NCC1109 The Maltings Construction Contractor

The Maltings is England's most northerly theatre, standing on a hillside in the centre of Berwick-upon-Tweed with views across the 17th century old Berwick Bridge and the Tweed Estuary. It was built in the ruins of an early 19th-century Maltings, which had been destroyed by fire in 1984, and was opened in April 1990. Every year the Maltings presents a diverse mix of more than 600 live events, workshops and digital cinema screenings, selling almost 60,000 tickets and serving as a key cultural hub for North Northumberland and the eastern Scottish Borders. It is a vital asset for Berwick-upon-Tweed, attracting visitors and spending to the town and giving people repeated reasons to visit. Despite the theatre’s strong reputation and significant impact on the town and its local economy, its potential to grow audiences and draw more visitors to Berwick-upon-Tweed is constrained by the current facilities. Investment in the transformation of The Maltings Theatre will dramatically improve and expand its facilities and offer, enabling the venue to attract additional visitors and spending to the town, and delivering a significant boost to the local economy. Berwick Theatre (The New Maltings venue) will be an iconic, multi-purpose cultural and entertainment complex, transforming the appeal of Berwick-upon-Tweed as an attractive, high quality visitor destination. The design and construction project will deliver a multi-purpose cultural and entertainment complex by remodelling and refurbishing the existing building to create more accessible spaces including two separate cinema screens and extending the current Maltings building to create a new 400 seat theatre. A Multi-disciplinary design team have been appointed with MICA Architects as the lead designers. The refurbishment, remodelling and extension of the existing Maltings Theatre building will provide: • Main theatre auditorium - 400 seat capacity main auditorium of permanent configuration – new build within the carpark footprint. • Studio theatre - 120 seat capacity with removable seating, within the existing footprint. • A 150-200 seat capacity main cinema space, within the existing footprint. • A 80-seat capacity boutique cinema space within the existing footprint that caters for a growing market and removes scheduling conflicts with the live performance programme. This will enable The Maltings to run live events and cinema screenings simultaneously, increasing its capacity to welcome greater visitor numbers. • A high-quality destination restaurant and bar, in its existing location. • A flexible-use event, learning and rehearsal space. • A high quality, modern, comfortable, environmentally friendly and highly accessible environment throughout, benefitting visitors and performers alike.