Hull shipping container leisure park backed by councillors

Leisure venues made of refitted shipping containers first opened in the UK in 2011

A shipping container leisure venue planned for Hull city centre has been backed by senior councillors.

The city council has agreed to put £250,000 towards infrastructure works at the site on land by Drypool Bridge.

Repurposed shipping containers would be used to host street food stalls, bars and boutique shops under the plans.

Councillor Paul Drake-Davis said the venue could "bring a new dynamic to the city centre" and compared it to similar parks in Newcastle and Manchester.

"Aside from enriching and diversifying the city's leisure and culture offer, box parks can also provide a social mission," he told a council cabinet meeting.

"The intention for one on this site is to help provide people in Hull with another pathway for entrepreneurship."

Land by Drypool Bridge, next to High Street, has been earmarked for the development

Council funding will be put towards initial ground investigations at the site, on disused land on the west side of the bridge.

Utility connections would also be installed to connect the future park to energy and water supplies, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillors said this would also enable the site to be used by other small businesses or as part of the Maritime City project if the container park scheme did not go ahead.

If the site did become a shipping container venue, the council expected the scheme to create 30 jobs as well as "opportunities for entrepreneurs in an affordable, supportive business environment including start-up businesses and training opportunities".

A council report said the site "should promote complementary rather than competing offers to the Trinity or Fruit Market".

A councillor compared the plans to similar container parks in Manchester, Newcastle and this one in York