Creating space to halt in Haltwhistle

Our environmental arm, _space environment, has been called in to help put the official geographical centre of Britain - Haltwhistle - firmly on the map as a destination site and gateway to attractions such as Hadrian’s Wall and the Northumberland National Park.

Experts at the firm have worked with Haltwhistle Town Council and the Haltwhistle Community Partnership to produce a brief to encourage innovative developers to put forward proposals for a 7.5 hectare site south east of the town, close to the A69. The site is owned by Northumberland County Council, which has commissioned _space environment to act as its adviser.

The Council’s vision is to create what will be known as the Haltwhistle Gateway, to encourage people who would otherwise bypass the town to stop and explore what is on offer, both in the town centre, and the surrounding area.

Phase one is likely to see construction of a visitor information point, hotel, restaurant and petrol station, which will be surrounded by footpaths, cycle track and public open spaces.

The Council is inviting developers to submit expressions of interest before the end of January, after which the shortlisted developers will be given the _space group brief to help them create detailed proposals.

The _space group team will then assess the proposals and advise the Council on which submissions they feel best show exemplary design and build quality.

This is the latest in a series of Tyne Valley community projects carried out by _space environment, which provides urban design, master planning, historical and natural environment and landscape services. Earlier this year the team completed a £2.2m extension to Haltwhistle Library, giving local residents more library space plus community activity spaces and offices.

Tony Wyatt, associate director of _space environment, said: “This is a very exciting development opportunity that could really boost the fortunes of Haltwhistle and the surrounding area.

“It’s a beautiful example of a Northumberland market town and the perfect spot for people to use as a base for exploring the area. With the World Heritage Site Hadrian’s Wall right on the doorstep, and thousands of hectares of stunning scenery in the Northumberland National Park, there are a host of things to see and do.

“Around 10,000 vehicles pass Haltwhistle every day and therein lies the problem – they currently pass by.

“What the town needs now is a developer with the imagination and skill to create the right mixed use development that will establish Haltwhistle as a special destination. This will help to encourage people to eat, shop and visit its local attractions, all of which will bring in much needed tourism revenue and create employment for local people.”

MAKE SPACE FOR NEW SENSORY SCHOOL

SPECIAL needs children across Tyne and Wear and Cumbria have moved into their brand new state-of-the-art school with sensory garden this week.

Northumberland County Council appointed Space Group to design the new-build £6.2m Hexham Priory Special Needs School in Dene Park, Hexham, to accommodate for the increase in student demand.

As a special needs school, it caters for students with profound learning difficulties aged from three to 19, and will now house 80 students - double the number that attended the original school on the same site last year.

Space Group’s environment team were also commissioned to design the school’s adjoining 330sq metre sensory garden, which features a range of stimulants such as wind chimes, a water fountain, a colourful poker dot path and musical instruments. This was part funded by Northumberland based children’s charity Wooden Spoon. The new school also has a private memorial garden for the children to remember late fellow pupils.

Space Group landscape architect Katia Simmer said: “The sensory garden was created as a stimulating outdoor classroom for the children; a place where they can excite their five senses. They can touch, smell and even taste the plants in a herb garden.

“A colourful patterned path connects all musical instruments, water displays, mirrors, grass mounds, climbing boulders and timber seating. And stepping-stones made out of different materials allow the children to feel a different sensation on their feet.”

The original school, that housed only 40 pupils, will now be flattened to make way for a new playground.

Hexham Priory Special Needs School head teacher Michael Thompson said: “It has been so satisfying to see the pupils settle into their new school this week. The bright and airy contemporary design combined with the landscaped areas, and the separate nursery area for the younger children really works, and the pupils are responding well and thoroughly enjoying their new school.

“We needed a new school to accommodate recent increases in demand to take on students from across the county stretching from the border of Tyne and Wear to Cumbria in the West.

“Also as we have a series of outreach programmes, it is very accommodating to welcome the wider community to our new school.

“Funded by Northumberland County Council and designed and built by Space Group and GB Building Solutions, we now have a school which we are all proud of and which will certainly enrich the lives of our students.”

Space Group lead architect Ed Mapplebeck said: “We have worked closely on the design process with the teaching staff for the past two years and they have all been a pleasure to work with.

“Their vision to create a bright, vibrant and stimulating school design was music to our ears.

“We are all really pleased with the end results and it is great to see the children enjoying their new school environment.

“The school design strongly integrates into its environment, taking careful consideration of its surrounding landscape and context.

“Views both to and from the school have been carefully considered to ensure both students and staff have a strong sense of their place in the surrounding environment.”