Cumberland outlines vision for Whitehaven transformation
The redevelopment of the Civic Hall and Sports Centre, former Wilkos, former Mark House building, and Dixons building are among the proposals in the council’s latest masterplan to regenerate the harbour town.
Cumberland Council voted to approve a masterplan for Whitehaven yesterday.
The goal of the plan is to turn the town into “the heart of West Cumbria,” according to council documents. It would do this by creating a strategy to help generate more footfall and a livelier day and night economic picture for the town and its 23,000 residents.
The masterplan is split into phases, with the first phases dedicated to improving public realm, reducing car dominance, and enhancing wayfinding.
In particular, this includes a series of work on Lowther Street, Strand Street, Duke Street, and King Street. Procurement for the development of these designs is due to begin imminently.
The council also wants to work alongside the Harbour Commissioners to create a flexible and open civic space near the harbour, one suitable for hosting events, markets, and performances.
Procurement for the scoping and feasibility work to enable a second phase will begin in the autumn. This phase is set to include the redevelopment of the buildings mentioned at the top of this story. It would also include the addition of non-retail uses to King Street.
Cumberland Council will also work with BEC to redevelop the former bus depot site into a leisure use – perhaps a hotel.
A replacement sports centre is also included in this phase of the masterplan.
The third phase of the masterplan is more vague in its goals, with plans to start feasibility work on this phase expected to begin only after the first phase has been delivered and the second phase is suitably advanced.
This third phase would see more housing brought into the town centre, as well as additional employment space to boost footfall and help support a nighttime economy.
Cumberland Council has £250,000 allocated to develop these regeneration proposals, and is hopeful of securing additional funding from the Cumbria Combined Authority and the council’s nuclear partners.
i worked for what was Cumbria CC about 15 years ago, we did exactly this same piece of work fully designing up public realm improvements for most the town. Lets hope this time they get further than the stage of a PDF.
By J
You need to get rid of some of the seagulls whitehaven is covered with seagull faeces’ how would that encourage anyone to use the harbour you dont have to cull the birds cull the eggs, we will have thousands more seagulls since the new Aldi put a flat roof on but never make any provision to stop them nesting.
And the town needs a good clean I have never seen so many weeds in the town and this part cutting of the grass to accommodate for insects is ridiculous there was always plenty of insects when I was growing up, and the vedges were always cut properly and everything looked tidy and a town to be proud of.
By Edith Neen