An arts production company has won the bid to manage a key city site.

The Basement will operate events in Jubilee Square in Brighton from April 1. The square, which opened in 2005, is the result of a £50 million Private Finance Initiative regeneration scheme funded by Aviva and managed by Mill Asset Management. Past events in the square include the Black History Month Celebration, an Astro Turf Village Green and the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival. The Basement, based in Kensington Street, was appointed via a consultative panel which includes the council and surrounding businesses.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “There was a tender issued and the Basement was chosen on the basis of a set of broad ideas about a programme of community and commercial events.”

Abby Butcher, arts administrator at the Basement said it is keen to make the square a thriving hub of activity in the heart of the city, with exciting activities taking place for everyone.

She said: “We managed the square from 2007 to 2010 and have been acting as administrators since then.

“There will be community events and music, performances and fantastic installations.

“The focus will be on innovative and exciting events where people get actively involved rather than just sit- ting or standing and watching. “It will be a kind of village green for the city. We're already talking to some exciting artists, not just from Brighton, but across the UK and Europe.

“We hope they will bring an intriguing taste of the unexpected to people's daily lives.”

Paula Murray, head of culture and economy at Brighton and Hove City Council said: “It’s a key site in the city. We needed to strike a balance with events in the square. “We don’t want lots of advertising hoardings but we realise that we need a number of events that pay in order to be able to support community projects.”