Planning and environmental firm vows to put placemaking at heart of £650m Island Quarter scheme
The planning and environmental agency working on the £650m Island Quarter site in Nottingham city centre, says it wants to put placemaking at the heart of the city’s biggest regeneration scheme in decades.
The original Boots factory site, which has been derelict for many years, will be transformed into a dynamic new Nottingham neighbourhood by a mixed-use commercial and residential scheme. The first phase of this 40-acre development, known as Canal Turn, will revitalise land adjacent to the Nottingham Canal.
The three-storey 2,000 sq m building features two restaurants, event space with panoramic views and a large rooftop terrace.
With headquarters in Chester, AXIS has been heavily involved in the scheme from the beginning, responsible for all town planning, external works design and transportation planning services.
Jon Mason, landscape technical director at AXIS said: “Placemaking has been central to AXIS’ work on the new public realm areas in Canal Turn. This development will be the first step in providing a setting for a wide range of community activities. The focus is very much on the ‘customer experience’. We’re making sure we create an external environment where people feel comfortable, want to spend time, and want to return to.”
The Island Quarter, when fully delivered, will be a transformation with new homes, grade A offices, a co-working and creative space, lifestyle hotels, student accommodation and a wide range of food and beverage outlets.
Mason added: “Our aim is to create a cultural and entertainment destination that is accessible to and engaging for all types of people; a place that’s well known both for the major events throughout the year and special one-off concerts, but also is an attractive, comfortable place to spend time with friends and family at any time of the day, any day of the week.
Given the close proximity of the city centre and great public transport links, we are keen to make accessing the site on foot and by bicycle extremely easy.”
David Jones, director at AXIS, adds “Working on The Island Quarter scheme with Conygar has been a great experience for the AXIS team, and it’s fantastic to see the proposals taking shape onsite at Canal Turn.
“This initial first phase will set the tone of what is to come in the wider development and represents an exciting new dawn for this forgotten part of the city. Its focus on placemaking will ensure it is a sustainable destination, in every sense, for future generations.”
Christopher Ware, director at Conygar, the developer behind the scheme, elaborates on their relationship with the council and AXIS: “We’ve worked very closely with the City Council and the design team to put together a development that will transform this part of the city centre and become a new destination and community for the future of Nottingham.
“Key to its success will be a public realm that has variety, distinctiveness but, most of all, delivers an environment that is responsive to the buildings and activities within it. The team at AXIS have brought their planning and placemaking expertise to the table, and have made a significant contribution to the scheme’s progress so far. We are all very excited to see the development come to life over the next few years.”
Details of the second part of the first phase of The Island Quarter, Phase 1B, were submitted as a detailed planning application just after the Christmas break. The development includes a 223-bed hotel, more than 240 build-to-rent apartments, co-working space, and an extensive food and beverage area.
