Design lead appointed for Kirkham revamp
The Paul Hogarth Company, which worked on Belfast’s waterfront and Titanic Quarter transformation, has been tasked with re-shaping the Lancashire market town.
The Fylde town has secured £1.8m from Historic England’s £95m High Streets Heritage Action Zone programme, which will part-fund a £3.5m project committed to revivifying Kirkham’s core conservation area, with further funding coming from borough and town councils.
The investment is a vital part of the wider £10m Kirkham Futures masterplan.
The Paul Hogarth Company team, based in Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin, in partnership with Fylde Borough Council and Historic England, will formulate and deliver plans to improve outdoor spaces.
These include the market square and central streets including sections of Poulton Street, Preston Street, Freckleton Street and Church Street
A series of consultation events will begin on Monday 19 April.
Disciplines coveed by the Paul Hogarth Company include masterplanning, ladscape design, public realm, planning and tourism & interpreation.
Andrew Haley, director at the Paul Hogarth Company, said: “This project truly resonates with our commitment to making a difference by designing places and spaces with people and the environment at their heart.
“Critical to the success will be the participation of local people and businesses and we look forward to working with as many as possible to help shape the designs.”
Meanwhile, Fylde Council is awaiting final approval of its successful bid to central government for support from the Future High Street Fund.
A FHSF grant of more than £6m for Kirkham was provisionally approved in December and it is hoped the funding will enable a new heritage and eco skills centre, arts centre and community cinema, together with redevelopment of empty shops and new town centre housing.
Historic England’s Tamsin Cooke said: “The Paul Hogarth Company has a proven track record of delivering high quality, heritage-led regeneration. We’re excited to see the results of their collaboration with the local community on the future shape of Kirkham’s historic high street.”
Andrew Chatterjee, Fylde Council’s HS HAZ Project Manager, said: “The challenges Kirkham’s high street faces are significant, and transformation of the scale needed cannot be achieved without considerable investment, new thinking and new partnerships.”
