Transformation - vision to reality ...
Concept Image: Waterfront Wakefield
© CTP St James/FaulknerBrowns Architect (January 2007)
Leading northern developers CTP St James are turning a vision into reality as work on the eagerly-awaited regeneration of Wakefield’s historic waterfront gets underway.
The city's historic waterfront will be transformed into a mixed-use development of international significance for the 21st century.
The £100 million project features an imaginative mix of high quality offices, residential buildings, restaurants, cafes, bars and speciality shops.
The Hepworth Wakefield
The Hepworth Wakefield, Yorkshire's new and exciting £26 million waterfront art gallery and creative centre, will be located in a prime position next to the River Calder.
The gallery named after the international sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth is being designed by leading architect David Chipperfield following an international competition by Wakefield Council.
Work is due to start on site in October 2007 and is scheduled to open in 2009.
Site
The site covers approximately 10 acres and will provide in the region of 500,000 sq ft of mixed-use development accommodation.
Planning
Outline planning permission for the whole project was secured by CTP St James and landowners British Waterways in December 2004. Detailed planning permission for Phase One was granted in November 2005.
Funding
The granting of planning permission in November 2005 meant that the European Regional Development Fund released £8.1 million to support the project and Yorkshire Forward £9 million in grant assistance to kick-start the rejuvenation of the area.
The grants were procured by Wakefield Council and CTP St James and will contribute towards the cost of highways and flood defence works, landscaping and repairs to historic buildings.
Phase I
Detailed designs for Phase 1, as well as legal and grant negotiations, took most of 2006.
CTP St James is embarking on Phase One by repairing and converting the Grade II* listed Calder & Hebble Navigation Warehouse for office and leisure use.
The building will be known as The Navigation Warehouse and will be refurbished by WM Anelay Limited. Sensitive restoration will involve retaining much of the original character of the building.
Two units on the ground floor will provide a spectacular river setting for potential pub or restaurant occupiers. The three upper levels will be converted to approximately 16,000 sq ft of state-of-the-art modern offices with a new lift and circulation core in the centre of the building.
Phase I also includes two new office buildings of 15,300 sq ft and 18,700 sq ft.
The smaller of the buildings (2 Navigation Walk), fronts The Navigation Warehouse across a new garden square which will be called Navigation Place. This will have a small leisure/retail unit included within it of about 1,500 sq ft. It is hoped to attract a high-quality cafe or deli for this prominent part of the building.
1 Navigation Walk, which is the larger building, is four storeys high and will be of a more modern design and fronts Bridge Street.
The fourth building in Phase I, is a 58 apartment residential building known as Hebble Wharf.
The first 2 releases of apartments in this building sold out in a single day when they were offered for sale in 2006. A third and final release will be offered to the market during 2007.
The construction of the residential and new office buildings, as well as all of the public realm works, is being delivered by Quarmby Construction.
The completed Phase 1 development, which will also feature substantial public spaces and formal gardens, will add a new dimension to Wakefield centre by opening up a southern gateway to the city.
Phase I, will be finished in 2008.
Architects and Letting Agents
BDP are the architects for the Navigation Warehouse project.
FaulknerBrowns are the masterplanning architect and are responsible for the two new offices and the residential buildings.
King Sturge are the letting agents for both the commercial and residential aspects of the project with Hill Woolhouse working with King Sturge on the commercial side.
For further information please contact Oliver Quarmby at St James Securities Limited on 0113 245 8855 or Robert Beaumont of Robert Beaumont Associates on 01423 323139.
