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Hampshire‘s Ageas Bowl to undergo £40m redevelopment
Hampshire‘s international cricket ground and concert venue, The Ageas Bowl, is ready to undergo a £40 million redevelopment following a series of negotiations between RB Hotels and Rose Bowl plc and its subsidiaries, all of whom were represented by Paris Smith LLP and Eastleigh Borough Council.
Taking pride of place in the ongoing stadium development is a four-star Hilton Hotel which will contain a state-of-the-art media centre, bars, restaurants and a function room facing onto the pitch, as well as a spa and leisure club with gym, jacuzzi pool, sauna, steam room and six individual rooms for beauty treatment and relaxation.
Hilton at the Ageas Bowl is expected to open in early 2014, and plans for the new hotel include a bespoke viewing and hospitality area which, it is hoped, will be utilised for major matches such as the 2014 Test against India and ODI against Australia in 2015.
The upscale six-storey property will be operated by Sanguine Hospitality, with whom Hilton Worldwide already operates a number of hotels, featuring 171 rooms and four suites, many of which overlook the pitch. Eighty five of the rooms will double up as corporate hospitality venues on match days, offering guests a unique entertainment experience.
Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president, development, Europe & Africa, Hilton Worldwide, said: “We are delighted to be opening our second property in Southampton, complementing the existing Hilton Southampton with a new landmark hotel at the Ageas Bowl. English cricket has experienced a period of great success; and we are excited to become a part of that in a year where Hilton Worldwide has contributed to developing a lasting legacy for sports tourism in the UK.
“As well as this year‘s signature openings, we have a successful recent record in developing hotels within sports stadia. This includes a DoubleTree by Hilton which opened in 2009 at Stadium MK, home of Milton Keynes Dons Football Club.“
Specialist hospitality builder Denizen Contracts has secured in excess of £27m for the development, the majority of which was provided by the Co-operative Bank. The project will be built by Denizen and is anticipated to take 18 months to complete. Work is expected to start on site within weeks.
Paul Bolton, chairman of Denizen Contracts, said: “This has been a challenging planning and design process which leaves us looking forward to the successful delivery of an exceptional venue at this historic ground. Uniquely, the design allows for domestic and international cricket fans to watch a day‘s play from one of 85 boxes, while guests on the other side of the hotel will enjoy stunning views across the Ageas Bowl County Golf Club. There will be nothing standard about this development.“
Simon Matthews-Williams, chairman of Sanguine Hospitality, said: “The Ageas Bowl is already recognised as one of the finest cricket venues in the country and we‘re confident with the new investment it will also become a destination of choice for business, conference and leisure guests. What‘s more the development will create new jobs and increase visitor numbers which will provide a welcome boost to the local economy.“
As well as attracting thousands of travelling spectators on match days and for concerts, The Ageas Bowl site is also ideally located for both business and leisure guests. The hotel will feature 1,000 sq m of events space, including a ball room of 600 sq m while the Ageas Bowl itself is already an established conferencing location.
Figures show unemployment is down
A drop in unemployment is good news – and the PSP Southampton Boat Show could help further – but don‘t be complacent about personal finances, warns R3.
Business THE M A GA ZINE
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Nick Keitley, chairman of R3‘s southern committee and partner at Bond Pearce in Southampton, commented: “Unemployment levels are down slightly on the quarter, heartening news and perhaps an indication that the Olympics did bring the boost that was promised. Locally, the PSP Southampton Boat Show could add to this even more and provide another injection of jobs to the region, albeit temporary.
“Furthermore, in August, the Insolvency Service‘s statistics showed that personal insolvencies are also down on the quarter. Both of these are very positive signs for the state of
the nation‘s personal finances, but we should not get complacent.
“There are large numbers of people who, in spite of their employment status, are hiding real financial difficulty and fall outside of the official statistics. Research by R3 has found that 54% of people are worried about their current level of debt and there are swathes of people in informal debt management plans.
“Furthermore, over a quarter (28%) of people have no savings at all and the same percentage believe their personal financial situation will worsen in the coming months. Seeking professional, regulated advice and taking a proactive approach to tackling your personal financial issues could prevent a bump in the road from turning into a something more serious.“
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – OCTOBER 2012
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