KIER Eastern has been appointed to build the new National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural on the High House Production Park in Purfleet.
The new building will be the Academy’s central training facility, providing accreditation and training in the backstage skills required by the theatre and live music sectors. When it opens in summer 2012, the Academy will become an important national and local training facility that will help meet the UK’s anticipated need for 30,000 skilled backstage and technical theatre staff by 2017.
The build will complete phase three of the Production Park’s transformation from a derelict and decaying farmstead to a modern training, production and community facility in the heart of the Thames Gateway. With the Academy under construction, High House Production Park Ltd will now focus its attention on bringing forward the remaining development plots available on the site. These plots are anticipated to provide around 100,000sq ft of accommodation for businesses and artists from related fields.
Will McKee, chairman of the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation, which will manage the building contract on behalf of High House Production Park Ltd, commented: “The Development Corporation is delighted to announce Kier Eastern as the building contractor for the National Skills Academy. This is a strategically important development for Thurrock; rooting this important growth sector in Purfleet has been a long-term objective of the Corporation and its partners. The Academy will raise the aspirations of the local community and will provide important training opportunities as well as the potential for new jobs.”
National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural managing director, Pauline Tambling, added: “We are delighted that the Purfleet building is now under way. This is an exciting time for all. Our vision has always been of an internationally acclaimed technical theatre and live music sector supporting the best stages in the world – this building brings us ever more closely to this vision and to delivering world-class training.”
Kier Eastern director Nick Bache commented: “We are happy to have been appointed as principal contractor for this project which, when complete, will provide an important training facility for use at both local and national level. We look forward to starting on site later this month and will be using the build phase of the scheme to interact with local colleges and the community.”
