02 Oct Successful regeneration and place shaping – lessons from the North East
What makes a regeneration or a placeshaping project successful?
On a recent trip to the North East, The Assembly Line founder Diane Cunningham visited a number of places that showcase what can work as well as some of the challenges.
Starting things off in Newcastle
Ouseburn was once the heart of the industrial revolution, but the area has been reinvented as a creative quarter for Newcastle.
The Biscuit Factory is home to an art gallery, shop and café with a great roof terrace with views over the valley.
Adjacent industrial units have been opened up for artist workspaces and food and drink, many of which celebrate local produce (and offers a more relaxed version of places like Manchester’s Northern Quarter or East London’s Hackney Wick),
Shipping containers have been turned into a market, and vintage goods shops occupy railway arches, and there is a farm under the railway bridge with a river alongside it. The area is also home to the Seven Stories, the UK’s National Centre for Children’s Books.
The wider area features an eclectic mix of independent businesses and pubs, with plenty of outdoor space.
As a result of this mix of uses, it attracts lots of families at weekends and on a Sunday visit, it had a nice vibe. But the combination of offers also means it has an active night-time economy too with live music, art events and a low key food scene.
It shows how places can be shaped to have a broad appeal and hours of operation that aren’t compartmentalised. There are other good examples of curated uses to create a buzzy atmosphere.
While it’s not far from the popular Quayside in Newcastle city centre, it feels different which adds to the overall variety of the city centre. While locals seem to know where it is, it would benefit from better signage for visitors (or maybe that’s intentional?).
Two very different markets
The Quayside Market mixes hot food stalls with local goods – handmade and souvenirs, which helps to make it feel like a day out.
The set up isn’t perfect, it lacks places to sit and eat – parklet style seating installed by NE1 BID is removed for the Sunday market – and while the setting is unique it also blocks access to the riverfront.
At Grainger Market, also in Newcastle, there are plans to develop its mix and extend its offer. Space is being created for a food court which can be hired out and separated off for evening events.
Adding greenery and residential to the offer
Newcastle would benefit from more greening and having more pedestrian-friendly edges to city centres.
There is often a hard stop, such as the dual carriageway in Newcastle. However, NE1 BID in particular have created many areas around the city to create places to dwell, be entertained and bring greenery into pedestrianised areas from screens (for summer holidays) in Old Eldon Square to parklets around Grey Street.
When the long running works in Northumberland Street are completed, this may add another area where there is an injection of greenery or the grey spaces are broken up.
Aside from some student accommodation, Newcastle also has little city centre residential, which would no doubt bring more people into the centre for different reasons rather than early weekday evenings being quite quiet after offices and shops empty. Many of the historic buildings where work is underway are being developed into hotels rather than housing.
However, regeneration plans for Forth Yards, the last major brownfield site in the city centre, include the addition of 2,500 new homes as well as commercial uses. Avison Young is currently advising Homes England on potential development partners although the site development is likely to span 15-20 years.
Newcastle is a fabulous city as it is but with further developments planned or underway and the potential to bring more residential into the city centre, it is likely to change for the better in the future with the strong partners and stakeholders already working together.
This is the first in a series of posts from the North East, a region quietly getting on with large regen projects which we discovered during a recent visit to the region.
Return here to find further discussion over the next few weeks.