New Saltaire Housing Development Proposal
Developers Artisan Real Estate have submitted proposals to redevelop an area near the Salts Mill World Heritage site in Bradford. Insider Media reports that an 11-acre site between the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which is currently home to a disused office complex, is the subject of the planning proposal.
The architects Axis Architecture and Artisan North have undertaken extensive consultation work to produce plans for 289 homes, a riverside park, and flexible office working spaces. The design includes areas of woodland and grassland which would act as a natural floodwater storage area.
James Bulmer, development director at Leeds-based Artisan North, said: “Our proposals for Saltaire Riverside herald another significant addition to Artisan’s enviable list of transformational regeneration projects in highly desirable regional locations across the UK.”
He added: “Progressing such a large development on the very edge of a UNESCO World Heritage site brings its own set of challenges and responsibilities, and we have taken time to understand and reflect the unique historical contexts of the Salts Mill location.”
“We have spent considerable time working closely with local residents and groups to ensure our plans meet the need, wants and demands of this unique location.”
Saltaire Village on the edge of Bradford takes its name from Sir Titus Salt, who owned the nearby Salts Mill, the imposing Italianate textile mill which still stands on the banks of the River Aire. During the early 19th century when the textile industry in Northern England was at its height, workers endured polluted and overcrowded conditions and low wages.
As Titus Salt became a successful textile manufacturer, he became increasingly concerned by the poor health and social conditions in his home town. By 1848, he rose to the position of Mayor of Bradford, and along with local architects Henry Lockwood and Richard Mawson, he envisaged a new mill on the edge of the town, with a purpose-built village for workers.
The architects were influenced by the Italian Renaissance style, and the village of 800 high quality houses, a church, school, hospital, baths, and wash house was known as Saltaire. There was also an adult education provision, almshouses for the needy and elderly, and open green parks.
Work on the scheme began in 1851, and by 1853, the new mill opened with a celebratory banquet for the workers. Titus Salt was one of the first employers in the country to introduce minimum health and safety standards, and a maximum 10 hour working day for employees.
The completion of the entire village took a further 20 years, and Titus Salt died a few weeks after it was completed in 1876. He was given a civic funeral, and 100,000 people turned out to attend.
A statue was erected in his memory, and stands it Roberts Park in the village. Saltaire was awarded World Heritage Status by UNESCO in 2001, thanks to the efforts of a group of local historians.
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