Construction Underway On New Becketwell Performance Venue In Derby

DERBY, U.K. - June 8, 2023 - PRLog -- Derby's new £45.8m performance venue has reached a new milestone, with Derbyshire-based construction group Bowmer + Kirkland awarded the building contract - and construction work now underway.

St James Securities has also released a new and enhanced CGI showing what the performance venue will look like once complete.

The exciting new 3,500 capacity entertainment and events venue forms phase two of the £200m Becketwell regeneration scheme, which is the most significant urban regeneration scheme in the city for more than 30 years.

The new performance venue will be built on the site of the former Pennine Hotel, Laurie House offices, multi-storey car park and Pink Coconut nightclub in Colyear Street and Padley House in Becket Street.

It will be owned by Derby City Council and leased to and operated by ASM Global, the world's leading venue management and services company, and producer of live experiences.

Bowmer + Kirkland took over the site on 5 June 2023 and practical completion is scheduled for January 2025, just a couple of weeks later than was originally planned when contracts were signed in March 2022.

Bowmer + Kirkland is one of the UK's largest and most successful privately owned construction and development groups. Its construction teams offer private and public sector clients a national service delivered locally through its specialist regional teams.

In February 2022, Peveril Securities, the development arm of the Bowmer + Kirkland Group, were appointed funding and development partners for future phases of the Becketwell scheme.

ASM Global's UK portfolio includes OVO Arena Wembley, AO Arena (Manchester), Utilita Arena (Newcastle), Bonus Arena (Hull), first direct Arena (Leeds), Olympia London and OVO Hydro (Glasgow).

The venue is expected to significantly add to Derby's cultural offering. It will offer a larger, more flexible space than the city centre has had in the past and will collaborate with and complement the activities of Derby Arena to provide the best possible events programme for Derby and the wider region.

The venue is set to host over 200 cultural and commercial events each year and attract an additional 250,000 visitors to Derby. It is also expected to create over 200 new local jobs, it will generate more than £10m GVA per year for the area, diversify the economy and increase levels of investment in surrounding areas of the city centre.

Demolition work for the performance venue began in May 2022 with work starting on site this week. Completion and handover to ASM Global will take place in January 2025.

Phase one of the Becketwell development, which comprises 259 one and two-bedroom Build To Rent (BTR) apartments, is nearing completion alongside Springwell Square which will serve as a multi-purpose space within the development.