Hull Fruit Market
Hull Fruit Market showcases the benefits of revitalising empty properties, catalysing the transformation of local areas and attracting private sector investment in mixed-use development.
In 2009, Creative Space Management was tasked with a Meanwhile Use Strategy for The Fruit Market after a major development plan collapsed due to a recession.
Eleven properties were repurposed for creative and cultural uses, including a performing arts bar, gallery, visual arts studios, sculpture workshop, and more. This success contributed to Hull’s triumph as the UK City of Culture in 2017, spurring further improvements and turning the interim project into a permanent creative and leisure destination.
The project also spurred significant private sector developments accelerated by local developer Wykeland, including the establishment of a creative industries workspace, C4DI, and the relocation of major employers, generating 1,000 new jobs and attracting over £80m of investment by 2020. Arco’s new head office, employing 600 people, marked a major milestone in the city’s progress in 2021.
