CTP St James - Mixed-Use Development - Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Date: 06 May 2008

Phase One of the eagerly-awaited £100 million regeneration of Wakefield's historic waterfront will be completed by August, developers said today.

Leading northern developers CTP St James are transforming the city's historic waterfront into a mixed-use development of international significance for the 21st century.

Roland Stross, director of CTP St James commented: "We are extremely excited about the progress of this project. The first phase of this imaginative mixed-use scheme will not only provide beautiful, unique river settings for commercial occupiers and residents, but will also offer so much to Wakefield. We believe that our scheme will add a new dimension to the city's urban renaissance".

"The first phase is establishing the quality of our designs and is setting out our ambition for the Waterfront, which will become a new part of the city with its own unique character and ambiance - much like our award-winning Round Foundry in Leeds. It will be completed by August.

"This neglected part of the city is being transformed and will become a truly wonderful, invigorating and stimulating place to live, work and spend time" he added.

Meanwhile Terry Hodgkinson, chairman of Yorkshire Forward, said: "I have been involved with this tremendous scheme from the start and it is so rewarding to see the original dream becoming a reality. This is one of the finest historic regeneration projects in Yorkshire and it will be a fantastic asset to Wakefield."

The ground-breaking project features a mix of high quality offices and residential buildings as well as the Hepworth Wakefield, the new £26 million new gallery and centre for creative arts, currently under construction. It also offers new space for cafes, bars, restaurants and shops. It covers approximately 10 acres and will provide in the region of 500,000 sq ft of mixed-use development accommodation.

CTP St James has embarked on Phase One by repairing and converting the Grade II* listed Calder & Hebble Navigation Warehouse for office and leisure use. The building will be known as The Navigation Warehouse and is being refurbished by WM Anelay Limited.

Roland Stross commented: ""This is a truly magnificent building, one of the finest we have ever come across. With its setting and character, it will make a superb office environment, whilst the restaurants on the ground floor will be unique".

Two new office buildings of 15,300 sq ft and 18,700 sq ft are also part of Phase One. The smaller of the buildings (2 Navigation Walk) fronts The Navigation Warehouse across a new garden square which will be called Navigation Place. 1 Navigation Walk, which is the larger building, is four storeys high and will be of a more modern design and fronts Bridge Street.

The fourth building on Phase One is a 58-apartment residential building known as Hebble Wharf. The first two releases of apartments in this building sold out in a single day when they were offered for sale last year.

Building Design Partnership (BDP) of Manchester are the architects for the Navigation Warehouse project, whilst FaulknerBrowns of Newcastle, the overall masterplanners and architects, are responsible for the two new offices and the residential buildings.

King Sturge and Atisreal of Leeds are the agents for the commercial buildings with King Sturge Residential of Leeds looking after the sale of the apartments.