Students can rejoice up and down campus: there are plans for a Nando’s to be built in Loughborough in the near future! The students of Loughborough will finally be able to cure their FND hangovers with Nando’s spicy chicken and peri peri chips.
A Nando’s in Loughborough seems like the answer to the prayers of many students; no more travelling to Leicester for your quick Nando’s fix, or turning to the imitation Fernanando’s. It may seem well overdue and that the bosses at Nando’s have long been missing a trick, the well-known restaurant chain has been missing out on the huge student population of Loughborough, but there is now a glimmer of hope. There are Nando’s branches in many of Britain’s university towns and cities; therefore it is high time there was one taking pride of place in a corner in Loughborough.
According to Loughborough Echo, Nando’s is going to be part of the new cinema and leisure complex, which is being built in Baxter Gate, where the old hospital used to stand. Along with Nando’s there will be other large food and drink chains such as Pizza Express, Mimosa and Starbucks. The project is part of a Multi- Million pound development plan to develop the disused site. The cinema will be part of the Cineworld chain, and will be host to eight screens and over a thousand seats.
It is good news to students across Loughborough that big companies and brands are choosing to spend huge sums of money to regenerate the area. Hopefully it will work to generally improve the look of the town, and make it more appealing to prospective students. Loughborough has arguably one of the best campuses in the UK, and so it would be good if the town and the surrounding were somewhat more equal with the campus facilities. Furthermore the introduction of a new Nando’s and a brand new leisure complex will provide plenty of employment, thus boosting the economy of the area. This is great news for students also because there will be plenty of new part time employment opportunities.
So watch this space, there is no set dates at the minute but David Slater, leader of Charnwood Borough Council, said the application “will almost certainly go to plans”. Fingers crossed, it won’t be too long before Nando’s chicken is easily accessible for Loughborough students. But on a more serious note, the regeneration of Loughborough will hope to improve the image of the town which is important for students coming to the university in future years.
Annie Colbert
