Christmas market and outdoor cinema bid for leisure site

‘These exciting additional offers will create an outdoor public space...’

Plans to host an outdoor cinema, Christmas market and live music at a £115 million leisure development have been unveiled.

Bosses of Canterbury Riverside are keen to increase its footfall to the complex, which already includes 189 homes, 493 student bedrooms, nine businesses and a five-screen cinema.

And they say ambitions to host a range of events in a public square will make it a “vibrant and go-to leisure destination” in the city. Savills, which runs the complex, has applied to screen films outside and an alcohol licence from 10am until 10pm. An application submitted to Canterbury City Council gives a flavour of what events the firm hopes to host there. Crafts and farmers markets, live music acts and recorded music, family entertainment such as Easter and Halloween trails, and face painting are some of the ideas. Others include outdoor cinema, charity events and a

Christmas market, including kids’ entertainment such as Santa’s Grotto.

Savills’ head of asset management Emma Mackenzie says The Riverside is continuing to grow.

The firm has applied for a premises licence to deliver new complementary activities “typical of a mixed-use development such as this”. “These exciting additional offers will enable the animation of the central square and create an outdoor public space that will appeal to residents and attract visitors,” she said. “Our calendar of activities, such as live music sets and an extension to the existing popular Christmas Market, will help complement our occupiers and encourage footfall and dwell, creating a vibrant and ‘go to’ leisure destination in the city. “We have consulted with our Riverside occupiers on the proposed planned activities, all are in support and keen to attract a local community for the site and create a space for residents and visitors to enjoy. “With 10 out of 12 units now under lease, fresh interest in our last two units and footfall increasing, we look forward to a positive year.” Sekkoya, Korean Cowgirl, Heavenly Desserts and Fireaway Pizza have already opened at the site.

Black Sheep Coffee, Boom Battle Bar, Starry Mart, Riverside Social and Sidequest also occupy spaces.

Curzon also opened its second cinema in the city at the complex.

The city council, which owns the Riverside complex, has struggled to make money from the investment as construction delays meant units were not occupied as quickly as bosses had hoped and high borrowing costs to fund the project. It missed out on £314,000 of rental income in 2022/23 financial year.

But chiefs at the local authority anticipated to recoup that money during the 2023/24 financial year - with final figures yet to be published.

Canterbury City Council lost £314,000 in missed rent at the Riverside Leisure Complex at Kingsmead