Architects’ dock brief to honour lost trawlermen

Under the proposals, three-quarters of the remaining buildings on St Andrew’s Dock will be demolished, but key structures like the former Lord Line trawler company offices retained.

The 6.75 hectare site was acquired in 2010 by Manor Property Group, which developed Queen’s Court in the city centre.

The proposals would see six buildings erected round the dock up to six storeys high, with a total of 1,231 bedrooms, with a gym, retail unit and cafe and the dock restored as a water feature.

Architects have designed T-shaped buildings to sit round the dock, with most of the rooms either looking onto the dock or the Humber estuary.

Manor Property Group has held discussions with the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, which some years ago set up a coping stone and plaque to lost fishermen on the Inner Bullnose, a familiar landmark for crews as they headed out to their fishing grounds.

The plan is to have a garden where people can sit and contemplate, with a wall containing more than 300 bricks bearing the names of all the fishing boats which have been lost since the mid 19th century.

Ian Kemp, provincial grand secretary of the Hull and District Province of the RAOB, said: “We are over the moon. As far as we know we are not having to pay a penny towards it.

“We are looking to have a brick in the wall for every trawler that was lost at sea with the name of the trawler on it. There are 6,000 names so it would be a bit difficult to put all the names on it.

“The wall will be on one side and a garden in front going towards the Humber with seating and a grassed area.”

But plans to demolish 15 of the remaining 19 buildings on the dock including the J. Marr building and River Chambers have caused concern in some quarters, as they form a vital part of the St Andrews Dock conservation area. The conservation area is classed “at risk” by English Heritage.

The council’s conservation officer has commented that the proposals “will lay waste to the centre of the conservation area – neither preserving or enhancing its character or appearance.” He says all 15 “make a positive contribution in some way and all exhibit either architectural and/or historic interest in varying degrees”.

However Adam Fowler, former chairman of fishing heritage group Stand, said most of the buildings were too far gone: “Many of the buildings are shot – unfortunately beyond economic repair. It would be a sad day, but realistically inevitable because of the state they are in.

“The buildings that are left form the hub of the conservation area, a higgledy-piggedly collection that developed organically from the mid 1880s to the mid 20th century, so demolishing most of them would effectively erode the purpose of the conservation area.

“We need to make sure that whatever replaces them reflects some of the spirit and character of the site’s former use.”

As well as the Lord Line building, the Seafish Industry Authority building will be kept and the listed hydraulic tower and pump house.

In a submission to Hull Council architects say they have designed the buildings to “respond to the grand scale of the existing dock basin”.

Their design brief says “the repetitive nature of the blocks is a direct response to the industrial architecture of the docklands - repetitive structural grids, fenestration and roof elements”.

The six-storey blocks will be “crowned with wave formed standing seam roofs” alluding to the estuary.

The council’s planning committee will discuss the proposals in the summer.

No-one was available from Manor Property Group to comment.