Two firms appointed on £4.5m creative industries hub

Two local businesses have been appointed to redesign and refurbish Worcester’s Victorian railway arches into a centre for creative industries.

The appointments of KKE Architects and structural engineering firm Shire are being described as “important milestones” in the £4.5m redevelopment known as The Arches – Worcester.

Earlier this year the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport awarded £3m from the Cultural Development Fund which is administered by Arts Council England, towards the costs of the initiative.

The funding will pay for the design and construction of dynamic work and creative spaces underneath eight of the Arches. A new gateway for the city will also be created, following the line of the Arches from Foregate Street railway station down to The Hive and the river Severn.

“We are pleased to announce the appointment of two local firms to breathe new life in to The Arches-Worcester,” said councillor Adrian Gregson, chair of Worcester’s Cultural Development Fund Steering Group, the body which oversees the project.

He added: “This ambitious £4.5m initiative will provide a major boost to the city’s arts and culture offer, creating new space for small creative businesses and also funding a programme of exciting new festivals for Worcester.”