Plans for a new 3,500-capacity performance venue in Derby which would create around 200 jobs have been unveiled.
Proposals have been drawn up by developer St James Securities and Derby City Council for the entertainment and conference facility at Becketwell, an area of the city which is set to undergo major regeneration.
It will be located in the heart of the city centre on the site of the former Pink Coconut nightclub.
It is expected to be a significant attraction for Derby, adding a much-needed cultural venue following the closure of the Assembly Rooms after it was damaged by fire over five years ago.
It is anticipated that the venue will hold hundreds of cultural and commercial events each year, attract an additional 250,000 visitors to Derby.
The scheme is also predicted to generate more than £10 million for the local economy a year.
Councillor Matthew Homes, deputy leader of Derby City Council, said: “We are working together with experienced commercial sector partners to put the best venue option on the table.
“This is about creating a vibrant, thriving city centre, and rejuvenating areas that have seen a decline.
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“A new venue like this will significantly aid our recovery efforts and boost business confidence by creating hundreds of jobs, putting millions into the local economy, and make a big contribution to Derby’s future prosperity.”
The new music, entertainment and conference events venue will be housed in a purpose-built facility.
It will be a fully flexible, scalable space, with a capacity of up to 3,500, with secondary space up to 400 capacity.
Paul Morris, director of St James Securities, said: “We are tremendously excited to be working with Derby City Council on this ambitious scheme, which is set to bring an outstanding, modern performance venue to the city.
“We strongly believe that a new purpose-built city centre venue is the right way to deliver a new performance venue for Derby and are confident that the best location for that venue is as a key part of the Becketwell scheme.
“Once the successful operator has been selected, they will help to inform the design, capacity and layout of the building and the mix of popular and mainstream shows, performances and events.
“We have created a great scheme which will fill a significant gap in the city cultural landscape.
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“Our flexible venue will cater for major music and comedy acts as well as a strong programme of theatre content.
“The conference and events centre will support the growth of the business community in the region.
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“The performance venue is set to ‘turbocharge’ the entire Becketwell scheme, allowing us to bring forward a new multi-storey car park and hotel and will be key to the future reinvigoration and repositioning of Derby city centre.
“We have pulled together a very experienced team who have a long track record in delivering similar projects.
“The team will be led by IPW who have been involved in similar arena developments including Leeds, Hull, Swansea, Battersea, York, Glasgow, Bradford, Gateshead, Copenhagen, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.”