More shops, more restaurants and more cinema screens for Rushden Lakes

What the cinema will look like at Rushden Lakes

An expanded 14-screen IMAX cinema and more restaurants have been included in updated proposals for Rushden Lakes.

Developer LXB Properties has revealed plans for an extended leisure terrace, which includes two new cinema screens and three new restaurants.

The new proposals, which have been submitted to East Northamptonshire Council, will also see 500 additional car parking spaces to meet anticipated demand.

A hotel which was originally granted outline planning consent in 2014 will be replaced with three additional retail units.

The first phase of the £140 million scheme is well under way, with the large steel structures now visible from the A45 at Rushden.

The leisure and tourism destination will create about 2,500 jobs and open up some of Northamptonshire’s most stunning countryside for people to enjoy.

The cinema has been re-orientated to facilitate the two additional screens and more parking, although there is no increase in the building’s overall height.

The revised design of the building, which includes a giant IMAX cinema, will allow it to accommodate a range of leisure activities.

The original proposal for the leisure terrace was approved by East Northamptonshire Council in March this year, and it is anticipated that the new proposals will be heard by the development management committee before the end of this year.

Giles Haywood of LXB said: “We are really grateful to all the local people who have supported Rushden Lakes, and because it has proved so popular with potential occupiers we have now been able to bring forward a proposal for an even better scheme.

“This revised scheme will provide a better variety of restaurants, improved leisure facilities and further well-known stores to the destination.”

The additional parking spaces will be focused around the leisure terrace at the western side of the park and the eastern side of the park close to the entrance.

The added capacity will make it easier for visitors to get around the park.

A total of 31 acres of the 244-acre Rushden Lakes site on the edge of the A45 will be built on.

Public access will be restored to the network of lakes around Rushden Lakes and there will be water-based facilities for community use, including access for the local sea cadets and scouts.