Bennerley Viaduct’s new visitor centre could open by the end of June.
Broxtowe Borough Council members and the borough’s two Labour MPs, Juliet Campbell and Alex Norris, gathered on Friday (April 24) at the historic Bennerley site off the A6096, Awsworth, to mark the opening of five new industrial units at the site.
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” as the area’s industrial sector slowed down.
They mark the beginning of 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.
Broxtowe’s leader, Milan Radulovic (Brox Alliance), called the wider area, including the Erewash area just over the border in Derbyshire, the “engine of this country” in terms of manufacturing.
He said: “It’s the workshop of the world in manufacturing… we feel a sense of betrayal by the government and the impact this has had on our communities, in terms of higher unemployment; our health statistics – they are appalling.”
Ringing in the new boost for business in the new Bennerley Viaduct visitor centre, the leader also said he hopes the new centre would be open to the public this summer.
He said: “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.
Speaking on the wider regeneration project of the site, Broxtowe MP Juliet Campbell said: “I came here before the units were built; to see them progress and be 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 make it 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, and young people have the opportunity to join new start-ups, join the industry and learn for the future so they can use 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.”
Works began on the centre in 2025 and it was originally set to open in the autumn with the new ramp, despite delays to fix a ‘crack’ in the ramp path.
It was then hoped it would open during this year’s Easter holidays.
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 the viaduct.
This will extend along A6096 Shilo Way up to the A610 and would provide around 1.3 million sq ft of industrial space across large and small units, which Harworth says 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.
