Christmas grotto and event space planned for Bluewater shopping center near Dartford

Kent’s biggest shopping center wants to build a Christmas grotto.

Bluewater Shopping Center has applied to Dartford Council for permission to install a festive attraction and keep the skating rink for another five years.

Blueco, which owns the huge shopping center in Greenhithe, has appointed planning consultants Quod to seek permission from the local authority.

If approved, the Christmas Grotto attraction will be installed on the street, near the skating rink.

“The Nativity Grotto is a single-storey timber building in a traditional style,” planning documents explain.

“The structure will be built from prefabricated houses with a metal frame and plywood with a weather-resistant textured coating.

“The grotto will be located on the surface of Astroturf and will consist of three main rooms.”

However, a Bluewater spokesman confirmed that the grotto will not be built and opened this year, but will open next year if it is given the green light.

Instead, this year they’ll be hosting a Christmas grotto in one of the departments of the mall itself, which they’re calling the Elf on the Shelf Christmas Adventure.

The ice skating rink has already been installed and will open from November 12 to January 5.

But according to these plans, the structure will operate until 2029, and the skating rink will be open from October to January each year.

The ice skating marquee will also be used for “beauty events, careers fairs, Dartford Council awards and wedding fairs”, it says.

Planning documents stress that the proposals will have “no impact on existing access” to the shopping centre.

House of Fraser, one of the first stores in the huge commercial complex, recently announced its upcoming closure, which will reportedly take place on November 27th.

The department store, which occupies a large space on both floors of a suburban shopping center, is offering a 20% discount to vacate the store before then.

The corner site is a great place to walk from the car park into the center and rumor has it that clothing giant Next, based just a few doors away, is set to take over the site.

Outerwear brand Belstaff opened in the center on October 24, and cosmetics brand Aesop will open a store in Bluewater on November 16.

Swedish fashion brand Lindex will also move here on November 28th.

James Waugh, Bluewater’s center director, previously said: “We are about to enter one of the busiest and most exciting times in Bluewater’s 25-year history and these openings will be followed very soon by other fantastic brands.”

A number of additional pop-up shops have opened ahead of the festive season, including a Christmas Supermarket and Calendar Club.

We are approaching one of the busiest and most exciting times in Bluewater’s 25-year history.

A spokesman for the shopping center said: “The Bluewater Ice Rink has been a favorite festive addition to the shopping center for many years and we look forward to welcoming it back this November.

“The planning application under consideration is an extension of the previous planning permission which was granted by Dartford Council in previous years.

“The grotto mentioned in the planning application is an attraction that we hope to bring to Bluewater in the coming years.

“This Christmas our guests can look forward to a never-before-seen interactive theatrical experience – The Elf on the Shelf Christmas Adventure – tickets are on sale now.

“This attraction will be located in the Upper Rose Gallery, adjacent to River Island.”

Dartford Council is consulting on the plans and residents can comment on the application until November 7.

It is not yet known when the planning committee will make a decision on the application, but a target of December 11 has been set.