A recently published Hull City Council document details how various parts of the city centre could look in twenty years time. The Council’s City Centre Vision (CCV) document sets out how the city could transform between 2025 and 2045.
Rather than being a ‘plan’, the document speculatively sets out various options for how the city could change over the next two decade. Interestingly this includes the potential removal of two of the city’s shopping centres.
Albion Square
The regeneration of Albion Square is set to change the face of much of the city centre. The area of land that stretches from King Edward Square to the Albion Street/Bond Street junction is set to become a major mixed-use development providing retail and residential space.
The CCV says the development will provide a new “landmark” in the city centre. It adds “the potential of the site is currently under utilised and will provide new anchor uses to animate the City Centre.
Unlike some of the more speculative project concepts described in the CCV, the Albion Square Development is well underway with the council hoping to secure a development partner for the works. However, despite impressive mock ups of how the development could look, it is still unclear what the site’s future holds as the exact details will depend on the plans of the development partner.
East Bank Urban Village
The East Bank Urban Village could see much of the eastern bank of the River Hull being transformed from uninspiring brownfield sites into a development with around 850 new homes. The development, which is backed by almost £10 million of Levelling Up Partnership funding, would redevelop the area between Drypool Bridge and the Myton Swing Bridge.
Like the Albion Square development, the East Bank Urban Village is more than just a concept, with ECF (English Cities Fund) having been secured as the lead development partner. Just last month the council announced it had launched a ‘Community Conversation’, seeking feedback on the project’s designs.
Myton Street/Princes Quay
The redevelopment of the Myton Street area of Hull has been discussed for many years. The area of land West of Connexin Live, where the former Staples sits, is seen as a prime location for redevelopment in the CCV.
The CCV also suggests rethinking the wider area between Carr Lane and the A63, including Princes Quay. The document presents a number of “illustrative options” for how the area could potentially be redeveloped in the future. Interestingly, on of the options involves the complete removal of the Princes Quay shopping centre, with Princes Dock being reinstated as a waterscape.
It is said that if the shopping centre was removed, Princes Dock would have the potential to “incorporate events, such as a floating stage as a feature use of the water space.” The space could also be used for water sports, the CCV says.
The Prospect Triangle
The CCV explains that the area between Prospect Street, Jameson Street, and Ferensway, which the documents calls the ‘Prospect Triangle’ “presents a unique opportunity to establish a new gateway to the City Centre.” The document explains the triangle has the potential to “reconnect Ferensway with the Georgian New Town, enhancing routes from St Stephen’s Shopping Centre and Paragon Interchange through to Albion Square.”
The triangle includes the likes of the former Debenhams building, the Prospect Centre, and Shirethorn House which has recently been renamed City Point. As is the case with the Princes Quay area, the CCV presents a number of options for how the Prospect Triangle could be redeveloped in the years to come. One of the options includes the removal of the Prospect Shopping Centre, with the site being transformed into a mixed use area with a number of open green spaces.
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
