Durham City Vision
City gets its say on Market Place revamp
16th January, 2009
Exciting new plans for Durham’s Market Place and Vennels are being showcased at a design workshop in the City, hosted by TV design guru John Grundy.
A small invited audience will enjoy a sneak preview of preliminary ideas drawn up by the design team led by architectural firm Ryder. They will have the chance to discuss the project and consider the challenges and opportunities involved, in advance of a wider public consultation in due course.
Durham City Vision appointed Ryder after it led a successful consortium that won a tender to select architects to develop ideas for the Market Place project, following a major public consultation process early last year.
Television presenter and architecture expert John Grundy facilitates today’s meeting; the first stage in a rolling consultation process following the announcement that £5.25m will be used to create a high-quality public space that can be used for markets, events and gatherings -- and as a much-improved gateway to the City’s Cathedral and Castle World Heritage Site.
City centre stakeholders attending the meeting will represent retailers, City of Durham Trust and residents’ associations but will also provide the opportunity for senior figures from both the City and County Councils to see the ideas for the first time.
The plans encompass physical streetscape improvements, including lighting and signage, and shop front improvements to the Market Place and Vennels, enabling the area to become the most important commercial asset in the City. A dedicated sum of £5,000 has also been set aside to pay for a thorough examination of the Lord Londonderry statue with a view to carrying out any necessary repairs.
It will be the first time since the mid 1970s that the heart of Durham City has attracted such a healthy level of investment. The Market Place has evolved and changed several times over the decades with the current layout dating from 1974.
Harvey Dowdy, Director of Durham City Vision, said: “It’s been over 30 years since the streetscape of Durham has been analysed in such depth. The world we live in has changed a lot in that time and we aim to reflect those changes while still mirroring the City’s remarkable heritage. It’s an exciting time.”
John Grundy said: “I’m lucky enough to have had a look at some of the ideas and I’m thrilled about what could happen in Durham in the next few years. A lot of work has gone into developing this project and I am pleased that much of the initial input has come from people who live and work in the City.”
The Ryder consortium includes landscape architects Southern Green, conservation architects Spence and Dower, lighting designers Speirs and Major, and Scott Art Consultancy, assisted by RPS Group (project management), RPS Transportation, GVA Grimley (planning), AA Consultants (cost) and Indigo Public Affairs (consultation).
