Wakefield Civic Quarter: Work starts on a new residential neighbourhood in city centre

When completed the Wood Street Collection, alongside new uses for once derelict empty spaces, car parks and land, will help revitalise the historic heart of the much-loved cathedral city.

A mix of heritage restorations and sympathetic new builds, the Wood Street Collection is being delivered by Fallowdale Homes, the housebuilding arm of Yorkshire-based property investment company and heritage specialists, Rushbond, in partnership with Wakefield Council. The Wood Street Collection, available for sale and rent, is a central element in the Council’s city centre masterplan, designed to meet the diverse needs of modern lifestyles.

Rushbond say the homes will appeal to residents keen to put down roots in a new neighbourhood where culture, leisure and business activities are on the doorstep.

Nationally and internationally recognised for its cultural riches and civic architecture, Wakefield city centre makes a striking backdrop for the Wood Street Collection, designed by leading architectural practice ShedKM. Fallowdale Homes has appointed Keepsake Construction and Mulberry Construction Group as the lead contractors on the scheme.

Mulberry Construction Group is leading on the careful restoration of the city centre’s former police station which will become one, two and three-bedroom apartments, available to rent, alongside new three-bed townhouses available to buy at Gill’s Yard – built on the former Council-owned car park of the same name. The apartments and homes are due to complete by summer 2025.

Later this month, Keepsake Construction will break ground on the delivery of Gills Mews, two and three-storey new build townhouses on the site of the former Rishworth Street car park, which are due to be completed from the end of 2025.

The Wood Street Collection will also include a new community garden alongside landscaping to create green space in the heart of the city centre, as well as streetscaping to provide attractive new public spaces and connectivity with the neighbouring amenities. Rushbond’s local ownerships include the former Crown Court building adjoining the Town Hall and the former Coroners Court on Northgate, both of which will be redeveloped for a variety of uses with further details to be unveiled in due course.

A feature of many Rushbond schemes is the introduction of public art to enhance the enjoyment of the places they create and Fallowdale Homes also plans to animate Wood Street Collection by working with artists. More details will be unveiled later this year.

James Dinsley from Rushbond said: “We have assembled a fantastic team of talents for the Wood Street Collection and this is an exciting milestone, as we start to see this new neighbourhood come to life. It’s been a detailed and intricate process to reach this stage, as we are working at scale within such an important historic area of the city and it’s a challenge we relish.

“The heritage of the buildings and spaces in-between are imbued with civic stories from Wakefield’s past and the whole team is inspired by the history of the area. Many European cities’ most attractive neighbourhoods are a mix of historic and modern buildings and that’s our ambition for the transformed Civic Quarter.

“What the Wood Street Collection will offer is a range of individual, original homes and public spaces for all to enjoy, building a new chapter for the neighbourhood and the city centre”.

Progress on the multi-faceted development marks another milestone in an ambitious programme of redevelopment across the City of Wakefield which is benefitting from major inward investment and regeneration to rival other modern, progressive northern cities, with the aim of attracting a new generation of residents, workers and visitors. Other major regeneration projects include the Kirkgate Innovative Neighbourhood Gateway which is turning old commercial spaces into new homes and invigorated public spaces, and the Wakefield Exchange project – transforming the former market hall into a new creative hub, set to open later this year.

Cllr Michael Graham Wakefield Council’s, Cabinet member for Regeneration and Economic Growth, said: “It’s great to see the redevelopment work is getting underway at Wood Street in the first stage of creating new homes in an historic part of our city where people can live, work and socialise. The transformation is part of our ambitious regeneration plans to breathe new life into this part of the city centre and to ensure its stunning historic buildings are restored for future generations.”

The Wood Street Collection adds to Rushbond’s significant portfolio of heritage buildings in the region. Earlier this year, Rushbond announced its Bretton Hall development set in the grounds of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield is set to become the ‘Groucho Bretton’ thanks to a new partnership between Artfarm and the Groucho Club in London. It marks the first time the iconic private members club has opened a permanent location outside the capital in its history.

Jonathan Maud, Chairman of Rushbond added: “Yorkshire Sculpture Park set the benchmark for excellence and beauty when it opened nearly 50 years ago and Hepworth Wakefield has built on those hallmarks. Wood Street Collection is our first city centre residential neighbourhood in the city and we hope to create the quality environment that many have come to associate with wonderful Wakefield.

“For a balanced lifestyle Wakefield is fast becoming hard to beat in West Yorkshire, with the proximity of urban to rural a major part of its appeal, accessible by excellent rail connections and the new Free City Bus. Wakefield is ripe for a new community in the heritage heart of the city.”

The first homes at the Wood Street Collection will be released to buy off-plan in the autumn and ready to move into from summer 2025. Potential purchasers interesting in registering their interest can contact Fiona Scott at the Linley and Simpson Wakefield office on 01924 375 245 // [email protected]

For further information on the Wood Street Collection go to www.fallowdale.com/wood-street-collection