Building work starts on £16m showpiece head office
Construction has begun on the largest development of its kind in Hull for more than half a century.
The £16m development will feature a prestigious head office for UK safety business Arco, securing the company’s future in Hull and providing a platform for further growth.
The start of building work marks a major milestone in the £80m rejuvenation of the waterfront Fruit Market area, which is being transformed in one of the North of England’s most significant urban regeneration projects.
The Arco building will be the largest new-build office development for a dedicated user in the Hull area since the late 1960s and one of the biggest head office schemes currently taking place across the North. It has been supported with a grant of £1m from the Humber’s Local Growth Fund allocation through the Humber LEP’s Growing the Humber programme of business investment grants.
The project will include a 350-space multi-storey car park. Later stages of development on the site will feature 34 residential units and 3,000 sq ft of retail/leisure space to continue the reinvention of the Fruit Market.
The scheme marks the latest major chapter in the rejuvenation of the waterfront district being led by Wykeland Beal, the company formed by commercial developer Wykeland Group and housebuilder Beal Homes, as part of the Fruit Market LLP joint venture with Hull City Council.
Wykeland Beal has worked with Arco to develop the scheme and enable the company to relocate from its existing head office in Waverley Street, which has been purchased by Hull City Council to support the planned A63 Castle Street improvement scheme and regeneration and investment in the city centre.
Dominic Gibbons, managing director of Wykeland Group, said: “This development is enormously significant for Hull and the wider region and will see a showpiece facility of exceptional quality and prestige occupying a key site. The new multi-storey car park is also much needed to support Arco and its staff and the Fruit Market community.
“We’re delighted one of the city’s most successful and respected businesses has chosen the Fruit Market for the next chapter in its rich history.”
The head office will see Arco return to its roots in the Fruit Market where the business opened its first shop in Queen Street, just yards from the development site, in 1893.
In a further twist, the development harks back to the construction of Arco’s current head office, which was completed in 1961 by LH Beal & Son, a predecessor company of Beal Homes, with Beal Homes founder John Beal working on site during the project.
It means the relationship between two family-owned Hull businesses, dating back almost 60 years, will help secure the future of Arco in Hull for generations to come.
Richard Beal, chief executive of Beal Homes, said: “The regeneration of the Fruit Market has been a prime example of successful urban renewal and place making. The new Arco building and associated development will build on that success and take it to a whole new level.
“Arco’s current head office was built by Beal and has served the business well for many years, so we’re excited to be working again with the company’s owners and management team to deliver their fantastic new home.”
Hessle-based PDR Construction is the principal contractor for the project, which is due to be completed by the end of 2020, enabling around 550 Arco staff to move to their new home. The 58,500 sq ft, five floor building will have social meeting areas, a glass fronted atrium and an auditorium for staff and customer presentations.
David Evison, managing director of Arco, said: “This is a significant step forward for Arco, as we continue to invest in the growth of the business. The new head office will provide us with the facilities and the work environment to meet our needs into the future.
“We’ve taken this opportunity to create a modern workplace that has been designed to ensure our colleagues thrive and new talent emerges.
“We’re particularly pleased our new head office will support the regeneration of Hull’s Fruit Market, to ensure the city remains vibrant and commercially successful. Our second National Distribution Centre, which is on track to open at the end of this year, is further proof of our dedication to investing in the continued growth of the region and to build on our long heritage in Hull.”
As well as cementing Arco’s future in Hull, the development will create around 200 jobs during the construction phase.
Councillor Daren Hale, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for economic investment and regeneration, said: “The Arco relocation is a major part of our long-term vision for the city centre, key to both the regeneration and investment that continues to take place on the Fruit Market.
“The Fruit Market is a key part of the city centre and Arco moving its head office and 550 staff there will be a significant boost to the area and the fantastic businesses that operate there.
“Arco is a nationally recognised and respected company with its foundations firmly in Hull. We’re delighted this decision shows the company’s future is also in the city.”
Chair of the Humber LEP, Lord Chris Haskins, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this significant development in the Fruit Market area of Hull. Arco is an important Hull business and it is great to see it going from strength to strength.
“Not only will this investment secure the future of the business and its employees in Hull, but it will continue to support the ongoing job creation that we are seeing as Arco grows.”
Property expert Nick Pearce, Director of East Yorkshire-based PPH Commercial, said: “This is the largest office development of any kind in Hull for three decades and a major vote of confidence in the city.
“Ensuring Arco remains in the city within an iconic office complex is hugely important for Hull and the wider area and will enhance the ongoing regeneration of the Fruit Market and the city centre.”
