PLANS to build a cinema and leisure complex in Bridgwater have taken two steps forward this week.

Sedgemoor District Council, which owns the site and will be fully funding the scheme, wants Northgate to become a premier attraction for Bridgwater, complete with a seven-screen cinema, four restaurants, a gym and a car park with 111 spaces.

Last month the project was awarded £750,000 by the Government to create a cinema led leisure hub and improved open space on the site of the former Northgate Brewery but this week the project took two big steps forward.

At a meeting of Sedgemoor's full council on Wednesday (October 7) elected members agreed to proceed to the construction phase of the project and invest up to £15m into scheme.

Since the scheme's inception, members have been formally asked to agree to progress the project at a number of ‘break-points.

This includes decisions to commit funding and understanding the future liabilities and responsibilities over a long-term period are fully debated and agreed.

Secondly, it was confirmed that ALLSTARS Bowl Ltd have signed a lease for part of the scheme.

The bowling firm will have up to eight lanes of ten pin bowling, a Sports Bar with large-format TV screens for sports events, state-of-the-art video games as well as traditional games on the upper level of the second building proposed for the site.

A spokesperson for Sedgemoor District Council, said: "Consultations over the past years have always showed that residents are clamouring for a bowling alley and this will be a great addition to the town.

"Other nearby ALLSTARS sports bars at Exeter, Taunton, Weston-super-Mare and Bristol are very popular with customers and include large format TV screens for showing sports events, tables for pool as well as traditional games such as darts and up-to-the-minute video game machines for other exciting activities.

"ALLSTARS Bowl Ltd join WTW-Scott Cinemas Ltd who have already announced that they are proposing a seven-screen cinema on the site with the latest in audio and visual technology. There will be a boutique studio auditorium and a Director’s Lounge, which will be available for presentations, meetings and corporate events. The building will be fully accessible with dedicated wheelchair access to all screens.

"Sedgemoor’s on-going commitment to the Northgate development is part of the council’s strategy both for helping deliver the post-Covid recovery of the town centre and wider district, as well as setting the cornerstone for long-term success and sustainability."

Speaking after the meeting yesterday Labour Leader Cllr Brian Smedley, said: "This scheme has been a long time coming.

"It was just over 10 years ago that we were fighting bitter battles to stop the Splash being closed and to prevent a massive Tesco being dumped on the site.

"At the end of that battle, as throughout, we called for the return of leisure to that site because we knew that, as with the splash, it was a key anchor and brought people into the town.

"We knew it was an important facility for families and we knew it retained customers in the town as well as attracted people from a wide distance. Today that ambition has come within touching distance."