Royal appointment for Knowsley Place
Date: 12/03/2010
Source: Bury Council
Knowsley Place, the new home of Bury Council and NHS Bury’s £10m centre, enjoyed a Royal opening today. In a ceremony attended by Bury’s civic leaders, His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent officially opened the £80m AskBury development.
The lunchtime event started with a reception at the Town Hall attended by local dignitaries including Bury’s Mayor Cllr Sheila Magnall, Mayoress Mrs Elizabeth Pepper, and Council Leader Bob Bibby. His Royal Highness was then introduced to key individuals involved in the project from AskBury, NHS Bury, and the Council’s Executive Management Board.
After lunch, the Duke of Kent enjoyed a tour of both the 40,000sq ft Bury Council building, designed by architects Carey Jones, and the 50,000 sq ft Townside Primary Care Centre for NHS Bury, designed by Hurd Rolland, before unveiling a plaque to mark the opening ceremony.
Councillor Bob Bibby, Leader of Bury Council said: “The ceremony was an important milestone in what is an historic year for Bury, and on behalf of everyone involved I would like to thank the Duke of Kent for officially opening Knowsley Place.”
Kathy Reade, Interim Chair for NHS Bury said;
“Townside Primary Care Centre is a fantastic £10 million investment in the health of people in Bury. It brings together a range of services in the heart of the community.”
David Burkinshaw, Director at Ask Developments said: "We were honoured to receive a visit from the Duke of Kent at the opening ceremony of Knowsley Place. This is an important development for both Bury and ourselves and it's fantastic to have royal support for the scheme which will make a real contribution to the town and provide key services and facilities to local people.”
A joint venture between Ask Developments and Bury Council, Knowsley Place is one of three major developments currently taking place in Bury town centre along with The Rock and Chamberhall. On completion, Knowsley Place, which is located opposite the Town Hall, will enhance the already growing range of facilities in the heart of Bury town centre and will offer the public a wide range of services.