An official topping out ceremony has taken place at Mercia Marina’s new £3m retail, restaurant and office development.
The Piazza is being built alongside the South Derbyshire marina’s award-winning Boardwalk and will provide 26,000 square feet of office and trading space.
Designed by Repton-based Bi Design and built by Davlyn Construction, of Derby, the four-storey complex is due to be completed by the end of the year and is set to open to the public in early 2018.
The recent topping out ceremony saw construction reach its highest point and was attended by representatives from the marina and Davlyn.
So far it has been confirmed that pharmaceutical firm Bionical, which is already based at the marina, will take up space on the four floors.
A tapas-style Indian café/restaurant, hairdressers, independent art gallery, homewares and other shops are confirmed tenants in the new Piazza building.
The marina, in Findern Lane, near Willington, is already a major regional tourist attraction with more than 800,000 visitors a year. The Piazza development will complement the existing fashion boutiques, gift shops and bar/restaurant within the Boardwalk area.
Robert Neff, General Manager of Mercia Marina, said: “We are delighted at the quality and range of businesses taking space and believe the Piazza will be an important employment, shopping and eating resource for the wider area.”
David Gaskin, Director at Davlyn Construction, said: “We are proud to be part of this latest development at Mercia Marina. The construction and site restrictions are extremely challenging but we are confident that the end result will be very impressive.
“The staff and workforce at Davlyn are all putting in a huge amount of effort and commitment to ensure that the quality of the finished building will be to the highest standards as is the award winning adjacent Boardwalk development.
“We hope that the end result will be a huge success for Mercia Marina, a great asset for the local community and a credit to all those involved with the project.”
The award-winning Mercia Marina situated off the Trent and Mersey Canal is Europe’s biggest inland canal boat marina. The 74-acre site is home to a 500-strong boating community, a range of holiday lodges, shops, restaurants and businesses. It is also a David Bellamy Conservation Park.
