The team behind the upcoming regeneration of a Runcorn housing estate has shared a glimpse of how new homes in the area might look in years to come.
Riverside housing has been mulling how to revitalise Palacefields since it committed £20m of investment to the neighbourhood and nearby Hallwood Park in early 2019.
Previously interrupted by the pandemic, the massive 10-year overhaul is now back up and running with rolling public consultations taking place to home in on what residents want and what can be done.
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Figures involved in the project told the ECHO today at a public drop-in event that the restrictions of the past two years mean it’s vital to find out how this has affected people’s hopes for their neighbourhood.
Riverside said the main issues identified by residents for the project are to: do something with The Knoll flats; create better housing and local centre; bring The Tricorn pub back into use; improve public safety; close the subways; create better pedestrian routes that feel safer between Palacefields, Hallwood Park and Runcorn Shopping City; provide community activities; replace old signage; and address climate change.
It said it has already backed plans to create a cycle lane on the busway, and youth charity Right To Succeed is also collaborating in the area.
Riverside said the regeneration project is likely to have a “major effect on people’s lives and homes”, meaning tenant and stakeholder involvement is critical.
Some housing is expected to be replaced, and although the final plan will depend on the full breadth of public feedback, early signs are that The Knoll flats are most likely to be redeveloped.
Public display boards hosted by Riverside showed examples of project partner DK Architects’ previous redevelopments including at Warburton Hey in Rainhill, Maltravers in Sheffield, and Field Lane in Litherland.
Although provided to show broadly what types of development might be pursued in the area, the past projects show features such as balconies, roof gardens, warmer brick colour and less uniform design.
At present The Knoll comprises three blocks of about 100 flats in total, and is served by two underpasses - one connecting to Halton Hospital and another behind the Royal Mail delivery office at Crown Gate.
Riverside said Halton Borough Council has agreed shutting the wider estate’s subways “achievable” but work needs to take place to ensure it’s done in a way that retains a safe way to cross the road and without creating leftover areas which no longer serve any purpose and instead become magnets for antisocial behaviour and other problems.
Hannah Fleming, Riverside’s regeneration manager for the project, said: “People did say to us last time - people who lived in The Knoll and around The Knoll - ‘demolish The Knoll, we don’t like it’ for whatever reason.
“We want to know whether people still feel the same, is that something they want to come to fruition.”
She added: “This is what people have said to us two years ago and we’ve delved into that and our aim is to direct the architects to support us on that journey, what comes out in the next few weeks, and the team will start to formulate what that could look like physically for a neighbourhood and we can start bringing that back to the community.
“The other commitment is we’ve appointed Leonie (Parkes) - she’s the engagement office for Runcorn and that’s to make sure the community have that dedicated person to go and ask anything, whether it’s a big question or small.
“Over the next six months we’ll have a detailed period of (public) involvement and part of that is learning how people want to engage with us.”
Although views are primarily being sought from Riverside tenants, the group is also keen to hear from other people who visit, pass through or work in the area too.
Hannah added it was “too early to say” exactly what will happen but some themes are starting to emerge.
She said: “The key thing is people speak to us about having the right housing choices and tenure, having a better local centre, having safer areas because community safety, whether that’s actual or perceived that’s an issue, and the other side of it is community activities and the way people access them.
“Things have changed over the last two years and we’d like to start a conversation around it.
“There are a lot more climate change targets coming too.”
On The Tricorn, Hannah said: “We would love for The Tricorn to come to fruition - if that’s us having involvement or working with the current owners, at this current time I don’t know.”
Residents with thoughts on the plans are urged to contact Riverside, and also to keep an eye on its Halton Lea regeneration page on Facebook.
David Dickerson, director at DK Architects, said: “The focus of the consultation is to ask everyone in the neighbourhood what their thoughts are and any issues around the neighbourhood that might be good to look at and inform where we go in future.”
On the pandemic, he said people might now want more outdoor space such as communal gardens.
He said: “The impact of Covid has affected everyone and what type of housing will come out of it, and the issues to do with contact and reducing life, really, that might inform the plans.
“So for example if you’ve been trapped in a flat with no external space, the experience of Covid is quite different to having acres of grounds, might that influence what people’s thoughts and desires are?”
Another drop-in session featuring display boards with an overview of how the project is shaping up is taking place at Bethesda Church on Lapwing Grove from 3-6pm on Thursday, March 3.
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