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Agenda item
Former Debenhams Building presentations
10:20
· Nathalie Tulip from Freedom Works
· Justin Manning from Owens Entertainment
(10 minutes each + questions)
Minutes:
Two projects have successfully been allocated Town Deal funding following approval of their business cases. 1) Owens Entertainment Centre and 2) Freedom Works’ Hastings co-working, flexible office space, which are both located in the former Debenhams building:
Owens Entertainment Centre – Justin Manning from Owens Entertainment explained:
· Development of the entertainment centre is going well, and it is hoped it can be officially opened on or around 14th October
· The Towns Fund grant is being used to extend the centre’s originally planned offer, therefore allowing for more attractions to be created
· Entry to the centre is through 1-3 Robertson Street (the former Debenhams perfume counter), where the bistro and information centre are located. Also on the ground floor are six bowling lanes, a table tennis court, pool tables, two state of the art football simulators and the 1066 immersive experience
· On the 1st floor will be the soft play centre, café and main garden bar where daily free of charge entertainment will be available, 10-pin bowling, an amusement arcade, a virtually reality centre and a wild west immersive experience
· On the 2nd floor, there will be a 140-seat themed carvery restaurant which will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner
· On the 3rd floor, there will be three indoor golf courses, a wonders of wizardry immersive experience, the Soar Tour virtual reality ride soaring over Hastings and the South Coast, Jurassica Live dinosaur themed experience, Oddity Museum, a maze and a vault themed game
· Energy prices for the centre have been successfully fixed for 3 years
· Entry to the centre will be free of charge and all of the attractions are individually priced, lower than others across the country. A local resident’s discount pass is also being developed
· There will be 75-90 full time equivalent jobs available at the centre, estimated to equate to 120-130 part time jobs. Around 75 applicants have been recruited and 12 of these are doing a first aid course today. Another tranche of staff will be brought in during the week commencing 3rd October and the soft launch events will take place during the second and third week of October
Hastings co-working, flexible office space – Nathalie Tulip and Jon Trigg from Freedom Works:
· Freedom Works was founded in 2016 and its mission is to create flexible working space across regional towns in the Southeast. Locations include Worthing, Southampton, Chichester, Gatwick and Hastings
· There are 9 branches in total and 3000 active members, including Let’s Do Business Group which is moving into the Hastings space during the week after next. Each space has its own hotdesking spaces, meeting rooms, break out areas and event spaces
· Freedom Works also provides a space for collaborative working between its members, curated business support to members which includes seminars, and has a “no faff” policy, ensuring everything that would be needed in an office space is readily available for its members
· Working in partnership with curators of business support is also being looked into for the Hastings area
· Work on the 3rd and 4th floors are nearing completion. These two floors cover the 10,000 sq ft development area as stated in the project business case. Works on the 5th floor are yet to commence due to cost overrun but this work would be in addition to what was proposed in the business case and it is estimated this could be completed if an additional £70k was to become available
· Freedom Works doesn’t target any particular groups but has been working collaboratively with local groups and agencies, and as part of its growth strategy is working alongside these groups to deliver specific strands of support within the community
· Membership is free and a pay as you go model is available for booking desk space, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It costs £20 a day to hire a desk, or £10 for half a day. Meeting room hire costs £15 an hour. Full tariff details can be found here
· The building will be heated via air conditioning and reverse cycle heating
· All are welcome to visit the space at the former Debenhams building
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