A shining success for Durham
In November, Milburngate sponsored the magnificent Lumiere festival, which was an incredible success. Want to relive the magic? Sit back, relax and enjoy!
In November, Milburngate sponsored the magnificent Lumiere festival, which was an incredible success. Want to relive the magic? Sit back, relax and enjoy!
Arlington Real Estate & The Richardson family acquires Carillion share of Milburngate Joint Venture
Arlington Real Estate and The Richardson family have acquired Carillion’s Joint Venture share in the Milburngate development as the project approaches its first stage of construction.
Arlington Real Estate and The Richardson family have acquired Carillion’s Joint Venture share in the Milburngate development as the project approaches its first stage of construction.
The purchase ensures that the development consortium of Arlington Real Estate and The Richardson family, will continue to deliver the premium £150m development on Durham City’s Riverside.
The deal, which is part of Carillion divesting from its commercial property development portfolio, ensures continuity is maintained within the Joint Venture partnership and its core development team.
With demolition of the former Passport Office building scheduled for completion in the New Year, the site will soon be prepared for the construction phase of the landmark living, working and leisure destination.
Having already secured boutique cinema operator Everyman and Marston’s Pitcher & Piano for Milburngate, the Joint Venture partners will be making further announcements on additional high-quality occupiers for the site in the coming weeks.
Allan Cook, Managing Director of Arlington Real Estate, said: “Arlington and the Richardsons have been the driving force behind the regeneration of Durham’s Riverside, which will continue with the ongoing development of Milburngate.
“This remains a once in a lifetime opportunity to breathe new life into this important part of Durham City and, as a proud North East business, we are committed to delivering a landmark development that will not only benefit Durham, but the wider North East region.”
Mark Morgan, Head of Real Estate for the Richardsons, said: “Milburngate is an exceptional development for the North East of England and we are delighted to strengthen our role in the Joint Venture alongside Arlington. Milburngate presents a fantastic opportunity for premium occupiers and businesses that will add value and benefit from being part of Durham City’s vibrant and growing community.”
Competition winner announced
Congratulations to Rebecca Watkin, £500.00 worth of Ramside Spa vouchers are on their way. Enjoy!
Congratulations to Rebecca Watkin, £500.00 worth of Ramside Spa vouchers are on their way. Enjoy!
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Water power-themed public art installation unveiled on eve of Lumiere festival
The developers delivering the regeneration of Durham’s Riverside have installed a unique public art installation at Freemans Reach. Unveiled on the eve of the Lumiere Durham Light Festival, the installation celebrates the history of water power in the city.
The developers delivering the regeneration of Durham’s Riverside have installed a unique public art installation at Freemans Reach. Unveiled on the eve of the Lumiere Durham Light Festival, the installation celebrates the history of water power in the city.
Photo caption: The lenticular agamograph artwork at Freemans Reach
It has also been the catalyst for the next stage of the riverside’s regeneration, the transformation of the site on the opposite bank of the River Wear, which will become the new, £150m living, working and leisure destination, Milburngate.
Milburngate will feature an Everyman Cinema and a range of premium restaurants and bars including a Pitcher and Piano. The development will also include high-specification apartments and high-quality, energy-efficient office space.
It is also a key sponsor of Lumiere 2017 and will host one of the festival’s major installations, Fire Tornado, on the site next to the river.
Allan Cook, Managing Director of Arlington Real Estate, said: “Freemans Reach is synonymous with hydro-power and this art installation is a perfect way to help share this part of Durham’s past, present and future with local people and the thousands of visitors who come to the city every year.”
Jeffrey Sarmiento said: “I was very proud to be asked to be part of this unique art project. Durham City’s long history, together with the new Archimedean screw, at Freemans Reach has provided me with plenty of inspiration.”
The illuminated glass sculpture entitled Confluence uses local imagery to chart Durham’s history and the use of water power on the riverside from the 11th century up to the present day and the Archimedean screw at Freemans Reach.
Designed and created by American artist Jeffrey Sarmiento, who is Reader in Glass at the University of Sunderland, and supported by local resident and history enthusiast Rosemary Zakrewski, Confluence consists of two features mounted to the south and east facades of the Freemans Reach kiosk opposite the entrance to the new HM Passport Office.
Four long glass panels display Jeffrey’s ‘Durham Mill Encyclopaedia’ of landmark moments in the site’s history. On the other site a lenticular agamograph made of glass prisms reveals an image of the Archimedean screw when viewed from one angle and an image of Archimedes and Durham Bishop Hugh De Puiset when viewed from the other angle.
Commissioned by the development consortium of Carillion, Arlington Real Estate and Richardson Capital LLP, the permanent public art sculpture forms part of the high quality public realm area at Freemans Reach, which includes a new Riverside Walk.
A significant regeneration project at the heart of Durham, Freemans Reach has helped retain valuable jobs in the city centre by providing high quality, sustainable offices for National Savings and Investments (NS&I) and Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO).
Sponsoring Lumiere; a short film from Milburngate
November will see Durham’s riverside illuminated by a dramatic tower of fire Milburngate as part of this year’s Lumiere Festival, which takes place in the city next month.
Sponsoring Lumiere; a short film from Milburngate
Milburngate is proud to be sponsoring Lumiere Durham 2017, when our historic city will be transformed into a giant gallery of dramatic light installations. Why not sit back, relax and enjoy our short film to find out more about our involvement.
Fire Tornado art installation to light up Durham’s Riverside during Lumiere 2017
November will see Durham’s riverside illuminated by a dramatic tower of fire Milburngate as part of this year’s Lumiere Festival, which takes place in the city next month.
Fire Tornado art installation to light up
Durham’s Riverside during Lumiere 2017
The installation is sponsored by Milburngate as part of the developers’ third successive sponsorship of the Lumiere Festival.
Allan Cook, Managing Director of Arlington Real Estate and Chair of the Lumiere development board, said: “Fire Tornado will be one of the most dramatic art installations at Lumiere and our Milburngate team is delighted to be hosting what will surely be one of the festivals highlights.
“It will certainly help stave off the cold for those who come to view it and be a beacon of light that can be spotted from across the city.”
Transforming Durham into a giant gallery featuring a multitude of creative light installations, the biannual festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city and has become a must see event in Durham.
November will see Durham’s riverside illuminated by a dramatic tower of fire Milburngate as part of this year’s Lumiere Festival, which takes place in the city next month.
One of Lumiere’s centrepiece installations, known as Fire Tornado is a dramatic structure incorporating 36 wind generators that create a vortex around a large fire source, which will be located at Milburngate for the duration of the four-day festival of light. The installation’s flame retardant windshields make it possible to produce stable tornado flames up to 16m high.
The commissioned artist, Ivo Schoofs, was inspired to create the installation after witnessing a tornado of flames during a forest fire, which elevated the blaze into the sky. By replicating his inspiration in controlled conditions, Ivo will deliver a unique sensory experience that not only captures the essence of his vision, but also interprets the traditional British November bonfire.
Milburngate to light up Durham City for third time as part of Lumiere
Milburngate has been announced as a major sponsor of the Lumiere Light Festival 2017 for the third successive time.
Milburngate has been announced as a major sponsor of the Lumiere Light Festival 2017 for the third successive time.
Image: Cloud, Caitlind RC Brown-Wayne Garrett, Lumiere Durham 2015, produced by Artichoke. Photo by Matthew Andrews.
Produced by arts charity Artichoke the UK’s leading creative producer of art in the public realm and commissioned by Durham County Council, with additional support from Arts Council England, Durham University and a host of further funders and supporters, the four-day festival will feature around 30 bespoke installations from internationally-acclaimed artists.
Sarah Coop, Development Director at Artichoke said: “Milburngate has been a key sponsor of Lumiere ever since we first came to Durham. Its developers’ continued support for the festival means we can house another significant installation at their riverside site, which can be viewed from a number of different points in the city. Now we can’t wait to release more details of their sponsorship in October, when the complete festival line up will be announced.”
In 2015, the festival attracted an estimated 200,000 visitors to Durham, making a regional economic impact calculated at £9.6million.
Lumiere is a biennial event which, between 16-19 November, will transform the historic city into a giant gallery featuring dramatic light installations attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The Milburngate site, which is currently being developed into a brand new, £150m living, working and leisure destination will, once again, host one of Lumiere’s largest light installations, details of which will be unveiled later in the year.
The developers behind Milburngate, a consortium consisting of Carillion, Arlington Real Estate and Richardsons Capital LLP, are long-term supporters of Lumiere. In 2013 they helped transform Milburngate House on Framwelgate into a visual jukebox and two years later the site hosted Cloud, an installation made up of hundreds of individual lightblubs.
Allan Cook, Managing Director of Arlington Real Estate, who is also chair of the Lumiere development board, said: “We are delighted to continue to support this major cultural landmark, which has garnered world-wide attention and acclaim.”
“As well as being a visual feast, Lumiere now plays a key role in attracting many new UK and overseas visitors to Durham City and to the wider North East region with the resulting economic dividend that comes from that.”
Anticipation for Lumiere festival grows in Durham
A sneak preview of the 2017 Lumiere festival of light was revealed by celebrated artist Pablo Valbuena at a special event held at Durham Cathedral.
A sneak preview of the 2017 Lumiere festival of light was revealed by celebrated artist Pablo Valbuena at a special event held at Durham Cathedral.
The developers behind Milburngate are long-term supporters of Lumiere. In 2013 they helped transform Milburngate House into a visual jukebox and two years later they hosted Cloud, an interactive sculpture built from 6,000 incandescent light bulbs. In addition, Allan Cook, Managing Director of Arlington Real Estate, a key partner in the Milburngate development consortium, is also chair of the Lumiere development board.
Taking place between the 16th and 19th November 2017, Lumiere will be back in Durham for the fifth time, when artists from around the world will illuminate the city in delightful and unexpected ways, with a series of light installations to explore.
You can find out more about Lumiere at www.lumiere-festival.com.
The Spanish artist will transform the inside of the cathedral with a special and unique light installation, which he discussed with guests at a reception to mark the launch of Durham Cathedral’s Fabric Endowment Campaign.
Held in the cathedral’s Chapter Room, the event on 11 July welcomed Lumiere sponsors and dignitaries to celebrate the return of the festival and find out about the campaign to maintain Durham Cathedral.
One of Durham City’s landmark events, Lumiere transforms the city into a giant gallery featuring dramatic light installations attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors. Produced by the creative company Artichoke, the four-day festival will feature around 30 bespoke installations from internationally recognised artists.
Lord-Lieutenant inspects progress of Durham Riverside Regeneration
The developers of Milburngate welcomed Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham to Durham City’s Riverside to see the progress of their landmark regeneration project.
The developers of Milburngate welcomed Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham to Durham City’s Riverside to see the progress of their landmark regeneration project.
Photo caption: Back row left to right: Kingsley Smith (Clerk to the Lord-Lieutenant), Tony Forester (Durham County Council), Ben Sykes (FaulknerBrowns, Durham Riverside architects), and Kevin Edworthy (Durham County Council). Front Row: Ian Crampton (HM Passport Office), Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, Mrs Sue Snowdon and Neil McMillan (Durham Riverside developers)
Milburngate will feature an Everyman Cinema and a range of premium restaurants and bars. The development will also include high-specification apartments and high-quality, energy-efficient office space.
Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, Mrs Sue Snowdon, said: “I am extremely impressed with what I have seen and this development is a major component in the economic development of the county and region.”
Christopher Ives, Development Director at Carillion, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the Lord-Lieutenant to the Riverside to see how we are transforming this important part of the city. Durham is a wonderful place, which has already benefited from the regeneration of Freemans Reach and will be further enhanced by the creation of Milburngate.”
Mrs Sue Snowdon, who is Her Majesty The Queen’s representative in the county, was given a tour of Durham Riverside, which included the completed regeneration of Freemans Reach and an update on the progress of the demolition of Milburngate House on the opposite bank of the River Wear.
Freemans Reach has become the new home of Her Majesty’s Passport Office and National Savings and Investments after both organisations vacated Milburngate House, helping to retain more than 1,000 jobs in the city.
It was developed by a consortium of Carillion, Arlington Real Estate and Richardson’s Capital and includes new public areas, a riverside walk, which has opened up this part River Wear to visitors for the first time, and a hydro-turbine that uses the power of the river to generate electricity for the National Grid.
The move became a catalyst for the consortium’s regeneration of the Milburngate House site, which is being transformed into a new, £150m living, working and leisure destination, Milburngate.
Milburngate developers rescue and restore royal emblem for HM Passport Office
A Royal emblem, which adorned the outside of Milburngate House for nearly 50 years, has been recovered and presented to Her Majesty’s Passport Office.
A Royal emblem, which adorned the outside of Milburngate House for nearly 50 years, has been recovered and presented to Her Majesty’s Passport Office.
Milburngate will feature an Everyman Cinema and a range of premium restaurants and bars including a Pitcher and Piano. The development will also include high-specification apartments and high-quality, energy-efficient office space.
Steve Hunter, Project Director at Carillion Building, said: “The royal emblem reflects HM Passport Office’s long association with Durham City and we’re delighted to have successfully recovered it so it can be displayed and enjoyed by future generations of HM Passport employees and visitors.”
Neil Maughan from HM Passport Office, said: “We’re very grateful to Carillion and the Milburngate developers for saving and restoring the emblem. It is an important part of our heritage, which will take pride of place in our new home at Freemans Reach.”
The metre-high aluminium emblem, which was added to the Milburngate House to mark its completion in 1968, was rescued by lead contractor, Carillion, during the building’s demolition, ahead of the creation of a new mixed-use development on the site in Durham City.
Having restored the emblem, whilst retaining the patina attained over the past 50 years, and mounting it on a glass frame, the developers of Milburngate presented it to the building’s former tenant, HM Passport Office, to be displayed at the organisation’s new offices at Freemans Reach.
The development of the site, which will create a new £150m living, working and leisure destination, Milburngate, is part of a significant regeneration of Durham’s riverside.
The consortium has already successfully delivered the regeneration of Freemans Reach on the opposite bank of the River Wear, which created new, sustainable offices for HM Passport Office and National Savings and Investments (NS&I) helping to retain more than 1,000 jobs in the city. It was also the catalyst for the regeneration of the Milburngate House site.
Webcam
If you'd like to keep up to date with progress at Milburngate from the convenience of your desk or mobile device, why not use our webcam to view the demolition and construction works as they progress?
If you'd like to keep up to date with progress at Milburngate from the convenience of your desk or mobile device, why not use our webcam to view the demolition and construction works as they progress?
This one day delayed feed is a great way to get a bird’s eye view of how we're turning Milburngate into Durham City's brand new place to live, work and relax.
Time Lapse
We're making great progress on-site at Milburngate in Durham's glorious city centre and our latest time lapse film is now live and ready to view here.
We're making great progress on-site at Milburngate in Durham's glorious city centre and our latest time lapse film is now live and ready to view here.
How Arlington and Carillion's city schemes are ‘raising the game
REGENERATION bosses behind city development plans say they can be a blueprint for raising the game in the region.
The Northern Echo:
Steven Hugill, Business Editor
REGENERATION bosses behind city development plans say they can be a blueprint for raising the game in the region.
“We see this as a real draw; Durham is situated nicely between the Tyneside, Teesside and Gateshead conurbations.
“We have got to raise the game; if we are competing on a national scale and pulling our weight in the UK, we have got to raise the game.
“There is not enough happening in the North-East and we feel we have a big role to play in that.
“Gateshead is an opportunity to offer high-end apartments, which will meet a growing demand.
“We are playing a long game.
“What we are doing requires some firm collaboration with local authorities and we are finding they are buying into it.
“They are around the table with us, with their sleeves rolled up.”
Mr McMillan was backed by Christopher Ives, development director at Carillion, who said the partnership’s work on DurhamGate was proof of what it can achieve.
He also confirmed he hopes it will have made good progress on the retail side of that project by the end of the year.
He added: “We are well on with the housing there and things are going well.
“We consider DurhamGate as a village in its own right and we have got to deliver more jobs.
“The amount of interest in it has been fantastic.”
The Arlington Real Estate and Carillion partnership is overseeing the Milburngate project, in Durham City.
It is also preparing plans to revitalise the former Brett Oils site in Gateshead into high-end living space.
Bosses told The Northern Echo the Durham riverside scheme, which features apartments, restaurants and bars, an Everyman Cinema and offices, will be a catalyst for new jobs and a stronger regional economy.
They also hope to submit a planning application for Brett Oils’ former base later this year, adding work on another development – DurhamGate, near Spennymoor, County Durham – is progressing well, with housebuilding set to be matched by a drive to strengthen its retail offering.
Neil McMillan, managing director of Arlington Real Estate, told the Echo the focus was purely about making the North-East a better place to live and work.
The consortium is re-developing the Milburngate House site, which was the former home of the Passport Office and National Savings and Investments, and has already re-invigorated nearby Freemans Reach to create new space for those two organisations, in a move officials say has retained more than 1,000 jobs in the city.
Referring to Milburngate, which the developers say will lead to the creation of more than 1,000 full-time jobs and support 650 construction jobs, Mr McMillan said: “We could have quite easily just done the norm but we have set out to do a lot better; it is about pushing the North-East forward.
“It’s fantastic to be bringing Everyman to the North-East.
“That really sets the tone for us in terms of the quality of the restaurants and bars we want to surround it with.
Milburngate Developers create new memorial daffodil display in Wharton Park
The developers of Milburngate have teamed up with Durham County Council and Her Majesty’s Passport Office to create a new memorial daffodil display in Durham.
Photo caption: Left to right – Helen Attley (Milburngate), Cllr Neil Foster (centre) and Ann White (HM Passport Office)
The developers of Milburngate have teamed up with Durham County Council and Her Majesty’s Passport Office to create a new memorial daffodil display in Durham.
Helen Attley from the Milburngate development, said: “We are proud to be able to create this new memorial display with Durham County Council. It will be a fitting memorial to the loved ones of HM Passport Office staff and a beautiful addition to Wharton Park for local residents and visitors.”
Ann White from HM Passport Office, said: “This is a lovely gesture by the developers of Milburngate and we would also like to thank Durham County Council for their support with the creation of this new memorial. The daffodils outside our old offices were important to our staff so it’s really nice they have somewhere to go and enjoy the flowers and remember their loved ones.”
Cabinet Member for regeneration and local services, Councillor Neil Foster, said: “We were delighted to offer the Marie Curie Field of Hope memorial a new home at Wharton Park. These flowers have special significance for those who planted them and we hope that they continue to provide comfort for those staff members, while brightening the days of the many visitors and local people who come to enjoy the recently regenerated park with its new landscaping and facilities.”
The 500 daffodils will appear in Wharton Park replacing flowers that were originally planted in 2003 in the grounds of Milburngate House by HM Passport Office employees to remember lost loved ones.
Following the organisation’s move to Freemans Reach, on the opposite side of the River Wear, in 2016, and with its old offices currently being demolished to be replaced with the Milburngate development, a new location was required for the ‘Marie Curie Field of Hope’ memorial.
The Milburngate team has donated the bulbs and has worked with rangers from Durham County Council to plant them in the park, at the North Road entrance next to the ‘Albert the Good’ statue, ready for the daffodils to bloom in the spring.
Milburngate is a landmark development that will feature a mix of luxury apartments, high quality offices, a boutique Everyman cinema and premium restaurants and bars. Leading to the creation of more than 1,000 new jobs, Milburngate is being developed by Carillion, Arlington Real Estate and Richardsons Capital LLP.