The removal of movie theaters from the amusement park is a "shame"

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Delays in the opening of a new cinema at a peripheral recreation park in the city are disappointing, buyers have said.

Colchester City Council began searching for a chosen operator in July after Cineworld pulled out of the Northern Gateway development.

Now, five months later, the amusement park’s cinema area is still empty and other companies have delays in refurbishing their facilities until the cinema operator is confirmed.

The council said: “While we realize that progress may seem slow, significant developments like this are long-term investments. »

Currently, six businesses (a bowling alley, a hotel, three fast-food chains and a vehicle charging station) are open, but three are empty.

Independent restaurant Taste Of Italy is set to open its second branch in a matter of weeks.

Owner Sergio Teacu, 32, told the BBC he had spent his savings and loans to set up at a leisure park with “no people”.

“People want reasons to come here…they will go to other places that are functional and where everything works. ”

Teacu said he had paid a service fee to the council and that it currently costs £3 for parking.

“Imagine, everything is empty and they are still asking for money. . . how do you draw in other folks to come here to businesses when you’re doing this,” he said.

He added “it was a heartbreak” to learn Cineworld were not joining the park.

Colchester Council said the service charge has helped to provide high quality services for visitors and tenants, but said there are normal conversations with tenants to address any concerns.

Colchester City Council announced Cineworld’s departure from assignment in October, 11 weeks after the channel withdrew, a Freedom of Information request submitted via the BBC revealed.

At the time, the leader of the Liberal Democrat council, David King, refused to be pressed on how much of the public budget was spent on the project.

When responding to the BBC’s Freedom of Information request, the authority refused to disclose how much money it had spent and was continuing to spend on the Northern Gateway development.

It said in 2021 it would cost £65m.

The city council stated that it had delayed announcing the withdrawal of Cineworld until the cinema operator’s restructuring plans “were officially approved by the court”, in the interests of correct communication.

Glenn Matthews, 47, walked his dog through the empty spaces “to see if they were full yet. “

He believes the council should be open about the costs.

He said: “It’s public money, that’s why they make this data available, right?

“It’s just frustrating, it’s rarely like that, to sit around doing nothing and pay for it. As far as I know, it opened up a long time ago. “

He added that lately taxpayers are paying to “subsidize empty stores. ”

Railway engineer Freddie Bulpit, 39, takes his family bowling but hopes to go to the movies.

“With everything that came out. . . we thought, ‘This is great. ‘

“We are one step away from where we live and this saves us from having to go to the city to look for incredibly expensive parking.

“Obviously we were disappointed because we were waiting to go to the movies. . . It’s weird, isn’t it?” Added.

A spokesperson for Colchester City Council said: “We understand the community’s concerns and want to address them directly.

“As for Cineworld, although we are aware of its monetary difficulties in July, we waited until Cineworld’s restructuring plans were officially approved by the court before making a public announcement.

“This ensured that our communication was accurate and that we could select suppliers with clarity and confidence.

“We acknowledge that three units remain vacant. Interest in these spaces and the cinema site has been substantial.

“At this time, we are not in a position to provide further details, but we hope to provide an update very soon.

“We are confident that Colchester Leisure Park will be a vital asset for Colchester, bringing great wealth to residents, businesses and visitors. ”

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The removal of movie theaters from the amusement park is a “shame”

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