Quay to national success
Mar 13 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal
A TYNESIDE riverside development scooped a national award on home soil last night.
The Civic Trust held its national awards ceremony at Newcastle Civic Centre and the £55m Trinity Gardens scheme at Broad Chare on the city’s Quayside was named as a winner.
The scheme, on what had been a car park and overgrown area behind the Crown Courts building, was completed in early 2005 by Silverlink Property Developments, working closely with Newcastle City Council.
The architects were Newcastle-based _space, formerly known as Waring and Netts, and the landscape architects were Southern Green Ltd.
The development includes 52 apartments, offices, a Tesco shop, pedestrianised area and three restaurants – Cafe 21, Silk Room and Piccolinos – plus a 500-space car park.
The project also involved improving the bankside, installing seating, and creating new access routes to City Road and the city centre.
The artwork component of the scheme, Give and Take, a sculpture by Peter Randall-Page, won the 2006 Marsh Award for Public Sculpture, held by the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association. The 35-tonne carved boulder creation is part of Newcastle’s Hidden Rivers project which marks key sites in acknowledgement of the five burns running beneath the city.
The Civic Trust accolade adds to a year of awards in 2007 for Trinity Gardens, which included the Pedestrian Environment category of the Street Design awards, a Newcastle Lord Mayor’s Design Award, a Hadrian Award and an award from the Worshipful Company of Paviors.
Silverlink marketing director Michelle Percy said: “This has confirmed our vision of wanting to create a space which people would enjoy.”
Occupants at Trinity Gardens include law firms Dickinson Dees and Ward Hadaway, bankers Royal Bank of Scotland, Coutts, and St James’s Place, Atis Real property agents, Saber Maunsell consultants, Maersk shipping and Silverlink.
The Civic Trust awards attracted 400 entries.
Judges described Trinity Gardens as “a new town square, pedestrianised street and bankside gardens. This scheme is a good example of the creative regeneration of an underused and overgrown site.
“The easy pedestrian access has increased footfall through the area, bringing new life and an increased feeling of security.
“A well handled scheme which has made an impressive and elegant transformation of an underused area.” Four other schemes from the North East won commendations.
The judges said Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead, has a “refreshingly high standard of design and the school fits sensitively within the existing landscape.” The School is owned by the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and the architect was GWK Architects.
Darlington Education Village is said to “display subtle inclusive design principles”. The site is owned by Darlington Council and the architects were Ryders.
The Wynd, at Amble in Northumberland, a residential scheme with 12 homes also received a commendation “for its natural stone garden walls and purple sedum roofs.” The architects were Jane Darbyshire & David Kendall Ltd.
Quayside Lofts on Newcastle Quayside was commended for “a development has made a major contribution to the regeneration of a neglected area of the city. “ The architects were Conran & Partners.
Nocturne, on the QEII Metro Bridge received a “mention” in the ceremony and was praised for making a “real addition to the night time streetscape”.
