Hull City Council has laid out potential visions for the city centre’s future – including the potential removal of two major shopping centres. Council documents show how the removal of both Prospect Centre and Princes Quay are ‘illustrative options’ for the city’s redevelopment.
The council has recently published its City Centre Vision (CCV) document which sets out a framework for Hull’s regeneration between 2025 and 2045. The document states that it “sets a compelling long-term ambition for change in the city centre that provides a roadmap for investment, funding and prioritisation over the next 20 years.”
The document details a number of high-profile regeneration projects that will be familiar to many in the city such as the Albion Square development and the East Bank Urban Village. Phase 1 of the Albion Square Development includes the Community Diagnostic Centre which recently opened on Albion Street.
In addition to the more well-known developments, the CCV details potential visions for other parts of the city centre. Perhaps the most intriguing of those relate to two major shopping centres in the city.
The future of the Prospect Shopping Centre is discussed in a section of the document dedicated to the ‘Prospect Triangle regeneration area’ which stretches from Jameson Street up to where Prospect Street ends, at Freetown Way Three options are given in the document for the future of the shopping centre and wider Triangle.
Just one of the three suggestions sees the Prospect Centre being retained in its current form, albeit with “new residential development” added nearby. Whilst a second option proposes removing the existing car park and creating a new public square, the third suggests removing the entire shopping centre.
The removal idea would potentially lead to a “mixed-use redevelopment” to create a “vibrant new living quarter” in the city centre along with “new retail units at ground floor”, it states.
Similarly, four visions are illustrated for the future of Princes Quay and the wider Myton Street development. One of those detailed involves the complete removal of the shopping centre and reinstating Princes Dock. In this scenario, it could enable “a broader offer of water activity” which may include “floating habitat islands, a lido or boathouse for water sports” as well as a “floating stage”.
However, it also states that Princes Quay presents a “significant” opportunity due to “its strategic position at the heart of Hull’s maritime heritage”. It could be used “as a backdrop to introduce new leisure and recreational uses for all” and “be maintained as a prominent city centre landmark”.
These options include suggestions to “explore softening or opening up portions of the building to account for new activity within” and putting in place “improved signage and entrances, making better use of the connection to water”. There is also the potential for “refurbishment and partial removal” which could “re-establish the primacy of Princes Dock”.
At this stage any suggestions detailed in the document are highly theoretical and it is stated that proposals “will be subject to feasibility assessments, market input, and technical testing to ensure the most viable and effective outcome for the City Centre.” The document also states: “The Council recognises the significant requirement for capital funding over the Vision period to facilitate development and accelerate housing delivery and strategic development identified in the CCV.”
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
