Outlet mall lets unused space to nursery and pre-school
Sea Shells trading as Dockside Day Nursery and Pre-School is to open the first of what will be a chain of contemporary childcare centres in the UK at Dockside at Chatham Maritime in Kent.
In an innovative deal focused on ancillary space on the upper level of the two-level hybrid outlet centre owned by WD, Sea Shells has taken 3,500 sq ft on a 15-year lease. The new facility can accommodate up to 72 children aged from three months to five years of age in a state-of-the-art setting.
Dockside is a 150,000-sq ft centre anchored by The Range and featuring a M&S Outlet, Clark’s, Cadbury, Moss and Peacocks, among others. The £20m centre sits in the heart of Chatham Maritime – an area of 300 acres featuring leisure and restaurant facilities, Chatham Dockyard, the Copper Rivet Distillery and Chatham Marina. More than 2,000 new homes have already been built locally with anther 450 homes now under construction nearby.
WD’s Peter Everest said: “Demand from the new housing and the ability to utilise non-core retailing space within Dockside has created this additional opportunity. Through its inaugural unit Sea Shells is delivering a much-needed community-relevant service that will also generate increased regular footfall through the centre.”
Agents for Dockside at Chatham Maritime are CHD Property and JP Retail.
