Contractor picked to build seven-story scheme by 2009

Contractor Willmott Dixon has been appointed to build the Digital Media Centre in Leicester in a contract worth £16.5m.

The seven-storey development, designed by Marsh Grochowski, includes three cinemas, office space and 63 flats.

Solar panels, a ground source heat pump and a rainwater harvesting tank will be fitted to boost the building’s eco-credentials.

Work on the scheme, which comes from developer Blueprint and Leicester City Council, will start this month and is expected to complete in summer 2009.

Peter Owen, Willmott Dixon managing director, said: “We have a long and proud track-record in Leicester and are delighted to be behind this superb new attraction to the city centre.”

Focus Consultants is the project manager on the scheme and Diamond Wood Partnership the structural engineer.