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Hull city centre will look totally different once Albion Square is fully redeveloped, thanks to funding from Homes England.
Earlier this week, it agreed to grant finance worth more than £832,000 to speed up the project, so it can be completed by its proposed deadline of 2025, reported Hull Daily Mail.
This money will be put towards the £120 million that it will cost to transform the site into a mixed-use residential and commercial area, which will include 240 new flats designed with young professionals in mind.
Documents revealed to the news provider said the site is a “key regeneration area” for the city, adding it will “strengthen the developing urban community and activate a prime city centre site”.
“The redevelopment works will deliver an exciting mixed-use scheme incorporating retail elements, in addition to the new city centre Ice Arena, all of which will breathe new life into significant area of Hull City Centre,” it went on to say.
“It will deliver economic, cultural and development benefits that will support the council’s wider city and improvement targets and aspirations,” the documents revealed.
In addition to modern apartments, the newly-designed Albion Square will include shops and business units.
The council originally approved plans for 12 ground-floor shopping units. However, after a report revealed there is not a huge demand from big chain retailers for the space, the proposals were altered to focus on offices and leisure facilities.
Something that will not change from the site is the famous 1960s artwork of The Three Ships mural. Historic England granted the art, designed by Alan Boyson, Grade II listed status after a campaign to protect it.
Before major building work can go ahead, money will have to be spent on removing asbestos from the derelict British Home Stores (BHS) building behind the mural that faces on to King Edward Square.
However, there is an urgency to get building as soon as possible in order to meet the deadline, as the draft agreement states Home England can retrieve some, or all, of the funding if the flats are not completed by the proposed date, or the local authority defaults on payments.
The redevelopment has been in the pipeline for a long time, with the council first announcing its proposals to redevelop Albion Square in February 2018. It comes as part of the local authority’s intentions to regenerate the city centre and work towards its targets of building 620 new residential properties per year.
Currently, the coronavirus pandemic has put a pause on construction plans, which could delay the entire initiative in the long-run, as well as impact other newbuild projects to enable it to meet its targets.
Prior to the pandemic, Hull Daily Mail reported how the city is set to improve over the next few years.
Deputy leader and portfolio holder for economic regeneration at Hull City Council Daren Hale told the news provider: “I think these are very exciting times for the whole city and we believe these schemes will ensure the city thrives.”
He was referring to refurbishing the Maritime Museum, transforming the Northern Shipyard, improving Paragon Exchange and Brook Street, redeveloping the splash boat in East Park and the aviary in Pickering Park, and opening the £12 million Castle Street Bridge later this year. This will link Hull’s marina with the centre, making commuting much easier and bringing the city closer together.
For scaffolding contractors in Hull to help with these exciting projects, give us a call today.
