Design crucial to £390m regeneration plan

THE quality of design in regeneration and housing has been underlined at an event highlighting the £390m regeneration plans for a Yorkshire city.

Robert Napier, chair of the Homes and Communities Agency stressed the importance of design quality in development and housing growth opportunities within Wakefield and the wider Leeds City Region at the MIPIM international property conference.

Mr Napier stepped in to replace his chief executive Sir Bob Kerslake as the guest speaker on the Leeds City Region stand in Cannes after Sir Bob was called to a meeting at No 10 Downing Street with Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The event showcased the exciting plans for the future of the Wakefield district and follows news that a further £1.2m funding has been secured to support the Leeds City Region urban eco-settlements programme, which seeks to deliver 28,000 new homes, built to the highest environmental standards in four locations across the city region..

Wakefield has joined forces with Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees under the banner ‘Leeds City Region: Growing and Going Together’, sharing an exhibition stand to promote flagship projects along with commercial and development opportunities at MIPIM.

The district has been bucking the trend and driving forward its £390m regeneration programme which includes:

• Merchant Gate, a seven-hectare mixed use site adjacent to the national London-Leeds-Edinburgh rail line. This project will be completed in three phases over 10 years. The first, due for completion this summer, comprises commercial office buildings, leisure/retail space, a residential building, multi-storey car park and new railway station. This is followed by new council offices for 1,500 staff opening this summer. The third phase, which is primarily residential, is due to commence at the end of 2011.
• Trinity Walk: The newly opened market hall by David Adjaye is spearheading the new 50,000 sq m Trinity Walk retail development in the city centre. A new shopping centre and market hall will almost double the city’s retail offer when it opens in spring 2011.
• Wakefield Waterfront, 3.9 hectares of derelict waterfront area south of the city centre is another regeneration project gathering pace.

This is a combination of the restoration of 18th century buildings, conversion of 19th century warehouses and new buildings including an iconic £30m international art gallery.

The Hepworth Wakefield will showcase a superb range of world class art including the works of locally born, internationally acclaimed artists, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and its grand opening will be in spring 2011.

Joanne Roney, chief executive of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council said: “We are particularly proud to be raising awareness of the great opportunities to be found in Wakefield, including the developments at Merchant Gate, Trinity Walk and the Waterfront, which will also shortly be home to a new international art gallery – The Hepworth Wakefield.

“We are promoting Wakefield on an international level, and providing details to international investors and businesses.

“Our aim is to generate new businesses and job opportunities for the people of Wakefield and to strengthen links across the City Region.”