Derby's new Becketwell Live arena almost ready to open with celebrity shows confirmed
The construction of a new £45.8 million performance venue in Derby now appears to be almost complete with the city’s council leader saying the major project is now “bearing fruit”.
Becketwell Live in Derby city centre will open to the public in a few months’ time. It will have a capacity of up to 3,500 people and already has a number of shows lined up.
The council-owned venue replaces the Assembly Rooms which has stood closed for more than ten years at the city’s Market Place.
It is set to open for the first time in the spring and marks an exciting year ahead for the city centre with the reopening of the Market Hall scheduled too.
A new photo of the building shows work by construction contractor Bowmer and Kirkland almost complete and modern lighting turned on inside the venue.
The venue is set to host over 200 cultural and commercial events each year and is expected to attract an additional 250,000 visitors to the city.
Derby City Council leader Nadine Peatfield (Labour) said the venue was now “bearing fruit” after a long journey to get to this stage.
She said in a Christmas and New Year message: “Equally exciting has been the progress at Becketwell Live where the final seat was recently installed in the new state-of-the-art performance venue. Set to open in 2025, it symbolises our ambition to reshape Derby’s cultural landscape.
“But big aspirations like this require patience and perseverance. The journey hasn’t always been straightforward, yet it is now bearing fruit, a thought we should hold in our minds as we strive to meet our other ambitions.”
It is also expected to create over 200 new local jobs and provide the “impetus to kick-start further investment in surrounding areas of the city centre”.
Last month it was revealed the final seat was in place inside. The main auditorium has flat floor seating, a lower tier of retractable bleacher seating, an upper tier of fixed seating and a ring of VIP seating on the central and side balconies. It will be operated by ASM Global on the council’s behalf.
Robert Kirkland, Bowmer and Kirkland life president, said last month: “Becketwell Live has been an important scheme for us all. It has continued a long-standing relationship we have with the city of Derby, it will bring vibrancy and much-needed commerce to this area of the city and we are all very proud to have been part of this exciting development.”
Recently Becketwell Live’s opening season has been announced and will include star visits from the likes of Wet Wet Wet and Heather Small, actor Miriam Margolyes and I’m A Celebrity contestant GK Barry. Test events will start from April including a family welcome party, scheduled for the Easter holidays.