Linkcity Delivers Commercial Section of The Riverside Development at Canterbury

Linkcity in partnership with Canterbury City Council has successfully delivered the commercial section of The Riverside complex in Kingsmead, Canterbury.

The project, which is the site of the former waste depot, was delivered by Linkcity, and built by construction partner Bouygues UK. It is now ready for the fit-out phase as tenants start to sign their leases and get ready to trade.

Negotiations are well underway on each of the 12 commercial units with legal agreements almost ready to be signed on the overwhelming majority.

It is well known that cinema operator Curzon was the first confirmed tenant of the scheme and they are currently working with their fit-out team to transform the empty shell into a premium 5 screen cinema.

Tom Jackson, Development Director at Linkcity said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Canterbury City Council to successfully deliver this vibrant new destination. The quality of the final product delivered by our construction partner Bouygues UK is outstanding, and I’m really pleased to see the positive impact the project is already having in the area and the local community.”

Leader of Canterbury City Council Cllr Ben Fitter-Harding, as pictured left, said: “I am proud the council decided to invest £23million in bringing this neglected and rundown part of the city to life and am really looking forward to the moment when it will open to the public for the first time later this year and they can see it for themselves.

“There has been significant interest in The Riverside and we are very close to being able to announce the names of our tenants which includes some big brands. It’s great to see so many local and national brands buying into our vision for the development.

“This project delivers the multiscreen cinema the district has been screaming out for, has created jobs and will create many more, will deliver affordable housing, and will generate income for the council through rents, parking revenue and a share of businesses rates which can all be used to pay for and invest in the vital frontline services everyone depends on.”

The student accommodation section is owned within a joint venture between student housing developer Uliving, Linkcity’s dedicated student accommodation brand, and Harrison Street. It is operated by CA Ventures and was completed earlier this year. Their team based on-site are now taking bookings for the 2022/23 academic year.

Social landlord Hyde Housing is making very good progress on the residential part of the scheme which will deliver 189 affordable homes, of which 40% will be available at social rents and the remaining being in shared ownership.

Some work on the roads alongside the site will need to take place in the coming months and engineers are working on plans to minimise any disruption.

During the construction of The Riverside, Linkcity and Bouygues UK have made an enormous amount of effort to engage with the community.

The team has been able to provide more than £7.5 million local economic value and £9,000 worth of social value to the project. This included designing a social value programme tailored especially to the needs of nearby Parkside Community Primary School.

The team’s dedication to providing substantial support to Parkside Primary School during this particularly challenging time for pupils and staff alike lead to Bouygues UK achieving a Highly Commended Certificate at the 2022 Social Value Portal Awards.