Eden Court has appointed Elgin-based construction company Robertson Construction Northern as the main contractor for their prestigious capital development project.

The contractors will move on site this month with a completion date of Summer 2007, ensuring Eden Court plays a key part in the Highland 2007 year of culture celebrations.

The exciting proposals for the new Eden Court will create an arts venue that is amongst the best in the country. A 270 seat second theatre will be built alongside the existing auditorium at Eden Court. There will be two new state-of-the-art cinemas, two education studios, new dressing rooms and upgraded bars and restaurant areas.

This outstanding new venue will give the people of the Highlands access to some of the finest facilities in the country. The new Eden Court will be a high quality development that will support the continued development of creativity in the area and will be available for many future generations.

Currently the biggest arts project in Scotland, the new Eden Court has been designed by award-winning Glasgow-based architects Page & Park.

The Robertson Group has been awarded the contract following a competitive tendering process which resulted in a final contract value of £15.8million. This brings the total project value to £19.3 million.

Although higher than had been anticipated, the contract sum was arrived at after a two month period of contractor negotiations, and extensive talks with all parties to resolve the situation. There have been three concurrent approaches to bridge the shortfall:

- Careful study and analysis of aspects of the tender by the contractors, in partnership with Eden Court, has reduced the costs.

- Changes to final specifications and finishes of the building has reduced the cost of building materials

- Finally, additional financial support was secured from four of the funders of the project; Highland and Islands Enterprise, the European Regional Development fund, The Highland Council and the Inverness Common Good Fund.

Speaking about the appointment of Robertson Construction Northern and the commencement of construction work theatre director Colin Marr said,

“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Robertson Construction Northern. This a fantastic point in the project as it means all our planning and development work is complete and construction work can now begin on a building that will bring a great deal of happiness to many, many people.

At a time when Inverness has been criticised for its architecture and planning this fabulous new building will go a long way towards refuting these criticisms. We feel it is our duty to create an outstanding venue for our audience and the whole of the Highlands and to show that Inverness can be bold enough to aspire to great 21st Century buildings”.

Responding, Bill Robertson, Executive Chairman of Robertson Group said,

“We are very pleased to have been appointed as the main contractor to work on the new Eden Court. The newly refurbished and extended theatre will allow the people of the Highlands and further afield to enjoy the arts and culture in contemporary surroundings for many years to come.”

Welcoming the announcement, Douglas Yule, Chairman of Eden Court said,
“This is a significant milestone in the life of this project, and the Board of Eden Court are pleased with the progress to date. We have a committed highly professional team, and now we have a north based contractor with a fantastic reputation for partnership working. It represents a huge endeavour by all those involved, to get to this stage, and we remain determined to deliver the high quality facility that Inverness and the Highlands deserves.”

As well a providing an enriched and enhanced quality of life and being the prime entertainment, cultural and artistic hub for the Highlands, independent economic analysts have also identified that Eden Court will attract and retain £5.9 million annually for the Highlands economy. When the venue reopens it will support 335 jobs both directly and indirectly.