The Citadels' overhaul will include offices, teaching and civic space. Credit: planning documents

Carlisle approves Citadels rebirth and DPD depot

Both the University of Cumbria’s £77.5m transformation of the historic city centre site and a new Kingmoor Park base for the parcel distributor have been greenlit.

Carlisle City Council’s development control committee approved both the main application and a listed building application from the university.

Sir Robert McAlpine has already been appointed as contractor for the scheme, which is designed by Day Architectural.  DPP is the planner.

Largely funded through a £50m grant from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the new campus will offer more than 150,000 sq ft of educational and amenity space for students and staff.

The campus includes a new civic space known as The Forum, which will be a central plaza with an urban garden. Urban Green is the landscape architect behind these designs and also provided urban design, arboriculture, biodiversity net gain, and ecology services.

The grade one-listed Citadels themselves – originating in the 1600s and rebuilt in the 1800s – will be converted into offices, teaching spaces and events spaces. The former Crown Court will also hold part of the Business Interaction Centre, which will also spill out into the historic Hospital Wing structure.

There would also be several new buildings added to the campus, including a gateway building and teaching block. The three-storey gateway building would be the main entrance to the campus, hosting the university’s library as well as some classrooms.

The five-storey teaching block is to feature classrooms, lecture theatres, social learning spaces and staff offices, with a car park below, accessed from Brush Brow.

The proposals include 71 parking spaces, 11 designated as accessible and an initial 10% including EV charging points.

Planning officers had recommended approval for a “sustainable location” that will bring the Citadel buildings “back into a beneficial use”.

Want to learn more about the project? The application’s reference number with Carlisle Council is 22/0261.

Kingmoor Park Properties also found success with its application, filed by advisor WSP, for a distribution centre on a 17-acre site, which will be used by parcel operator DPD.

A new access road into the plot will be created from Dukes Drive, close to the roundabout with the A689.

The 62,286 sq ft building will include 53,615 sq ft of warehousing with ancillary office space. DPD is to relocate from an existing facility on Kingmoor Park, increasing its workforce in the area to 315 from an existing 130 full-time roles.

Fletcher Rae is the scheme’s architect.

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Great news

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This is an amazing scheme, looking forward to seeing the end result

By Jon P

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