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COUNCIL SEEK ADVICE IN QUEST FOR ASSEMBLY ROOMS REPLACEMENT
Derby City Council have had an insurance payout for the fire which closed the Assembly Rooms and given some hints as to what they may be looking for in a replacement. To achieve this they have sought the advice of experts of international repute. The council has received £5 million from its insurers,
Zurich, which is less than its claim for £5.5 million. It also falls well below the figure that the council insists it would need to spend in order to reopen the venue, which was closed by the fire in its plant room in March of 2014. The payout covers the cost of the plant room equipment – water, heating and ventilation - destroyed by the fire, the
cost of remedial work and also the loss of revenue, but not the cost of bringing the venue up to date. The council says that it would cost £10 million to bring the Assembly Rooms up to modern safety standards, which have moved on considerably from when it opened in 1977, so they have sought expert advice in developing a city centre
‘masterplan’ including a new performing arts venue. Cushman and Wakefield, a global real estates services company, have been engaged to “map out Derby’s requirements for a new performing arts venue and give some certainty as to the best location”. At present, Derby finds itself in a cultural wilderness and
there have been many calls for the council to act quickly. A performance venue, itself, may not return a profit, so the council wants to consider the venue as a multi-purpose facility to include additional development.
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