Geldards celebrates leading role in Derby's Becketwell Live opening
Geldards’ role as legal advisor to Derby City Council over the past eight years has culminated in the successful completion of the new £45.8 million Becketwell Live venue in the heart of Derby.
On track to open in April this year the 3,500 capacity venue owned by Derby City Council showcases state of the art facilities and will play a key role in revitalising Derby’s city centre. Major headline acts have already been confirmed in a star studded line up including comedian John Bishop and music icons Level 42 and Wet Wet Wet. The new venue hopes to appeal to audiences from far and wide, attracting an additional 250,000 visitors to the city each year and driving up spend on the night time economy.
The building is complete and the last legal documents have been signed and Derby’s largest entertainment venue has now been handed over to ASM Global. This marks the end of a project that has been ongoing for many years and has involved a large number of Geldards’ specialist lawyers.
Geldards was first instructed on the project by Derby City Council in 2017, acquiring buildings on Victoria Street and Duckworth Square in the first phase of the Becketwell regeneration. Geldards Public Sector team has been instrumental in providing specialised legal advice throughout the life of the whole development advising on the acquisition of land and buildings, and the disposal for residential development of the Condor building, as well as the public realm space that provides an attractive entrance to the new venue.
Property partner Paul Hilsdon who was involved from the start comments:
“Geldards is immensely proud to have been associated with a project that will rejuvenate a very important part of the city. Many of my colleagues both past and present and across many different legal disciplines have been involved over the years and it took a lot of hard work and professionalism from everyone involved to complete the redevelopment.
This part of the city has been a development challenge for many years and it has been a pleasure to work with the officers at Derby City Council who I commend for their vison and determination to successfully deliver a very complex regeneration project.”
Geldards’ Public Sector team has included over the years past and present members including Clare Hardy, Tiffany Cloynes, Rebecca Gilbert, Sharon Lowe, Jenny Chatten, Andrew Evans and Chris Hawrylak who advised on a range of complex legal issues for the benefit of the project from across the firm’s Commercial Property, Planning, Construction and Tax departments.
*Photo courtesy of Bowmer + Kirkland