A transformative project for one of Whitehaven’s iconic buildings has secured multi-million pounds of backing.

The former John Whittles & Son site or The Whittles building on the corner of Duke Street and Tangier Street has secured funding from Sellafield Ltd and BT to be turned into a digital and gaming hub.

One of Cumbria’s leading social impact property developers, BEC, will be delivering the futuristic scheme to support and encourage the development of future digital and tech leaders.

The Whittles building was purchased by BEC in 2021 and since then they have held extensive public consultations, garnering overwhelming support from community members and local academia partners.

Michael Pemberton, CEO of BEC said: “We’re delighted to announce we have secured funding for this truly remarkable and game-changing development, a true one-of-a-kind for West Cumbria and for our young people, Gen Z – our future.

“The team at BEC have worked tirelessly over the last couple of years from the initial purchase, building a business case and holding public consultations.

“With this scheme, we will be addressing the digital skills gap and opening doors to exciting opportunities in the digital and creative sectors with the development, through work and learning experiences, industry connections and guidance.

“Our partnership and close relationship with Sellafield Ltd and Cumberland Council has enabled us to announce such brilliant news today.

“We’re embarking on an exciting journey ahead working closely with the community and a range of incredible partners to bring to life the Digital and Gaming hub.”

The hub will provide essential training and upskilling with a ‘futuristic’ development and regeneration at the heart of it.

Across the four floors of the building it will include a digital recording studio, cafe, esports and VR area, green screens, and a rooftop terrace that will be supported by several local partners in the former furniture store building on Duke Street in the heart of Whitehaven’s town centre.

Leader of Cumberland Council, Councillor Mark Fryer, said: “We welcome any plans that provide economic growth to our area.

“This is great news for Whitehaven and will bring a redundant building back into use, providing new training opportunities for future generations.”

The scheme has secured £2.8 million in funding from Sellafield Ltd.’s Social Impact Multiplied scheme (SiX) with a further £800k from BT matched with a £485k contribution from BEC themselves. 

Gary McKeating Head of Community and Development at Sellafield Ltd said: “We’re delighted to support this project to provide an engaging and nurturing space to inspire the next generation of digital workers, and to restore a prominent local building.

“I’m grateful to all the partners who continue to show that our impact is multiplied when we work together on the issues that matter to our communities.

“This approach demonstrates how we are driving additional social value with our supply chain partners, consistent with the social value approach of Sellafield Ltd and the NDA.

“The hub will be another great asset for West Cumberland and complements and enhances the range of other investments we’re making in the region.”

Whilst the project has futuristic design and digital facilities at the heart of it, Michael Pemberton said the identity, character and history of the town and the buildings will remain strong, he added: “We are delighted to bring the iconic furniture store in Whitehaven Town Centre back into use for the community, restoring the exterior of this Grade II listed building and transforming the interior into a fully accessible, safe, social space for everyone.

“With the recent redevelopment of the Bus Station, we’ve shown that our heritage buildings can be conserved with a creative and viable proposition by making sure they serve new communities in relevant and exciting ways, which is what we are going to do with Whittles.”

Construction will start in early summer 2024, and the current expectation for opening will be in mid to late 2025.

A competition will be launched for people to help shape the project’s identity, brand and name, more information will be shared on their website soon discoverbec.com/gaming