More development starts at Mercia

ALREADY regarded as the most well appointed marina in the area with its many facilities, Mercia has just started construction on a  new £1.7m waterside retail, restaurant and office development.

Derby-based Davlyn Construction has been appointed as main contractor for The Boardwalk development, which is scheduled to open to the public in September 2014.

Over two floors

The Boardwalk will comprise a central restaurant, built over two floors and recessed to include an outdoor seating area on the water front. The restaurant will be flanked by three retail units on each side and the remaining upper floor space will include up to four small office units.

Mercia Marina has already attracted two flagship retailers; The Butcher, The Baker, The Ice Cream Maker to operate a farm shop, and the clothing retailer Bluewater. Negotiations for the restaurant operator are in their final stages.

Fifth anniversary year

Davlyn broke ground at the 74 acre site last week, marking yet another important milestone for Mercia Marina in its fifth anniversary year.

Robert Neff, General Manager at Mercia Marina, explained:

"This project has been several years in the making, so it's hugely exciting to see it finally becoming a reality. We look forward to welcoming new visitors to the marina next year, boosting local tourism and helping to create much-needed jobs for South Derbyshire."

The appointment of Davlyn Construction, which was also responsible for building the marina's large chandlery five years ago, signifies a commitment by the marina to use high quality local suppliers where possible. The Boardwalk was designed by Bi Design, of Repton, and Burton-based SA Consulting was appointed as structural engineers.

Larger development

The Boardwalk represents the first phase of a larger development, which will include more shops and eating and drinking establishments, with Robert (seen in the photograph on the left with Dave Gaskin, director at Davlyn Construction, and Michael Thornton, part-owner of Mercia Marina, overlooking a mock-up of the phased development scheme, which begins with The Boardwalk) adding:

"We had originally planned to build the entire development in one go, but we've had to adapt our plans over the years due to the recession and the way in which it has particularly hit the retail industry.

"Mercia Marina, the largest inland marina in Europe, has actually thrived as a business despite the recession, but we've obviously not been able to control the way it has affected other industry areas, so a phased development seemed to be the most sensible approach."