In Pictures: First look at new Bennerley Viaduct visitor centre

Broxtowe Council members, Eastwood MP Juliet Campbell (Lab) and Kimberley MP Alex Norris (Lab) gathered on April 24 at the historic Bennerley site to mark the opening of five new industrial units at the spot.

The new energy-efficient units form part of the authority’s effort to draw more business into an area that its leader says has lost “tens of thousands of jobs” when the area’s industrial sector slowed down.

They mark the beginning of a growth in new business units for the borough, where the council now operates 47 in total , with more planned at the back of Giltbrook’s IKEA.

Coun Milan Radulovic (Brox All), Broxtowe Council leader called the wider area the ‘engine of this country’ in terms of manufacturing.

He said: “It’s the workshop of the world in manufacturing and we feel a sense of betrayal by the Government for the impact this has had on our communities, in terms of higher unemployment, our health statistics – they are doing appallingly.”

Coun Radulovic also said he hoped the new Bennerley Viaduct visitor centre would be open to the public this summer.

He continued: “I’m hoping either in June or July, it just depends on the fitting out of the main building.

“It’s an exciting project, it’s made to look industrial on the outside and that’s because it’s not about some sort of fancy building, it’s actually paying tribute to the people that went before us, the hard work they did, the fruits of today which we enjoy on the backs of working people.”

When it officially opens, the new visitor building will feature a café and educational space for people to learn about the landmark and to host tours or school trips. The building will also be used as an exhibition space to showcase creative works from the community.

Ms Campbell said: “I came here before the units were built, to see them progress and completed is just fantastic.

"What we need are spaces for new start-ups and industrial units so people can build enterprises in Broxtowe.

“The way they are greening it all, the way they’ve built the visitor centre is going to be a real tourist area, a place people can bring their families… it’s like a day out coming here.

“Jobs and employment are key to what we want to build.

"It’s so important we create jobs, young people have the opportunity to join new start-ups, join the industry and learn for the future so they can bring their skills throughout their life.

“Congratulations to the friends of Bennerley Viaduct, Harworth and the council for all the hard work they’ve done bringing this vision into reality.”

The new units at Bennerley will not be the only opportunity for business to move to the area, as developer Harworth wants to build a huge business and logistics park on farmland and on the former Bennerley coal disposal point to the west of Awsworth, near to the viaduct.

This will extend along A6069 Shilo Way up to the A610 and would provide around 1.3m sq ft of industrial space across large and small units which Harworth say will create 1,000 full-time equivalent jobs once operational.

Alongside the sizeable business park, Harworth submitted plans in January 2026 for an accompanying country park nearby that will run underneath Bennerley Viaduct.