Hull to get new 350-seat amphitheatre

The venue, which will be called Stage @The Dock, will be sited in Hull's Fruit Market cultural quarter

Plans for the new facility were revealed to the region's cultural and artistic organisations and business community as Wykeland, the organiser of Freedom Festival and Hull 2017, was announced as a Major Partner of Hull UK City of Culture 2017.

Hull-based Wykeland said the venue, which will be called Stage @The Dock, will be sited in Hull's Fruit Market cultural quarter and will create a space purpose-built for arts performances and events.

The 350-seat amphitheatre will be managed and operated by Freedom Festival Arts Trust, the organisation behind Hull's premier arts and culture event, and will provide a new platform for artists to perform.

It will be the only new permanent venue created in the city before Hull's year as the nation's capital of culture.

A grade two listed structure which dates back to 1842, the Central Dry Dock has been disused for 20 years. Wykeland said the venue, which will have a decked performance area and terraced seating, will breathe new life into the dry dock, turning it into a significant cultural and artistic asset for Hull and adding to the vibrancy of the Fruit Market.

The venue will overlook the River Hull and the Humber Estuary, providing a new performance space against a dramatic waterfront backdrop. Stage @TheDock will be available for artists and organisations to hire and equip the venue.

Redevelopment of the Central Dry Dock is due to be completed by this Easter, when organisations can begin booking the venue for performances this summer.

Wykeland's managing director Dominic Gibbons said: "We believe passionately that physical, cultural and social regeneration go hand in hand and, together, create the conditions for truly sustainable development.

"Our expertise lies in physical regeneration to support economic and cultural development. We are not an arts organisation. That's why, having invested in creating this asset for the city, and, as a long-standing sponsor of Freedom Festival, we are delighted to have forged a partnership with the Freedom Festival Arts Trust to ensure Stage @TheDock will be managed by a highly-credible pillar of Hull's cultural community."