40 BUILT ENVIRONMENT
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When it comes to making investment decisions Warren said: “We invest in a building first and then wonder what it is going to be.”
He shared with the audience the story of James’ Places’ redevelopment of Holmes Mill in Clitheroe, the business’ biggest capital investment.
Today, the town centre venue is home to a variety of leisure outlets, including a cinema, bowling, alley, hotel and brewery as well as office space.
Warren said: “It evolved right the way through the project over five or six years.
“When we bought it we didn’t expect to have everything there that we have now.
“It evolved over time. It is about understanding the building and what you think might work better.
“Sitting in the town centre it has to be something that will attract people seven days a week right throughout the year.”
He added: “If there’s one thing Covid taught everybody it is that you can’t operate if you have no staff.
“A key consideration on investment is now around staffing. Can we staff the venue when we open it? It is a massive part of that investment debate.
“We have just taken on another venue on the outskirts of Lancaster and we actively talked to other operators in the area about staffing. That was a key consideration.”
John Sullivan is founding director of The Big Picture, which is working on the project to deliver a new cinema complex in Blackpool town centre that will feature one of the largest IMAX screens in the country.
The development is a major part of the extension of the council- owned Houndshill shopping centre and John said the investment was made attractive by the “cross connection” between it and the nearby Winter Gardens.
He added that the Blackpool project was looking to create something “enduring and different and multi-purpose”.
John, who is also working on the development of cinemas in Saudi Arabia, said a new era of “immersive” entertainment was moving forward at speed and he added: “It’s the multi-media approach to cinema that I’m most excited about right now.”
He told the audience: “The emphasis on cinema moving forward is multi- purpose. You can’t have cinemas sitting around vacant from 9am-5pm, that is a huge waste of resource.”
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