Discussions are underway with “a number of operators” to fill the five remaining restaurant spaces at Basildon’s East Square cinema complex.

Basildon Borough Council today revealed it is in talks with potential suitors for the flagship development.

National café/bar chain Loungers – which operates 172 branches nationwide – was last week confirmed as the first operator to join the scheme.

Another five restaurants need to be filled ahead of the 10-screen Empire cinema’s opening.

When questioned by the Echo, the council stopped short of committing to a previously stated opening date of February but did confirm it expected the scheme to be fully open in “early 2022”.

The council did not confirm whether it expected all six restaurants to be filled by the time the cinema opens and remained tight-lipped on the potential suitors it was in talks with.

David Barnes, chair of Basildon Business Group, welcomed the news as a good step towards reimagining what town centres should look like, driving footfall to businesses, and addressing “long-standing issues” in the town centre.

“We need to drive footfall to the high street and give people a reason to go and create that vibrancy,” he said.

“It’s not just about shops now. That’s the big thing, retail is not the be-all and end-all. It is about the community wanting a vibrant town centre.

He added: ““The business is welcome, anything that brings new footfall to the town is a good thing but the council needs to work with its partners to ensure a yob culture does not take hold and that people can feel safe when visiting.”

“It would be nice to see some smaller guys in there, some local independents, however you need something to seed it, someone to bight the bullet and commit to get the ball rolling.”

A Basildon Council Spokesperson said: “The council is in discussions with a number of operators regarding the remaining five restaurant units in Basildon’s East Square, after the popular Loungers chain were the first to put pen to paper last week.

“Further announcements will be made soon once contracts have been officially signed. The aim is to have the scheme fully open in early 2022."