Riverside reveals £60m Halton Lea redevelopment

Detailed plans for the Runcorn project, which involves replacing around 350 homes with 400 new build dwellings, have been released by the housing organisation.

Housebuilder Lovell Homes, DK Architects, The Collective and regeneration firm Compendium are working with Riverside on the plans for Palace Fields and Hallwood Park.

The professional team also includes planner Lichfields, landscape architect Planit-ie, engineer Sutcliffe and consultant Markham.

Plans include a reimagining of the local centre and the Uplands area. The vision for the local centre includes:

• Closing the subway, filling in the land to bring it level with the busway and delivering a safe crossing
• 3,575 sq ft of business space
• New walking and cycling routes
• An upgraded Palace Fields Moat
• Refurbishing the Tricorn buildings into housing
• A community garden in the Tricorn
• An extra care scheme, including 23 one-bedroom apartments and 40 two-bedroom apartments
• New indoor community space
• 15 apartments for veterans
• A new 5,220 sq ft Bethesda Church space
• New apartments, bungalows and houses  A new road link through Lapwing Grove
• Redesigned car parking.

The vision for The Uplands:

• Closing the two subways by The Knoll apartments, delivering a safe crossing over the busway and better connections to Shopping City
• A wide range of housing including apartments, bungalows and houses
• A green avenue connecting the busway through the estate to Town Park with housing on all sides with safe walking and cycle routes and usable green space creating opportunities to play and socialise.
• New walking and cycling routes, including one to Shopping City
• 15 houses ringfenced for veterans
• Creating new, safe entrances into The Uplands ensuring pathways for pedestrians.

As part of the consultation Riverside has spoken to over 300 households whose homes are in key locations about how the physical changes will be delivered.

The plans are to build about 400 new homes, a mix of apartments and two to four-bedroomed houses in the local centre and Uplands, with a mix of tenures.

The new homes will be prioritised for any residents relocated as part of the regeneration plan. Pending planning submission and approval, the local centre works could start in 2024 moving onto the Uplands in approximately 2028.

Consultation is now open and runs until 22 February. Full information on the project and how to contact the team is available online.

Nick Jones, Riverside’s director of development and regeneration, said: “For the first time since we began this project in 2018, we’re able to give the community a clear view of what regeneration will look like.

“The plans we have produced are based on feedback from people currently living in the area, as well as key stakeholders and businesses.

“Our intention is to create a high quality neighbourhood for generations to come, so we want as much feedback as possible before submitting our planning application.”

The £60m Halton Lea regeneration scheme will take around 10 years to deliver. It is expected to require around £30m of public funding, with funding bids in development and some nearing completion.