THING OF THE WEEK
THE ARCHES… Stopfordians are rightly proud of their viaduct. As one of the largest brick structures in Europe, it deserves respect (and a good clean). The viaduct is a heritage asset and some commentators believe new developments are undermining its status. When Capital&Centric proposed a new-build resi block as part of its Weir Mill development, some heritage groups slammed the proposals. Ultimately, the plans – which involve bringing a listed mill back into use – were approved. A proposal from Provincial Group on a nearby site unveiled this week could be the next scheme to rattle cages. Will architect Ollier Smurthwaite’s clever nod to the viaduct at ground level (pictured above) be enough to placate them? Tune in next time to find out.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION… Former Hollywood actor and producer Hopwood DePree is quietly cracking on with his renovation of Hopwood Hall in Rochdale. Last October, the council signed off proposals to turn the grade two star-listed manor house into a hospitality, education, and events space with a café and shop. Since then, DePree has set about bringing his dilapidated ancestral home back to life. He has also been documenting the process in a series of Youtube videos in which DePree (obviously) takes a starring role. You can take the actor out of Hollywood…
Credit: via CIOB
BLUE AND RED… As a chartered civil engineer, Liverpool City Region deputy chief executive Richard McGuckin remarked that he felt like an Evertonian in a room full of Liverpool supporters as he spoke at a Chartered Institute of Building reception this week. His remark was met with laughter and an assurance from newly appointed CIOB president Sandi Rhys Jones that the institute was “a broad church”. CIOB was in town for its general meeting, bringing together an international community of built environment professionals and academics to discuss sustainability, inclusivity, and skills education. Rhys Jones took the time to advocate for more collaboration and diversity in the industry (which can be “pale, male, and stale” according to her) at a Tuesday reception at Liverpool Town Hall, and also encouraged her peers to keep in mind the people their work impacts – surely a message we can all get behind, whether we’re a red or a blue.
The police station is Hydes first acquisition in five years. Credit: via planning documents
DRUNK AND DISORDERLY… From bobbies to booze, the transformation of the former Heswall police station has taken a step forward. Hydes Brewery has acquired the vacant Telegraph Road site and is planning to transform it into a gastropub called The Harry Beswick – the man who designed the building prior to its construction more than 100 years ago. In total, Hydes plans to invest £3.6m in the project. The brewer must have high hopes for the site as the former police station is Hydes’ first acquisition in five years.
The tower plans caused quite a stir. Credit: Clayton Architecture via Andrew Brown
THRHYLING PLANS… Denbighshire Council has appointed an operator for its Queens Market food and leisure venue in Rhyl, which provides the perfect opportunity to look back on one of the more outlandish property proposals of recent times. Mikhail Hotel & Leisure Group will run the £12.6m Queens Market for the council, the same company behind proposals for a 48-storey tower in Southport. Standing taller than Manchester’s Beetham Tower at 178 metres, Mikhail Hotel & Leisure Group’s Tower of Hope certainly raised eyebrows. Sadly, despite numerous requests for an update, there has been no news on the Southport skyscraper for 18 months. We live in hope.
Skyscraper in Liverpool City Region lol not
By Anonymous
People are already getting all het up about the Stockport scheme’s impact on the viaduct. People who I would suggest have perhaps completely missed the existing 12+ storey Regent House to the site’s rear on Heaton Lane which already pretty much obscures any view of the viaduct that the proposed Ollier Smurthwaite scheme would. Indeed, the Ollier Smurthwaite scheme would have the massive benefit of screening out Regent House from impinging on many views of the viaduct. Unless you’re a fan of precast concrete panel office construction from the early 1970s (I think) then, frankly, you’d be daft to see this as anything other than a big improvement.
By Martin Cranmer
Thing of the Week: Smurthwaite’s arches? Give me a break! CGI’s tend to make backgrounds recess and become smaller than they really are. The tower to base relationship is clunky and the height is excessively tall in filling a gap between two adjacent blocks. Oh, and you forgot to mention that the corner pub lost is a locally listed building. So much for Stockport Council’s heritage policy.
By John Fidler
@ June 30, 2023 at 12:57 pm By John Fidler
I don’t think Stockport Council’s heritage policy says the place should be set in aspic and nothing ever be allowed to change. What it probably says – I’ve not actually looked at it, at least not recently – is that where there are buildings of local heritage value they should be protected but in balance with other factors of local importance. Regenerating Stockport Town Centre including the provision of a significant number of new residential properties is, though not everyone will always agree with all of the means, clearly a high priority factor of local importance. There’s no point protecting our built heritage, of local or wider significance, if the town is dead and there’s nobody around to benefit from the value of what we’ve protected. It’s a game of balances – where the council come down, on balance, on this particular scheme remains to be seen.
By and by
@martincranmer hear hear
By Tom