Construction work begins at Animate

Work has begun on the £45m Animate leisure and entertainment complex in Preston city centre.

Eric Wright Construction will deliver the scheme on behalf of development partners Preston City Council and Maple Grove Developments.

The construction works include complementary public realm improvements, such as improved pedestrian access between Animate and the bus station, as part of a wider Harris Quarter Public Realm and Lighting Scheme.

Located within the Harris Quarter, this transformational scheme is already three-quarters pre-let and includes an eight-screen cinema, a bowling alley, national and regional restaurant brands and a street food hub, 164 space car park and improvements to landscaping with an outdoor terrace for al fresco dining, street lighting, a changing places facility, improved pedestrian access and new trees.

Preston City Council will fund and retain ownership of Animate, with £3.4m of support from the Towns Fund and £3.25m from the City Deal. A Lancashire County Council Economic Recovery Grant of £800,000 will finance the  public realm improvements.

Coun Matthew Brown, leader of Preston City Council said: “Animate is at the heart of our diversification plans for the city centre, strengthening the cultural and leisure offer, attracting more people into the city, for a wide variety of reasons that the whole family can enjoy, for longer into the evening. Animate will remain in the ownership of Preston City Council and is a key addition to our Community Wealth Building agenda.

“The development is not only a catalyst for attracting further investment into the city, but working in partnership with Maple Grove Developments, and through implementing a renewed progressive approach to procurement, we have an opportunity to work more closely with a skilled local supply chain, throughout the life of the programme, working towards our shared vision for a more inclusive Preston economy.”

The construction and development phase will help to generate up to 200 full time equivalent construction jobs for the local workforce, and provide opportunities for apprenticeship, work placements, training and upskilling through Eric Wright Group’s corporate and social responsibility programme.

A dedicated Animate Community Benefit Framework has been agreed between Preston City Council and Maple Grove Developments, which will deliver 15 community benefits, in line with Preston’s Community Wealth Building programme, to assist the delivery of the project and to provide the maximum impact for Preston’s residents and businesses.

The Community Benefit Framework seeks to use local labour, provide training, employment, volunteering opportunities and placements within local colleges, to promote environmental sustainability, and to ensure that all workers are treated equally and fairly.

Animate will also provide more than 140 long term jobs when it opens to the public following a two year construction phase.

Andrew Dewhurst, director at Maple Grove Developments, commented: “A huge amount of work over many years has got us to this point and credit must go to the city council, as well as the wider project team for their determination and drive in making sure plans become a reality. There are now nearly two years of construction work ahead of us on the site of the former markets but the benefits Animate will bring to Preston once it is open will make it certainly worth the wait.”