A potential £47 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre looks set to move another step closer with the awarding of a contract to assess the economic impacts of covid.
Trevor Watson, Harrogate Borough Council’s director of economy, environment and housing, will hold a meeting next Tuesday to approve the contract ,which will also involve work on a full business case and planning updates for the proposed project.
It follows a competitive tender process during which the council only received a single bid for the business planning works.
If approved, a decision would be made by the council on the business case in March 2022. The authority said this would fit with the timescales of the reorganisation of local councils in North Yorkshire.
The borough council will no longer exist by May 2023 as part of government plans to scrap the county council and seven districts and replace them with one super authority. It means it will no longer have control over the HCC.
The value of the contract and the bidder is not yet known – and will only be made public if it is agreed by both parties.
In a report to Tuesday’s meeting, Rebecca Micallef, economy and transport officer at the council, said the bidder’s proposals were “excellent overall” and that the business planning works would help form a final decision over whether the redevelopment should go ahead.
She said:
“The work will look in detail at the wider economic impact of the redevelopment proposals on Harrogate, the district and beyond and help us to better understand the implications of covid on the industry and therefore the case for investment.
“Harrogate Convention Centre is a vital economic driver for the Harrogate district and wider region, providing a unique offer for the conference and exhibition market.
“The redevelopment of the venue offers the potential to deliver an exciting and major transformational project and is critical to the covid economic recovery plan for Harrogate district.”
After warning the 40-year-old convention centre may not survive without investment, the council awarded design firm Arcadis a £1 million contract earlier this year to produce design proposals.
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Can the events industry bounce back?
The venue was struggling financially before the pandemic hit and it was then used as an NHS Nightingale hospital for almost a year.
The 500-bed hospital did not treat a single coronavirus patient and after being dismantled in spring, several conference events have now made a return.
It was estimated before the pandemic that the convention centre attracted more than 150,000 visitors a year with an economic impact of £35 million. However, there are now questions over if the events industry can bounce back to pre-covid levels and what risks this could mean for the £47 million redevelopment.
There is also the question of how the project would be funded, with council leader Richard Cooper previously saying he hoped the government would provide cash to repay the “goodwill” of the convention centre’s use as the Nightingale hospital.
Economy and transport officer Rebecca Micallef also said in her report to Tuesday’s meeting that the development of the business case would play a “crucial part” in supporting bids for external funding.
Plans to rebuild the venue could involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.
Around £20 million would be needed to complete a first phase of redevelopment, with another phase later.
If this is not done, a report previously estimated the venue’s maintenance costs over 20 years could reach £19 million.
