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Plans to Transform Wakefield's Waterfront Unveiled An application for planning permission to transform Wakefield's historic waterfront into a mixed-use development of international significance for the 21st century has been submitted today. The £100 million project by developers CTP St James includes an imaginative mix of high quality office, residential and leisure buildings and the ground-breaking £20 million Hepworth Gallery. It covers 10 acres and will provide in the region of 500,000 sq ft of mixed accommodation. Detailed planning proposals for the first phase of the Waterfront development will include the sensitive restoration and conservation work on the important Grade II* Listed Calder and Hebble Navigation Warehouse, to provide office accommodation and an interpretation centre on the ground floor. The completed development with substantial public spaces and formal gardens will add a new dimension to Wakefield centre by opening up the southern gateway to the city. Roland Stross, a director of CTP St James, said: "This is an exceptionally significant project for the city of Wakefield and the region. The development will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the heart of this proud and historic city and take a beautiful stretch of the river into the 21st century. "The new Hepworth Gallery Wakefield, which has already attracted international attention, will be a fantastic centerpiece for the scheme. But the whole development, which is one of the most adventurous and prestigious projects in Yorkshire, is hugely important to the economic and social fabric of Wakefield. We are delighted that this particular dream is now on the threshold of becoming a reality." Wakefield Council is developing the major new gallery, named after the international sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth, and has already secured a £5 million grant from the Arts Council England Capital programme. The Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield is being designed by leading architect David Chipperfield, following an international competition, and is scheduled to open in 2008. Council Leader Cllr Peter Box said: "We can now look forward to some dynamic developments on the site. All the necessary groundwork has been prepared, and it will be exciting to see how this area of the city will be transformed over the coming years to provide new jobs, investment, new homes and attractive cultural and leisure facilities. "We are working hard to source further financial grants to ensure that we secure as much support as possible to develop the site as a world beater in terms of attracting both investment and visitors." The city's existing internationally acclaimed historic and contemporary art collections will transfer to the new gallery, and a major attraction will be the unique display of 30 original plaster sculptures by Barbara Hepworth, together with finished sculptures and interpretative displays of her creative process, life and works. A series of public exhibitions on the Waterfront development will begin later this month at venues across the Wakefield District, inviting feedback on the new development. Richard Curtis, the Property Development Manager (North) for British Waterways, which owns part of the site, said: "This is a hugely exciting scheme that will create a vibrant new waterfront sector for Wakefield, bringing new jobs, economic growth, and a wide range of leisure and cultural opportunities for local people and visitors." A joint venture development company has been formed for the project by St James Securities of Leeds and CTP of Manchester, who have already successfully carried out a range of high-profile projects in the region.
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