The final agreements have been signed which will see a new arts complex built in Southampton.
Legal agreements with both Arts Council England and Southampton City Council's development partner, Grosvenor Developments Limited, are now in place, representing a major milestone in bringing another critical element of Southampton's Cultural Quarter to fruition.
Grosvenor will now be working up detailed plans for the development with a view to submitting a planning application in Spring 2011, starting on site in 2012 and handing over the arts shell to the council in 2013.
The proposed mixed-use development will include restaurants, flats and Southampton’s new arts complex, which will be launched in early 2015. The arts complex will comprise around 75,000 sq ft of performing arts, gallery and film/media studio space across two iconic buildings.
Councillor John Hannides, Cabinet Member for Leisure. Culture and Heritage, said: "This new arts complex will be at the heart of the city’s Cultural Quarter. It will be a place where all the arts can thrive and will draw in tens of thousands of visitors every year. It is great news that the final agreements have been put in place to make this aspiration a firm reality."
Confirmed operators for the new arts complex are John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton and City Eye - who are responsible for running Southampton's Film Week.
A performing arts review is being undertaken at present to agree what type of performing arts operator will be needed for the performing arts aspect of the arts complex.
Simon Higman, Registrar and Chief Operating Officer of the University of Southampton, commented: "The Arts Council investment is excellent news for Southampton and for the University of Southampton’s John Hansard Gallery, which can now bring its internationally recognised programme to the city and a wider audience."
The agreements mark a critical step in enhancing the evolving Cultural Quarter, following the demolition of the former Tyrrell & Green building, the completion of One Guildhall Square, the refurbished and remodelled Guildhall Square events space and the start of the Sea City Museum building works, which will be complete in 2012.
The new developments in the Cultural Quarter are expected to bring in £175 million of private & public investment, generate around 2,000 jobs and £21 million additional visitor spend from over 1,000 additional visitors to the area of the city.
(CD/KMcA)
Construction News
04/11/2010
Final Agreements Signed For Southampton's New Arts Complex

09/05/2025
Construction is officially underway on the £20 million Marple Community Hub, a major development that will bring cutting-edge leisure, health, and library facilities to the heart of the town.
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held recently in Marple Memorial Park to mark the start of the project. The

09/05/2025
Kier has been selected by the Department for Education to spearhead a major redevelopment of East Coast College in Great Yarmouth.
The project, which aims to transform the existing campus into a modern, sustainable education hub, is set to begin this summer.
Funded through the Government's £1.5 b

09/05/2025
Balfour Beatty VINCI has marked a major milestone in the construction of HS2, as giant tunnel boring machine (TBM) Mary Ann completed her journey beneath the West Midlands, breaking through at Washwood Heath to finish the first bore of the 5.8km (3.5-mile) Bromford Tunnel.
The 125-metre-long TBM be

09/05/2025
Construction has officially begun on a new 630-place primary school set to serve the growing Haywood Village community in Weston-super-Mare, as developer Persimmon Homes Severn Valley appoints Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd to deliver the project.
The new Airfield Primary Academy, scheduled to ope

09/05/2025
Two higher-level apprentices from Leeds College of Building have received top recognition at the 2025 West Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards.
Charlie Brady, a Level 4 Construction Quantity Surveying Technician Apprentice employed by EN:Able Futures, took home the prestigious Higher Apprentice of the

09/05/2025
Engineers working on the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) have begun preparatory works on Crawshaw Woods Bridge, marking the start of a major renovation of the world's oldest surviving cast-iron railway bridge still in use over an operational line.
Built between 1830 and 1834, the Grade II listed s

09/05/2025
Wates Property Services has once again been appointed as the sole supplier for a major emergency response framework, tasked with making dangerous buildings and structures safe across London.
Commissioned by a consortium led by The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the new four-year contract

09/05/2025
Cardiff-based fabricator Dudley's Aluminium is playing a key role in the construction of the University of South Wales' new Computing, Engineering and Technology building at its Pontypridd campus.
The firm is partnering once again with BAM Construction on the Calon building, a state-of-the-art faci

09/05/2025
A Government-backed Somerset Council Highways scheme is set to begin in June, aiming to replace a deteriorating 51-year-old concrete road and motorway junction near Wellington.
The project, delivered by contractor Heidelberg Materials, will involve the full refurbishment of Junction 26 of the M5 an

09/05/2025
Galliford Try has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Best Digital Construction Project category at this year's Digital Construction Awards, recognising the company's advanced digital delivery at the newly built Woodham Academy in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.
The project, delivered through the