Green light given for new leisure development

A 12-screen cinema, up to seven restaurants and a 90-bed hotel are just some of the exciting attractions set for Colchester City Council’s Northern Gateway.

Turnstone Estate’s new leisure development, which will be sited south of junction 28 of the A12, is also set to include two drive-thru restaurants, a bowling alley, indoor golf centre, and climbing centre as well as a high-quality landscaped piazza and parking for 750 cars – including electric car rapid-charging points.

Throughout the project we will take due diligence in the light of the impact of coronavirus on the leisure and hospitality sector.

The Turnstone scheme forms part of a wider development to transform the northern approach to Colchester into a hub for improved wellbeing, physical activity, jobs, housing and renewable energy.

With the new Colchester Northern Gateway Sports Park opening in April. future work will see up to 350 new homes, healthcare provision with older persons accommodation, and commercial floorspace, all designed to boost the economy and help our city recover following the impact of Covid-19.

The whole development will be project managed by Colchester Amphora Trading Ltd, one of our commercial companies. It will benefit from a carbon-reduction District Heat Network, using natural energy to provide heating and hot water for the whole area, and an integral digital network providing ultra-fast broadband to local homes and businesses.