The popularity of the new Arc Cinema and restaurants which have opened in the Beeston Square development are putting the town 'on the map', shoppers have said. The eight-screen cinema, which has an equivalent in Hucknall, was opened last year by the acclaimed film director Shane Meadows.
Beeston Square was previously likened to the town's 'answer to Nottingham’s Cornerhouse', in a nod to the array of new businesses within the complex which compliment the cinema, the centrepiece of the multi-million-pound project. They include the Italian restaurant Ottimo and The Beeston Social, a quirky bar, kitchen and arcade.
And people in the town have praised the new businesses. Liz James, who is 32 years old and works in marketing, rates Ottimo highly. "What's happened to the Square and how it's been renovated is fantastic, it will save a lot of people from going into town or other places," said Ms James, who is currently on maternity leave.
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"I think that all the new things put Beeston on the map." The Pudding Pantry opened in the town last year. And a shisha bar and virtual reality gaming space are set for the town's empty Argos store.
Others feel the town caters well for the student demographic as well as the 'Beestonian' natives. Politics student Lottie Carlswright, who is 19 and originally from Birmingham, said: "In Beeston there's places like Commercial Inn that do student discount, I think that's a really nice social place not just for students but for all people; I think it's really modern in there.
"At the pub, they have comedy nights and hold events. I think it's the perfect place to go after a visit the cinema or shopping on the High Road."
As well as the extension of the tram network, there's also been a 'huge upswing in the number of students'. Some of biggest developments which have been going through the planning process include the controversial proposed redevelopment of the old Nottingham College site, in High Road on the border with Chilwell. And developers have vowed to appeal a Broxtowe Borough Council decision to turn down a vast new block of student flats, which, if eventually built, would become the tallest building in the town situated opposite the cinema.
But despite the town centre moving with the times, other shoppers reflected on what they miss from yesteryear. Ex-trentbarton bus driver Ian McDonald, aged 72, said: "A lot of the old shops are gone now, there used to be a pet shop and I got my pet food from there. I used to go on pub crawls on a Sunday before I met my wife, there were 10 of us that went. There are a lot of women's shops that have closed down and there’s no travel agents.”
Care home worker Julia Graham, who is 48 and has lived in Beeston for 21 years, said: "I miss the Dorothy Perkins that was on the high street, I did go in there often but I do like to go into the Pudding Pantry. The high street is predictable there’s a lot of cafes, charity shops and food places.”
Real ale campaigners pointed out the town has only lost a few pubs over time, and that Beeston has as many pubs as it did in the 1950s. Steve Westby, chairman of Nottingham CAMRA, said: "Over the years, Beeston has lost two pubs and gained two: The Pottle Micropub on Stoney Street and Totally Tapped on Chilwell Road.
"The pub scene hasn't changed massively - a lot more pubs have survived compared to the inner-city. Beeston hasn't lost as many pubs as St Ann's and Ilkeston Road. The number of pubs lost have been replaced, Beeston has as many pubs now as they did in the '50s."
Speaking previously, Councillor Milan Radulovic, leader of the borough council, said: “The cinema and social complex will be a major destination, not an attraction. In Beeston, as you can see on market day, there are hundreds of people around but in the evening it drops off. We want to boost the night-time economy.
“We want to create a Cornerhouse there like in Nottingham. You will come to Beeston and not just go to the cinema but use the bars and restaurants and it will give a major lift to the town.”
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