289 Homes, Commercial Space and ‘Sizeable’ Green Space to be Created Next to Famous Salt Mills World Heritage Site in Shipley.
Construction of ‘Saltaire Riverside’ – a vibrant new residential neighbourhood composed of 289 sustainable homes, commercial space and a large riverside park on the edge of the Salts Mills World Heritage Site in Saltaire, Shipley – is on track to start in early summer. Urban regeneration specialist Artisan Real Estate is currently progressing the homes-led transformation of the 11-acre site sandwiched between the River Aire and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, which was formerly home to an HMRC office complex that closed in October 2021.
Demolition of the existing buildings on site – which mainly consist of two large five-storey hexagonal office blocks – is expected to be completed in the coming six weeks, followed by ground preparation works in advance of construction. Material from the demolition will be recycled and used to raise the levels of the site as part of major flood defence works, which will immediately follow the demolition programme.
Welcoming the progress on site, James Bulmer, Managing Director for Leeds-based Artisan Real Estate England, said: “Our local contractor, Metropolitan, has been doing excellent work of taking down the existing buildings, and we will soon be moving to processing materials which will be crushed and recycled for re-use on site as part of the forthcoming construction project. We are now hosting regular design team meetings, working on the detailed technical drawing requirements needed to turn our ambitious vision into a reality. Our commercial teams will shortly be going out to tender to find suitable trade sub-contractors to partner with for the project.”
Michael Hirst, Managing Director at Metropolitan added: “This has been a great project for Metropolitan. The former HMRC building was a substantial reinforced concrete structure, but our highly skilled teams have been effective, diligent and professional throughout. Artisan is an important client to us and we are working with them on multiple developments across England and Scotland. We look forward to a long lasting relationship.”
Artisan’s plans for the new Saltaire Riverside development include the provision of 289 new homes, more than 5,000 sq. ft. of commercial office space designed for flexible working and a café facing on to a new ‘pocket’ park and piazza. A sizeable riverside park will seamlessly link the development to the River Aire, providing woodland, grasslands and lawns to act as a natural flood water storage area whilst pedestrian links will provide direct access to Saltaire Rail Station and the canal towpath.
Looking forward to the forthcoming launch of the first new homes phase at Saltaire Riverside, Mr Bulmer confirmed that a new Saltaire Riverside home-sales website will be launched shortly, allowing potential purchasers of to register their interest. He added: “We are excited about starting our initial homes phase, which will deliver a mix of apartments and townhouses to create a much needed sustainable and low carbon residential community.
“Our completed development will become a modern interpretation of the adjacent Saltaire Village, bringing much needed sustainable family housing in an accessible, well connected and environmentally responsible setting. It will spectacularly open up a large riverside area, bringing interest and investment to the area and providing a natural, contemporary extension to the existing Saltaire footprint. This is a genuinely groundbreaking homes-led project in an area that is regularly voted as one of the best places to live in the UK.”
The neighbouring Saltaire Village is named after Sir Titus Salt who built a textile mill known as Salts Mill and the supporting village overlooking the River Aire in the second half of the 19th century. Designed by architects, Lockwood and Mawson, Saltaire has beautiful Italianate architecture and a rich history and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001.
The village was recently named as one of the 72 best places to live in the UK by the annual Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Live Guide’ for 2024. The Sunday Times’ expert judges visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street. Describing Saltaire Village, the judges said: “It was a model village when it was built and two centuries later, Saltaire is a model address for 21st-century living. Now it’s all about artisan coffee hang-outs, cool cafés and restaurants in atmospheric surroundings, along with a snappy commute to the centres of Leeds and Bradford.”
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