Festival Place in Basingstoke has this year received the RoSPA Order of Distinction Award, marking its 15th consecutive year as a Gold Award recipient, a record for a any shopping centre destination. Every year, nearly 2,000 entrants vie to achieve the highest possible accolade in the UK’s longest-running H&S industry awards.

Neil Churchill, centre director at Festival Place, said: “This is always a priority award for us to target and we are especially proud to have led by example during these exceptional times. Providing a healthy, secure, and safe environment for our visitors, businesses and colleagues is our priority and key to delivering a vibrant and enjoyable experience. We are honoured to see our efforts being celebrated again this year by this award which recognises our long-term commitment to delivering exceptionally high health and safety standards.”

Julia Small, RoSPA’s achievements director, said: “The RoSPA Awards scheme is the longest-running of its kind in the UK, but it receives entries from organisations across the globe, making it one of the most sought-after achievement awards for health and safety worldwide. 

“RoSPA is very proud of the achievements of its entrants, and with this award we recognise the best of the best, those organisations that have gone the extra mile, raising the bar for the delivery of safety in the workplace. Employees, wherever they may be should be able to go to work safe in the knowledge that they will return home unharmed and healthy at the end of every day. Our RoSPA Award winners are central to achieving this goal.

Festival Place is the highest ranked shopping centre outside a major UK city. It is listed in the top 20 of GlobalData’s UK shopping centres report and Trevor Wood Associates positions it in its Premier League of shopping centres.

The centre is located in the heart of Basingstoke, the seventh most affluent town in the UK and the largest in Hampshire. With some 1.7 million residents within a 30-minute drive and 11,500 office workers less than 10-minutes’ walk away, the 1.1 million sq. ft retail and leisure destination features retail, dining and leisure brands. It features a spectrum of additional attractions to appeal to the local community including Basingstoke Sports Centre with swimming pool, gym and over 100 studio classes, a 10-screen Vue Cinema, a Flip Out trampoline park, Escape Hunt the live escape room and indoor entertainment experience plus office space and a library with author talks and workshops. 

Joint agents for Festival Place are Lunson Mitchenall and Cushman & Wakefield. CBRE is the managing agent for the centre.

May 2023 issue

2023 A1 Buyers Guide