SEC reveals plans for £150mn expansion

Article posted by Coliseum, July 18^th, 2018

Image: SEC

One of the UK’s largest events hubs has revealed plans for a £150 million expansion.

The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow – that already holds the SEC Centre, the SEC Armadillo and the SSE Hydro – has applied for planning permission in principle to add a new conference facility and extend existing exhibition space, according to several media reports.

SEC is in funding talks with the city council and Scottish and UK governments over the venue construction proposal, Scottish newspaper Daily Report said. It cited the SEC “bosses” as saying that “standing still is not an option” in the competitive conference market.

“The new conference facility would allow us to stage two events simultaneously or large conferences on a scale that we currently can’t offer,” BBC quoted SEC chief executive Peter Duthie as saying.

“We believe our expansion project will provide a significant economic impact, not just to Glasgow and Scotland but to the UK,” he added.

A feasibility study looking at the proposals has been carried out. According to reports SEC is looking to build an additional 5,000 square metres of exhibition space, extending its exhibition halls, and effectively building a new conference centre but which would remain connected into the existing facilities.

Meanwhile, construction work is expected to start this summer on two new hotels at the campus after SEC sold sites to property developers. The hotels are expected to be completed by next year, adding 400 rooms between them to the campus area.

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