Citygrove Leisure

Citygrove Leisure was a London-based property development company, with a branch in the Czech Republic. Its former chief executive and chairman David Woolf, known as the "Grandfather of the Retail Park Industry", donated £2,500 to the Labour Party every year between 1995 and 1998, and £5,000 in June 1999. He apparently made these donations in the company's name without consultation with his colleagues.

In 1998 Citygrove had a development programme of 9 "entertainment parks" and 5 "retail parks", including 3 in Watford: Colne Bridge Retail Park in Watford (sold for £5.5 million), Woodside Entertainment Park (sold for £14 million) and Watford Arches Retail Park (sold for £20 million). They have also completed Apex Retail Park in Twickenham (sold for £8 million) and are developing schemes in Belfast, Stockport, at the former Croydon Water Palace in South London and a £25 million complex in Chichester.

Citygrove's attempts to redevelop the King Alfred Leisure Centre in Hove into a £30 million multiplex cinema with restaurants, casino and nightclub raised questions about local consultation and the terms of the lease involved, in a deal handled by the local Labour Council (headed by Steve Bassam, until Tony Blair made him Lord Bassam). The development was abandoned in November 2000 after the casino operators pulled out and Citygrove tried to scale down the scheme by cutting out re-development of the site's council-run sports facilities.

Contact

Website: http://www.citygrove.com/