EXCLUSIVE

by Trevor Sturgess

Work is about to start on a £60 million events and exhibition centre at Bluewater, it can be revealed.

The project will create around 600 construction jobs and around 100 permanent positions when the centre opens late next year.

It will be linked to the main shopping area alongside the cinema, replacing the existing Water Circus.

The 32,000 sq ft Bluewater Events Venue will accommodate thousands of people for consumer, business and leisure shows. There will be smaller areas for VIP receptions and business award ceremonies.

The centre has been designed by international architects Denton, Corker Marshall, a practice founded in Melbourne in 1972 and now operating in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. It was responsible for Stonehenge Visitor Centre. Construction firm BAM is to build it.

Andrew Parkinson, Bluewater general manager, said it was an exciting development that had been on the drawing board for several years. With Bluewater celebrating its 10th anniversary last year, it was now the right time to bring it to life, he added.

"This will be completely integrated into the main mall area - we're not building a box but something that will be very much part of Bluewater," he said.

Mr Parkinson believed the addition would also encourage shoppers to stay longer in the centre from an average of just over two hours to more than three.

"It is the perfect complement to our existing offer and will create additional reasons to visit Bluewater for both existing and new guests, and become a focal point for leisure and entertainment in the UK."

Jeremy Kite, leader of Dartford council, welcomed the move. He said: "Bluewater is a fantastic catalyst for good in the area, not just in terms of creating opportunities for local people and businesses, but for demonstrating on an international scale what can be achieved by the public and private sectors having a shared sense of scale and ambition."