ONE of Bournemouth's most iconic buildings is at the centre of ambitious plans for a 24/7 creative hub as part of the town's fast growing digital economy.

Work is already under way to transform part of the office space within the Daily Echo building on Richmond Hill in a joint venture between the newspaper publisher and THAT Group, the developer/investor of the Hilton Bournemouth.

The Daily Echo's editorial and advertising operations will remain as the central part of the scheme.

THIS Group (a division of the main company) has taken a lease on the old Print Room and other space over four floors, a total of 20,000 square feet, to turn it into working space for 250 'members'.

THIS Workspace, as the project is called, will launch in two stages, the first on February 6.

Stage two will follow in March, incorporating the Print Room itself.

Joshua Winterton, partner at THIS Group said: "THIS Workspace is a 24/7 creative hub offering a variety of different working environments, very much in tune with the current trend of how workspace is changing.

"This includes private offices for companies of four to 24 people, open plan areas for businesses that want their own dedicated space right in the middle of the action and hot desks for the freelancers that want the flexibility to move from desk to desk, day to day."

He added: "We believe businesses should be allowed to expand and grow as fast as possible and we support that belief by offering one month rolling contracts for all of our members, as opposed to the traditional form of office lease.

"Within our shared space, our members all work under the same roof, collaborating and working amongst one another, constantly creating new business opportunities.

"We've designed a wide range of amenities for all our member companies to utilise, such as a variety of meeting rooms, fully equipped with phone conferencing, televisions, Sonos speakers, and a rapid wifi connection that extends throughout the entire building.

"We've already received considerable interest from an array of Bournemouth and Dorset-based businesses, from new and existing tech companies, digital media agencies, health food start ups, event companies.

"We are very excited to be opening our first THIS Workspace in Bournemouth, not only because of the culture in the town but also because as a business, Bournemouth is our spiritual home."

Vincent Boni, managing director of Newsquest Hampshire and Dorset said: "This is an incredibly exciting venture for us. All businesses are changing in these very competitive times and as a newspaper publisher, we are no different.

"The project allows us to make the most of our fantastic, iconic building while at the same time being at the very heart of this ground breaking hub which will play a central role in the business life of Bournemouth."