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Green light for Navigation Point, Castleford

27.04.2006

PRP, in partnership with Merlion Capital Housing and Amenbury Property Ltd, has received a resolution to grant planning consent for the regeneration and redevelopment of the former Lambson’s chemical works in Castleford, Yorkshire. The scheme, which will be known as Navigation Point and borders the rivers Aire and Calder, is valued at £120 million and will take an estimated 10 years to complete.

Castleford is one of five towns targeted for regeneration within the ‘5 Towns Initiative’ implemented by Wakefield Borough Council. Navigation Point will comprise approximately 1,400 dwellings on 15.65 hectares. PRP’s masterplan and urban design includes the development of 325 houses, 1,012 flats, a convenience store, restaurant and 3.85 Ha (24%) of open space.

Craig Watson, Associate Director and project architect, said: “Navigation Point is one of our most exciting projects. Its proximity to important transport links, only five minutes walk to public transport interchanges to Sheffield, Leeds and London, provides the essential infrastructure that is often overlooked in regeneration projects. This allows us to focus on designing the right kind of environment for people and families, with a healthy mix of housing, communal and recreational facilities.”

PRP’s design incorporates distinctive character areas to promote a sense of place for the community with lots of areas of interest and communal focal points. Central to the design strategy is a pedestrian-favoured environment using ‘homezones’ and natural traffic calming features. Character areas include:

- Gateway Square and Entrance Boulevard – a formal entrance to the scheme with an avenue of trees to reinforce links to the main civic square

- Civic Square – borders the river Aire to form the principal social focus of the development where commercial and recreation activities can occur

- Urban Esplanade – a formal paved promenade linking the town centre to the civic square along the river front

- Linear Eco-Park – reinforces local green corridors and Green Belt with a green edge to the north and north-eastern river frontages. Cycle parks have also been provisioned to link the town centre with the extended riverside

- Green squares – green communal activity spaces for children and parents in a safe and secure environment

Though the Homezone principles will establish a shared environment where pedestrians and cyclists have priority, the masterplan will still deliver one car space per flat as the majority of car spaces for the flats will be placed in ground floor decks below a first floor landscaped courtyard, thus removing the bulk of cars from the public realm and providing private open space for occupants.

Charles Chamberlain of Merlion Capital Housing, said: “This project has received strong support locally, regionally and nationally after comprehensive consultations were undertaken. PRP’s masterplan was central to getting this level of support – their design provides a commercially attractive mix and massing of houses but also clearly shows how the regeneration can work to deliver new wealth and help attract people and families back into the town centre, critical to the long term social and economic sustainability of the area.”