centre is experiencing a flurry of new tenant activity demonstrating its popularity as a shopping destination.
In the last few weeks, three new shops have opened and more are in the pipeline. What Party opened its doors on 4th April on a temporary lease, Poppito opened on Friday, 18th April and Willow Chiropractic has just got planning permission for change of use at 37 South Parade and will be opening for business in late May.
Andrew Lowrey, Shopping Centre Manager said: “All three are local businesses and Poppito is a classic case where we are only too glad tosupport up and coming retailers hoping that they can move on to bigger and better things!
“We are now seeing significant changes with great demand for space at the Centre. There are more high street names eager to be represented in Yate and further announcements are expected shortly. This is in addition to Anytime Fitness and Bottelinos who have proved to be very popular with our customers since opening in January and earlier this month respectively.
“Following the opening of the new East Walk units last year and the announcement of plans to create a leisure offer including a cinema and restaurants, we have seen a great start to 2014. With several new retailers opening and others moving within the centre there has been a noticeable increase in footfall – up 5.9% this year to date over this time last year. This shows that Yate is becoming ever more attractive and demonstrates that all the efforts and investment from the owners over the last few years is bearing fruit.”
What Partyhas taken temporary occupation of 6-8 North Walk and offers a wide selection of fancy dress, party stationery, cards, wrap and associated products.
Pop up shop Poppito, which sells home-made craft products, has opened at 33 North Walk.
Well known and highly rated regional Italian restaurant operator, Bottelinos, has opened for trading in North Parade at Yate Shopping Centre.
With space to seat up to 160 covers and a further bar area capable of holding another 100 customers, the restaurant is a major boost to Yate Shopping Centre’s nightime economy and importantly brings back into use several long-standing vacant units.
Commenting on the opening, Andrew Lowrey, Shopping Centre Manager said: “Bottelinos opening in Yate is a terrific boost for the town and the Shopping Centre. They are a well-known local name and bringing these units back into use will help the centre as a whole. In addition, nearly 30 local people have secured jobs working there, thus reinforcing our role as one of the major employers in the town. “
Mike Botta, owner of Bottelinos, speaking at the opening, said: “It’s great to be bringing our wide choice of traditional dishes along with our famous restaurant classics such as pizza & pasta to Yate. We are also proud to introduce to our customers fine steaks & cuts of beef from our Argentine cousins, prepared to our usual excellent standards.
This, our fifth restaurant, is an exciting opportunity for us to give people the opportunity to explore our award winning Italian cuisine. Our presence on North Parade in such a prominent location will help to attract passers-by into the centre so that hopefully all traders will benefit.”
Bottelinos will be open to customers from Noon to 11.00pm, Monday – Saturday and Noon – 10.30pm on Sundays.
Bottelinos, a successful Italian chain of restaurants, was awarded the 2012 Independent Italian Restaurant Chain of the Year in the Pizza, Past and Italian Food Association Industry Awards. It has outlets in Clifton, Weston super Mare, Portishead, and Swindon.
The possibility of a cinema, new restaurants and some of the high street’s top fashion chains coming to Yate hangs in the balance today after South Glos Council planners deferred the application for a month so that further consideration can be given to some of the technical details.
Over the last five years we have been working closely with both local councils to address the technicalities and feel that we have the best viable plan on the table. We don’t dispute that bringing forward such a development on this site was always going to be difficult. There are a lot of issues for Planning Committee members to get to grips with. Ideally, we would like to be able to brief the committee members ourselves and give them the opportunity to question us so they fully understand how the cinema development will complement the existing centre.
The development timescales are critically tight but if we don’t get planning permission in May, it is more than likely the project will die!
We are determined to carry on and deliver a scheme that the people of Yate want and to bring better facilities to the town. Thank you for your on-going support.
COUNCILLORS who will decide whether or not a cinema complex can be built in Yate will visit the site this Friday, March 28.
South Gloucestershire Council’s sites inspection committee is to tour the land off Link Road, where proposals for a six-screen cinema, new restaurants and shops have gained huge public support.
Yate Town Council has been vocal about its backing of the planning application, put forward by owners of Yate Shopping Centre Crestbridge Corporate Trustees.
Cllr John Davis said: “This is something the town has been trying to get for a long time. We don’t have the final say but we hope the planners will find a way to make the cinema happen.”
Thornbury and Yate MP Steve Webb has led a 10-year campaign to get a cinema built in Yate and co-ordinated a petition signed by 1,100 residents calling for the £12million development to go ahead.
Mr Webb said: “We have done many surveys and young people always ask for a cinema so to play a part in delivering that is fantastic.”
In addition, 157 letters have been sent to the council by residents in support of the scheme.
A Crestbridge spokesman said: “The application site is a very challenging location but we have worked closely with South Gloucestershire Council, Yate town councillors and all interested parties to ensure the issues are addressed to meet the planning requirements.
“Yate has been calling for a cinema for many years and we appreciate the depth of feeling among the public. Their support has been fantastic.
“With approximately 3,000 new homes scheduled to be built over the next few years, Yate needs to ensure it can offer first class leisure and shopping facilities. This development will take Yate Shopping Centre into the top league locally, allowing the town to compete with neighbouring facilities and save residents having to drive out of town for their entertainment.”
Council planners have warned of increased traffic in the area but urged councillors to be award of the potential economic benefits the scheme would deliver.
The plans are due to be decided by the council’s development control (east) committee on Thursday, April 10 (3pm) at Kingswood Civic Centre. If approved, it is hoped will start on site late this year and completed in late 2015.