Eden Leisure Group has received unanimous Planning Authority approval for to redevelop its Cinema 16 block and construct three floors over the Eden SuperBowl.

The mixed-use St Julian’s development will consist of a 168 room hotel, office space, a commercial complex and a redeveloped and “greatly expanded” Family Entertainment Centre.

The group announced the development via its publicly-listed financing arm Eden Finance, in compliance with Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) listing rules.

InterContinental Hotels Group will manage the four-star Holiday Inn Hotel, pursuant to a long-term deal signed with the group, according to the group’s announcement.

Additionally, it stated that its SuperBowl bowling alley will continue to operate in its current location, until it is relocated onto the first floor of the development, where a “state of the art” Family Entertainment Centre is opened, featuring a brand-new bowling centre and enhancing the offering with other, unspecified attractions.

The project is expected to begin in the coming weeks and is projected to take between two to three years to reach completion, at a cost of €32 million.

Its first phase will be financed through the group’s own funds, while other options are being explored for the remaining funds required in 2023 and onwards.

While the largest in recent memory, the investment is only Eden Leisure Group’s latest, and the company’s flagship cinema recently underwent a major renovation, only opening to customers at the very end of 2019, before being forced to intermittently close in the next year and a half as COVID-related restrictions hit entertainment businesses particularly hard.

Eden Leisure Group is one of Malta’s foremost companies operating in hospitality and entertainment.