Hundreds of homes are set to be rebuilt in a £60m plan which has been unveiled today.
Details shared by Riverside housing with the ECHO showed a big transformation is on the cards for Palace Fields in Runcorn. Riverside said the draft proposals were drawn up following more than 800 hours of consultation with the public and other stakeholders.
Central to the project is the proposed demolition of 343 homes including bulldozing The Knoll flats, and the construction of around 400 mixed-tenure dwellings comprising a mix of apartments and two, three and four-bed houses and bungalows, as well as veterans apartments and a new extra care scheme. Designers have also sought to accentuate the area’s existing greenery with new walking and cycling routes, shutting the subway by the shops and levelling the land to provide a safe busway crossing, creating a community garden at The Tricorn, and a “green avenue” running through The Uplands providing somewhere to socialise and for children to play.
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Other features include refurbishing the Grade-II listed former Tricorn pub as housing, and creating an indoor community space, Bethesda church space, road link through Lapwing Grove, and reconfigured car parking in addition to new business space as part of a redeveloped local centre.
As part of the programme, the two subways linked to The Knoll flats would also be filled in, and safer entries to The Uplands created as well as new walking and cycling routes including to Shopping City.
In addition, Palace Fields moat would be “upgraded”. The proposals have been developed by DK Architects and The Collective.
Riverside said it had spoken with more than 300 households in key locations in forming its plans.
Priority will be allocated to residents who are to be relocated as part of the regeneration programme and the homes group said it was “working with all households affected to support them on this exciting journey”.
Pending planning submission and approval, work on the local centre could begin next year, before moving onto The Uplands in 2028.
The scheme will take around 10 years and is expected to cost £60m including £30m of public funding.
Information events are taking place throughout February for residents to meet Riverside’s regeneration team, DK Architects, housebuilder Lovell Homes and regeneration firm Compendium and ask questions.
Attendance can be booked via the Riverside website. Feedback is also being sought via a survey from February 8-22, available in print and online, to be considered as the organisation refines its finalised plans to be submitted to Halton Borough Council.
Nick Jones, Riverside’s director of development and regeneration, said: “We are really excited to be sharing our detailed draft plans for the Local Centre and The Uplands.
“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.
"It’s important to stress that these are still only plans and show the vision of what we would like to deliver.
“Nothing is set in stone, so I would urge local people to come to our consultation events over February to see the draft plans and have their questions answered."
Riverside previously described the project as a "once in a lifetime opportunity for the area".
More information is available at riverside.org.uk/haltonlea
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