Dozens of businesses in the creative industries will soon be making their way at the dockyard where Lord Nelson launched his world-famous naval career.
The opening of a specialist centre at the Historic Dockyard Chatham was almost to the day when a 12-year-old Nelson reported for duty in January, 1771, to his uncle’s third-rate ship Raisonnable.
In a public opening ceremony on Wednesday Cardy Construction handed over the key to the centre at The Joiners Shop to Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust after a £3 million facelift.
In fact, the re-opening of the 200 year-old, Grade-II listed Joiners’ Shop as a Centre for Creative Business has more than a passing link with Nelson.
The shop was built in the late 18th century to help supply Admiral Nelson's Royal Navy, whose ships were constructed in the dockyards.
However, it has since witnessed the decline of the surrounding area after the last ships left the dock in 1984, and then the recovery that has followed under the pilotage of the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, South East England Development Agency (Seeda) and the local council.
As part of the wider continued regeneration of Chatham Maritime, Seeda funded its refurbishment at just under £3.5 million, including £1 million from the government’s Communities and Local Government department.
Creative industries account for 3.5 per cent of total employment in the Medway area compared to 13 per cent in the whole of the South East.
With the University for the Creative Arts and University of Kent situated nearby, as well as The Smithery museum and exhibition space set to open next door, experts say there is a big opportunity for growth.
The Joiners’ Shop centre will provide 1000 sq.m of office and workshop space for up to 44 small and starter businesses, particularly those in the arts, crafts and design sectors.
Lee Amor, Seeda's executive director for infrastructure and development, said: “The Joiners’ Shop is a wonderful opportunity to encourage and support creative businesses in these uncertain economic times, and is yet another positive step in the regeneration of Chatham as a whole.
“With projects such as this we are putting the right infrastructure in place to allow businesses to take full advantage of the UK's inevitable economic recovery, stimulating once-neglected sectors of the economy that will be vital to the region's future.”
Jonathan Shaw MP, minister for the South East and MP for Chatham and Aylesford, said: “I am particularly pleased that this development is helping to revitalise and regenerate Chatham. The importance of projects such as this one cannot be overestimated in the way that they revitalise skills that would otherwise be lost to future generations.”
Outfits already signed up for spaces within the centre include Liquid Blue Designs, a new partnership of three designers who use laser technology to engrave acrylic products, Andrew Purchase, who restores and re-uses antique furniture, and graphic design company ANT.
Bill Ferris, chief executive of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, said: “The Historic Dockyard is already home to a thriving community of creative businesses and is a cultural hub within Medway. This adds an exciting new dimension.”
POSTED: 14/01/2009 11:33:52
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