Construction work on The Crescent - the new retail and leisure development that is set to transform the Midlands town of Hinckley - will start on site on 2 June.

The final legal agreements have now been signed and the council has given notice to all landowners on the site of its intention to proceed with the work, in accordance with the compulsory purchase order.

The developer which is a joint venture between Wilson Bowden Developments and Ashcroft has appointed Bowmer & Kirkland Ltd (an approved national contractor and members of the Considerate Contracts Scheme) to carry out the construction works on the multi-million pound scheme.

The development will feature a Sainsbury's supermarket with an integrated car park, a five screen Cineworld cinema plus new shops and family restaurants. It will open in autumn 2015.

Hinckley is the fourth location in the UK to see a new retail development start on site in 2014. The number of new developments starting so far in 2014 is already the same as has been witnessed collectively between 2011 and 2013.

Rob Williams, head of retail agency and development at Strutt & Parker, who are joint letting agents on The Crescent, said: “The UK has certainly seen an upswing shopping centre development with activity in the first four months of 2014 matching that of the last three years.

"We should see this trend continue and there are further developments that are likely to start on site this year, which, like The Crescent, have been backed by the local authority to ensure that a viable solution is delivered.”

Leader of Hinckley and Bosworth Council, Councillor Stuart Bray welcomed the news. He said: “This is great news for people in the town. Hinckley’s long awaited five screen cinema will soon be a reality. Now we can expect to see work happening on the ground within weeks.”

Will Robinson, from Wilson Bowden Developments, confirmed: “We are delighted to now be delivering The Crescent, which is an excellent example of an innovative public / private sector partnership working together to bring about a major town centre regeneration project. This is a very exciting scheme for the town and will bring a strong retail and leisure offer to Hinckley.”

Strutt & Parker and DTZ are joint letting agents for The Crescent.

For more information, please contact Rob Williams.