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Colchester
Ultra Ready for Business
Creating a Creative
& Digital Hotspot:
Key to Placemaking
in Colchester
Regeneration of the historic St Botolph’s quarter
in Colchester town centre is helping the area to
become a major creative and digital hub. But the
development activity also recognises the location’s
rich heritage which contributes to Colchester’s
attractiveness as a place to live and work.
One of the key regeneration projects is the new Creative
Business Centre on the site of the old Police Station in
Queen Street.
The building has recently undergone a £2.6m refurbishment
to provide flexible working space for 250 people, in around
40 units totalling 20,000 sq ft. It is providing work, meeting
and networking space for the Creative Industries – one of the
largest employment sectors in the town - in a variety of unique
spaces including the former cell block which retains its original
tiling. The Centre offers workspace to attract a wide-range
of creative and digital businesses as well as hot-desking and
incubation space for freelancers and homeworkers, helping to
foster collaboration and networking opportunities.
The Centre contains a large courtyard and a restaurant and
café on the ground floor and benefits from being the first
business to be connected to the Ultrafast Broadband network.
Tenants can access unparalleled speeds from the start.
Leading visual arts organisation SPACE Studios has been
appointed as operators of the Centre. Based in East London
from where it runs 18 artists studio buildings across London,
the Centre is SPACE’s first expansion outside the capital.
It is also a key part of its long term plan to develop a creative
industries production corridor linking East London with Essex.
This project joins the nearby Firstsite contemporary art
gallery, designed by New York based architect, Rafael Vin
v
oly.
Built for £28m in 2011, a growing reputation in the contemporary
art world hosting works by Andy Warhol, Ai Wei Wei and Grayson
Perry. In addition, there are also plans for a three-screen
cinema expected to open in 2017 run by the independent
Curzon cinema group. Immediately adjacent to this, Building
Partnerships has plans for a mixed-use development expected
to open late 2018/early 2019 comprising a budget hotel,
restaurants and student accommodation.
The area is also home to the Minories Art Gallery, a contem-
porary gallery of works by the Colchester Institute School of
Art, and The Waiting Room, which provides ‘meanwhile café
space’ for local artists and musicians.
Ambition is a key word in Colchester. The Mercury Theatre,
already a vibrant local venue with its own touring company, has
far-reaching plans for further improvement. With Arts Council
support The Mercury is planning an £8.8m redevelopment of
its buildings and surrounding site which will extend audience
capacity and production facilities.
The Mercury Theatre’s executive director Steve Mannix
estimates that the theatre supports 100 jobs locally and its
activities contribute £3.6m to the local economy. “This is a
moment of possibility which, if seized, can unlock major
creative benefits for Colchester, Essex and East Anglia,”
he comments.