This is the eleventh instalment of the story of how the Rushden Lakes scheme came to be approved, then built and how it has developed further.
Rushden Lakes – the Next Phases
The basic concept of Rushden Lakes was to provide a mix of leisure and retail offers. The first phase was the infrastructure and the two strip malls.
The next phase was the construction of the 14-screen cinema. It was built on the site that was originally reserved for a garden centre.
A new mini-mall was built alongside the entrance to the cinema complex, with famous names like Five-Guys, Pizza Express and more.
The concept was brilliant. Restaurants on the ground floor, with theatres on the upper floor.
At a stroke, it created a sensationally good leisure complex, with views across the lakes and ample evening parking for families to have a meal and then watch a movie.
To expand the offering, a wall-climbing facility runs alongside the escalator, while an indoor mini-golf course was opened under the cinemas.