A £4m refurbishment programme to transform the historic Marble Hall building in Derby into a managed workspace scheme and community hub has now been completed.
The iconic former Rolls-Royce building on Nightingale Road in the Osmaston area of Derby has been empty since Rolls-Royce’s relocation in 2007 and is the centre-piece of Derby City Council’s Osmaston Regeneration Partnership in the heart of the Osmaston transformational Regeneration Zone.
Over the past 12 months the grade-two listed building, which is one of the city’s most recognised landmarks, has been the subject of a major refurbishment to transform it into a £4m community hub, with a vibrant managed workspace facility and a range of complementary facilities that are in high demand from the local community.
The refurbishment of the building, which has been carried out by contractors Robert Woodhead and project managed by Sue Hunter from the regeneration project team at Derby City Council, has included various structural works, including the installation of a new wiring and heating systems. The exterior of the building has also received a face-lift, with the refurbishment and installation of new windows.
It will be the first venture for Connect in the Community, a new initiative which aims to attract and support social enterprises, voluntary, community groups and charities to the area, along with new start-ups and growing businesses. It is hoped this will meet the needs of both Derby’s disadvantaged communities and the Derby economy as a whole.
Marble Hall will build on the success of the hugely successful Connect Derby scheme, which has created a strong market for serviced offices in the city and forms part of Derby City Council’s commitment to work with the city’s disadvantaged communities.
Connect Derby sees Derby City Council’s workspaces – Friar Gate Studios, Kings Chambers, Sadler Bridge Studios, Shot Tower and Riverside Chambers (former Magistrates’ Court building on Full Street) – come together under one banner in a £14.2m project to create jobs for local people.
