In 1998 Capital Shopping Centres (CSC) purchased the site for The Chimes from Royal Sun Alliance, who had been working on the scheme for some years.  In October 1998 enabling works started and The Chimes opened in March 2001.  CSC recognised that Uxbridge has a catchment of 1.5 million people within a 20 minute drive, along with some 40,000 office workers.  On top of this are excellent transport links (motorway, bus and tube) but despite all this Uxbridge was not a major shopping destination.  CSC recognised a clear opportunity to provide a shopping centre that would raise Uxbridge to its rightful place in the retail hierarchy and to extend the life of the town centre into evenings and weekends.

The Chimes Shopping Centre opened its doors on 6th March 2001 and is a major redevelopment of the heart of Uxbridge town centre.  The 9.5 acre site comprises of;

>440,000 square feet (40,876 square metres) enclosed shopping centre on three levels.
>Within the centre are 81 units which are make up of 76 stores which include

• Anchor stores: Debenhams; Bhs; Boots.
• 76 Stores
• 9 screen Odeon Multiplex cinema
• 13 cafes and restaurants
• Integrated parking for 1,600 cars.

Design
The emphasis on design and quality is evident on each level.  Natural light from roof glazing and the impressive rotunda produces an attractive environment within which the stores are given excellent visibility.

Location
Situated 12 miles to the West of London, Uxbridge is linked by dual carriageway to the M40, just 1.5 miles from the M25 and four miles from he M4.  The shopping centre stretches along one side of the High Street, from the Uxbridge Underground Station to Chippendale alley, opposite the Civic Centre.  It fills the area bounded by the High Street, George Street, Nash’s Yard, Chippendale Waye and Cumbrian Way.

Accessibility
At first class public transport network serves The Chimes.  There is a mall entrance next to Uxbridge Underground Station (Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines) and a major bus station close by.  New bus stops have also been set up in the High Street by one of the mall entrances.

A car park for 1,600 cars is accessed from Chippendale Waye, which has become a dual carriageway.  The pay-on-foot car park has been built to a high standard with bright, modern lighting, CCTV and information points.  There is direct access to the malls via lifts, stairs and escalators.

Employment
The Chimes has supplied a significant new source of employment.  It is estimated that approximately 2000 people are employment in the centre.  Some 500 people were employed during the construction period.

Apart from those directly employed, The Chimes has provided a catalyst for the development of local businesses that provide goods and services to the shopping centre and its retailers.

Retailers
The Chimes has provided the opportunity to introduce a major new department store into Uxbridge – Debenhams which serves to greatly strengthen the retail offer in the town.  Other key stores includes Bhs, Boots, Gap, USC, French Connection, The Arcadia Group, H&M, Curry’s Digital, Ernest Jones, Republic, The Disney Store, Next and many more.

The Piazza
A particular feature of the centre is The Piazza – a specialist restaurant and café designated area.  Capitalising to the listed Fassnidge House, the designers have created a new, yet traditional courtyard-style setting which incorporates rebuilt timber frame buildings originally from the High Street.  A central plaza provides an informal entertainment space, and from this area, an escalator leads directly to the cinema complex on the second floor of the centre.

Centre management
Capital Shopping Centre’s in-house staff manages The Chimes Centre Management is a
Twenty-four hour operation encompassing security, cleaning and maintenance of the shopping centre.

Capital Shopping Centre has extensive experience of Centre Management through out the United Kingdom and is mindful of the role a new shopping centre plays in local community life.

Providing for the Shopper
Capital Shopping Centres is conscious of the need to ensure that a shopping centre is advanced both in terms of retail offer and of the facilities available to consumers.

Special care has been taken at the design stage to ensure that parking, lifts, low-level phones and toilets take into account special needs.  Shopmobility also operates from the centre, providing manual and powered wheelchairs, as well as scooters, to anyone with limited mobility.

The needs of parents are also catered for.  There are baby changing facilities on both levels and parents and child parking spaces on level 2, 3 and 4.