Source: British Waterways
Date: 12/12/2006
British Waterways has confirmed a lease contract with Wakefield Council for the lease of the 1.7 acre site on which the new Hepworth Gallery is to be built.
The site is on the dramatic and prominent headland beside the River Calder in the Waterfront regeneration area which is now rapidly taking shape to provide a southern gateway to the City. British Waterways is a major landowner of the waterfront area being redeveloped by CTP St. James and the Council.
Work on the Gallery starts in the New Year with an anticipated completion date of March 2009. Development will involve construction of a new footbridge upstream of the weir to link the Gallery site with a new car park on Thornes Lane.
Laurence Morgan, General Manager, British Waterways Yorkshire, said: “We are delighted to have reached this agreement with Wakefield Council, as we very much want to be an active partner in the development of this important site.
“This fantastic Gallery is expected to draw international and national visitors to the City, and will be an important part of our vision to double customer numbers to the waterways by 2012. We have already identified Wakefield to be one of our priority destinations in the next few years and we are delighted to be working with Wakefield Council on this project.”
Councillor Phil Dobson, Cabinet Member for Regeneration with Wakefield Council, said: “Our agreement with British Waterways is another significant step towards the regeneration of the Waterfront area.
“The Hepworth Wakefield will be a world class facility and will put this development and Wakefield on the national and international stage. As with all the developments planned for the city, the emphasis is on quality and I am certain that the people of the district will have real pride in what is about to be delivered.”
Oliver Quarmby, director of CTP St James, commented: “The signing of this agreement is key to securing the regeneration of the Waterfront. It is possible to see now how the Waterfront Community as a whole will develop with significant residential, commercial and cultural elements. The Hepworth Wakefield and Waterfront Wakefield sites are being built as elements of a comprehensive masterplan for the area and with both the Gallery and our first four office and residential buildings starting on site in the New Year it is clear that the area is about to undergo a transformation"
