Contractor to lead on 2.2ha mixed-use scheme

Vinci has been chosen as the main contractor for a £130m mixed-use development in Hull’s town centre.

The Albion Square development will include a new ice arena, 278 residential units and 10 retail units covering 16,750m2. It will also have 832m2 of office space, a 612-space multi-storey car park and a new public square.

The contractor has initially been signed on to a £2.6m pre-construction services agreement but is expected to pick up between £50m-£100m, depending on how many phases the council opts to develop the site in.

The council said the tender it received from Vinci had scored the highest both in terms of quality and price.

The demolition contractors for the development will be Hull-based Jennings, supported by the Ashcourt Group who will be undertaking the removal and recycling of demolition waste.

The full scheme is expected to finish by March 2023.

Hull City Council has owned the 2.2ha Albion Square since last year, after it splashed £2.8m on the Edwin Davis and Co-op buildings which previously occupied the plot.

Vinci will also attempt to transplant a glass mosaic – believed by the council to be Britain’s largest – which currently adorns the Co-op building onto the front of the new development.

The mural depicts three fishing trawlers and has been on site since 1963 when it was commissioned by the Co-operative Society.

The proposed redevelopment of the Co-op building sparked a backlash from locals concerned about the fate of the mural, with the Hull Heritage Action Group launching a petition to give it grade II-listed status.

The council has incorporated the piece into the Albion Square design, but it remains uncertain whether the original mosaic can be transferred.