Screen-free family play centre with dodgems and a carousel to open at Broadway Plaza, creating 40 jobs

A new screen-free family entertainment centre is coming to Birmingham city centre in time for Christmas, bringing more than 40 jobs. The family-run operator 360 Play has signed a 20-year lease on a 20,000 sq ft unit at Broadway Plaza, the leisure complex at Five Ways, and expects to open in December, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce reports.

It will join Broadway Plaza's existing attractions, including the Odeon cinema and Hollywood Bowl.

Dodgems, a carousel and no screens

360 Play's centres are designed for children and adults to play together, without screens. The Birmingham site will include dodgems, a full-sized carousel, play frames and dedicated "edutainment" facilities, with more attractions to be announced before it opens.

Like the company's other centres, it will have a separate learning space that community groups and instructors can use for activities such as music and movement classes and baby massage sessions. A family café will serve hot and cold food and coffee, with both traditional and healthy options.

The centre has been designed by 360 Play's in-house architects, and the company says it has sought out local firms to help build it. It will be managed by Birmingham-based Ben Trew-Millichap, who has spent almost a decade with the group running its Redditch centre.

"Somewhere families can afford to return to"

Duncan Phillips, founder and managing director of 360 Play, said: "We've been looking for the right place to bring our brand to Birmingham city centre for some time, and were determined not to rush that decision. Broadway Plaza has always ticked a lot of the boxes for us, from its location and accessibility to its established leisure offer."

"Our centres are designed to give families somewhere they can genuinely enjoy together - a place where children can run, explore, learn and use their imaginations, while parents and caregivers can get involved too," he said. "We will create somewhere that families can afford to return to regularly, with enough variety that every visit can feel different."

Duncan and his wife Sarah founded 360 Play more than 15 years ago, because they saw a need for screen-free places where parents and children could spend time together. The family business is headquartered in Milton Keynes.

A boost for Five Ways

Chris Catford, centre manager at Broadway Plaza, said: "We're thrilled to welcome 360 Play to the Broadway Plaza family. We expect it to be a huge footfall driver, and complement our existing attractions including Odeon and Hollywood Bowl, continuing to position us as one of Birmingham's leading leisure destinations and broaden our appeal to families from across the city and beyond."

Large leisure tenants like this matter for city centre complexes, where empty units can drag down a whole site. A 20-year lease is a long-term commitment, and a family attraction open in the daytime brings a different crowd from the evening cinema and bowling trade.

For families in Edgbaston, Ladywood and the city centre, it also means another indoor option for wet weekends and school holidays, close to the buses and trams along Broad Street and Hagley Road.