7. Digital Media Centre

Barnsley`s excellent track record for business innovation and new technological development will soon be enhanced with the building of the Digital Media Centre (DMC).

The DMC, which is to be built on the lower Courthouse car park, will provide a high specification business environment, comprising 113 separate business units, meeting rooms and conference facilities, dedicated to the needs of new and existing businesses in the creative and digital industries. Estimated completion of the scheme is Summer 2007.

The DMC is a flagship project for Barnsley Town Centre, aligning with the objectives set out in the ‘Remaking Barnsley’ initiative. The vision of the DMC is to be a leading component of South Yorkshire’s Incubation and Acceleration Strategy for Digital and Creative Businesses. It will contribute to the economic regeneration of Barnsley and the sub region through the promotion of, and support for, the application of digital technologies.

Yorkshire Forward and Objective 1 have approved a contribution of £9.7 million towards the funding of the DMC.

Responsibility for delivering the scheme lies with Renaissance South Yorkshire (RSY), working closely with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (BMBC), who will ultimately develop the DMC and take ownership of the building.

Lend Lease have been appointed to provide Project Management and Full Design Team Services for the development of the DMC. Bauman Lyons Architects have been appointed as part of the professional team to develop the scheme.

From left to right: Mr Gordon Mogan, Mayor's Consort, the Mayor Cllr Margaret Morgan, Phil Coppard (Chief Executive of BMBC), Mike Hesp (Bluestone) and Ian Robinson (Lend Lease Projects)

Representatives from the companies involved in the project, together with the funding organisations, joined The Worshipful the Mayor, Cllr Margaret Morgan and Cabinet spokesperson for Development, Cllr William Newman, at the official ground breaking ceremony on 1st June 2006.

Cllr Bill Newman explained: “Barnsley is fast becoming a recognised centre of excellence in the North of England. Already home to several national award winning creative and new media agencies, Barnsley is becoming the location of choice for many other creative and digital industry (CDI) businesses. The DMC is a flagship project which will help to make Barnsley an exciting and commercially viable business location.”