O2 Centre
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The O2 Centre is an indoor shopping and leisure centre on Finchley Road, London, near Finchley Road tube station.
Owned by the X-Leisure group, and opened in 1998. Despite the same name and very similar logo, it has no relationship with the O2 telecommunications brand, which was launched 4 years later. The name was chosen as reference to the spacious feel of the building, as O2 means Oxygen.
Despite the name of the centre the was a running water theme until May 2008, with a massive 10,000 litre aquarium containing turtles, tropical fish, eels, starfish, halibut, several cod and crabs. In May 2008 the aquarium was replaced due to public concern over a South American Eel that had managed to escape from the top of the tank.
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[edit] Development
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The opening of the centre in 1998 came after many years of the site remaining derelict. In the early 1990s the buildings along Finchley Road were demolished in preparation for the centre, but problems with planning permission, with concerns over traffic in particular, led to construction being delayed by many years. A great deal of consultation took place with local residents, including asking them to vote from a choice of 3 designs for the exterior of the building, and asking them to suggest a name. Original plans included having a bowling alley in the location eventually occupied by Esporta, Sainsbury's being in the warehouse-style building occupied by Homebase, and the lower ground level (now Sainsburys) being home to several non-food retailers.
The original £15m budget for the build was exceeded in early 1997, causing a temporary delay in the build until additional capital investors could be found. There was some critcism at the time concerning the import of over 100kg of Dead Sea salt, for a sum of £350,000 in order to give the aquariums the correct tropical environment to sustain the wide range of fish originally intended. The plan to import Australian coral was cancelled for this reason.
As of April 2008 there has been a mouse infestation, from the nearby Finchley Road Underground station.
[edit] Current Occupants
[edit] Shopping
Shopping facilities include Sainsbury's, Books Etc., Optique 20/20, Habitat, and several small stalls selling jewellery and snacks.
When the centre first opened there was a fresh fish stall outside of Nando's where various fish caught from within the large aquarium tank were sold to the public. This was removed in April 2001 after concerns into the cleanliness of the fish being sold by the general public.
[edit] External Retailers
[edit] Bars and restaurants
Eating facilities include Nando's, Wetherspoon's, Starbucks, The Walkabout, Yo! Sushi, Cumin, Fine Burger Company and Zuccato.
[edit] Other facilities
Other facilities include the Vue cinema, Esporta health club, Gymboree, and the London International Gallery of Children's Art. There is one of the largest dance studios in London on the top floor of the centre.
[edit] Previous Occupants
Restaurants and bars which previously had spaces in the O2 Centre include the Capital Radio Cafe, Pizza Hut, Old Orleans, Ed's Easy Diner, Smollensky's, Babe Ruth's sports bar, Bar Circa, China Red and others.
China Red mysteriously closed in early 2007, the site has now been redeveloped and is a Hong Kong themed restaurant.
[edit] Transport
The closest tube station is Finchley Road with the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines.
Finchley Road and Frognal station with the North London Line is a short walk away and West Hampstead railway stations are also in close proximity.
There are several bus and coach routes that stop right outside the O2 centre including 13, 31, 46, 82, 113, 187, 268, C11, N28 and N31 bus stops are also close by.
