Two companies in contest to redevelop city leisure venue

The redevelopment of the Barbican site near the city centre has proved to be one of the most protracted sagas that York Council has endured in recent years, but two bidders are now vying to take on the scheme.

A timetable has been drawn up by the council to breathe new life into the venue, with the former auditorium due to undergo a major refurbishment to provide conference and entertainment facilities for the city.

A procurement process led to detailed proposals for potential uses of the Barbican site being submitted to the council last month.

The short-list has now been whittled down to two and the Council will choose the winner in September.

York Council's executive member for leisure, culture and social inclusion, Councillor Nigel Ayre, confirmed that discussions have been held with short-listed developers, and the authority had received "two strong business cases".

He added: "It shows that there is real interest in running the Barbican.

"The business cases from both short-listed developers will be examined and discussed before formal tenders are submitted at the beginning of August.

"The tenders will then be evaluated and a recommendation for the preferred bidder is due to come to the executive in September, when we should be in a position to make a decision and move forward with re-opening the Barbican.

"I am confident that the hard work carried out by officers in ensuring this process is as comprehensive as possible will result in us being able to select a top quality developer to reopen the Barbican."

Each short-listed bid will be assessed against detailed criteria, such as the finances, quality and range of the proposed conference and entertainment facilities.

Members of the council's executive will meet next Tuesday to consider a report that details the solutions proposed by the developers.

Councillors will also approve the timetable to select the preferred bidder in September.