MULTI-MILLION pound plans for a Creative Quarter in Leamington have moved a step closer.
Warwick District Council this week appointed a development partner for the £30million project to restore and develop Spencer Yard and the Royal Pump Rooms, including a new footbridge across the River Leam linking the two sites.
Regeneration specialist Complex Development Projects (CDP), which developed FarGo Village and Electric Wharf in Coventry, has been selected to deliver a ten year masterplan for the area’s renaissance.
The plans are focused on the booming creative/digital sector in the town – which has been dubbed ‘Silicon Spa’.
There are over 1,500 creative businesses in Leamington employing over 7,000 people, with software and digital companies accounting for half of the total.
The games development industry is worth £1.7billion to the UK economy and the town has a range of games developers with many based in and around the vicinity of the planned Creative Quarter.
District council leader Andrew Mobbs said: “Warwick district is already home to a wide range of successful enterprises and we hope this new initiative offers an exciting proposition for even more vibrant and interesting businesses wanting to set up in the area.”
Brian Harrabin, a director of CDP, said the project provided an opportunity to build on the national and international reputation of the town’s creative and digital sector.
He added: “The old town area needs major regeneration and the focus on creative industries will help to unlock the cultural and commercial potential of this area which is very much under-developed.
“The first thing we will be doing is talking to local businesses and the community to gain an in-depth understanding of what’s happening at the moment and what people’s aspirations are for the future.
“Creative areas are organic and are ultimately made by people, not buildings. But you need the right environment to allow them to thrive. Each place is unique and we will be doing a lot of listening before we come up with any proposals.
“We have a proven track record of working with communities to breathe new life into run-down areas of cities and towns and we will start consulting straight away with stakeholders to enable us to feed views and comments into the masterplan and identifying priority projects.
“There is definitely real potential for growth in old town, creating a quarter that is very different to Leamington’s current offer and bringing a positive impact to the local economy over the next decade.”
The council hopes to secure Government funding to support the regeneration of the area, which also aims to improve routes from the railway station to the town centre.
