TWO news restaurants are to built at the Towerfields leisure park in Huntingdon, creating the equivalent of 25 full time jobs.

Chain restaurants Bella Italia and Chiquitos will move into two new units that are to be built between Frankie and Bennys and the cinema.

Legal and General UK Property Trust announced on Monday it had been given planning permission to build the units, with the two chains taking on minimum 15 year leases. It added that construction was expected to start in January 2013 with completion due in September, allowing the restaurants to open in time for Christmas 2013.

Tim Russell, senior asset manager at Legal & General Property, said: “Since acquiring Towerfields in 2010, we have worked hard on the asset management side to look at ways of investing in the scheme to further improve its tenant mix and refresh its customer offer, in order to ensure that it remains a popular leisure destination.

“With planning consent now in place and pre-lets agreed to two popular family-orientated restaurant chains, we look forward to starting work on site early in the new year and welcoming Bella Italia and Chiquitos to the Park in time for next Christmas.”

The company, in its planning documents, dismissed the idea of opening the restaurants in Huntingdon town centrem, stating there were no suitable buildings available and that the proposed developments – such as the west of town centre Sainsbury’s plans – would take too long to complete.

Instead the proposals will see 25 parking spaces removed from the Towerfields car park, which also serves the cinema and the gym, and the addition of 15 cycle stands.