Landsec revs up for Square Mile virtual racing venue
Landsec has lodged plans to turn a Next store and two former food and beverage spaces at One New Change, EC4, into a new experiential racing simulator concept created by All Star Lanes founder Adam Breeden.
Proposals for an “immersive” and “digitally gamified” racing simulation venue, which totals nearly 14,700 sq ft across the centre’s first and ground floors, have been lodged with the City of London Corporation.
Dubbed ‘Project Race’, proposed occupier Kindred Concepts seeks to host up to 60 compact simulators along with a feature bar with a champagne cocktail offering, and dining spaces with 331 seating and standing covers in total.
Landsec has lodged plans to turn a Next store and two former food and beverage spaces at One New Change, EC4, into a new experiential racing simulator concept created by All Star Lanes founder Adam Breeden.
Proposals for an “immersive” and “digitally gamified” racing simulation venue, which totals nearly 14,700 sq ft across the centre’s first and ground floors, have been lodged with the City of London Corporation.
Dubbed ‘Project Race’, proposed occupier Kindred Concepts seeks to host up to 60 compact simulators along with a feature bar with a champagne cocktail offering, and dining spaces with 331 seating and standing covers in total.
If the application is approved, the venue would also include a private room with eight simulators, conference facilities and a private bar for events and meetings, with capacity for up to 80 guests.
The concept would involve combining and changing uses for three spaces on the first floor, two of which were formerly occupied by dining chains Wahaca and Eat.
Next’s store at the centre, which sits across first and ground floor levels, is leased on a temporary short-term basis after its original agreement expired. Landsec intends to retain some 4,000 sq ft of the ground floor space for retail. It is not clear whether the retailer will downsize or vacate.
Gerald Eve, which is advising Landsec on planning matters, said the introduction of a new activity-based hospitality concept at first floor level would “complement the existing tenant mix and will in turn help to drive footfall and will provide greater vibrancy”.
The firm pointed to “limited” demand for the food and beverage spaces on the upper floor owing to a “lack of footfall”, “alternative competition”, “a lack of extract provision in the units, the impact of Covid over the past 18 months, the lack of ground floor presence and the perceived negativity associated with being located within a shopping centre”.
As well as All Star Lanes, Breeden has set up leisure brands including ping pong concept Bounce, social darts chain Flight Club and mini golf concept Puttshack. Rollout plans are underway for Bounce across the UK, US and Europe. Puttshack is seeking to establish locations in Atlanta, Chicago and Miami.
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Image © Land Securities Group 2021
