Plans Approved For Major Hull Regeneration Project
Hull Council planning committee have approved plans for a major £96m redevelopment of Albion Square. The Hull Daily Mail reports that the revised plans have been approved after several changes, including reducing the height of a residential tower block from 17 storeys to six storeys, and dropping plans for an ice rink.
The revised plans by Faulkner Browns Architects and landscape architects Gillespies will include 226 new homes, green open spaces, shops, and office space. The development in the city centre will require the existing Co-op and the former BHS buildings to be demolished.
The former Co-op building was home to three murals, which have been successfully removed and will be displayed within the new development. These include Three Ships Mural, Sponge Mural and Alan Boyson’s Shoal of Fish Mural, which were created during the 1960’s.
The BBC reports that the Three Ships Mural was almost demolished, because it contains dangerously high levels of asbestos. However, after a campaign by heritage groups, the mural was given Grade II listed status, and the council changed their plans. Cranes were used to lift the artwork from the store, and it will now be renovated.
Alan Boyson (1930-2018) was a muralist and sculptor who worked mainly with glass, concrete, and ceramics. He worked as a lecturer in the School of Ceramics at Wolverhampton University, as well as taking commissions for public pieces of art.
His other notable works include The Tree of Knowledge, which is sited at the former Cromwell School for Girls in Salford. It was given Grade II listed status in 2009 when the school was due to be demolished. The concrete, glass and pebble relief mural which measures 7 metres square was left in place, together with supporting walls.
The design which features five birds and an owl sitting in a tree, was described thus on the listing notice: “It has a high level of aesthetic and artistic quality represented in a bold and striking composition.”
The Shoal of Fish mural was originally created as a decoration for the Skyline Ballroom, but it become boxed in during building alterations, and lay forgotten until 2011. The 16 ceramic fish are set in a marble mosaic. The designs were intended to reflect Hull’s seafaring culture as a major port city.
All three murals will now have a place in the new plans for Albion Square. The council’s arts and culture manager, Paul Holloway, said: “We are pleased it’s possible to remove Boyson’s fish mural and to retain some of Hull’s history and culture, and for it to be incorporated into the future of the city.”
Former council leader Daren Hale said: “I am really pleased that the committee approved this development, and it has been under a question mark a few times.”
“However, it will go ahead. I am delighted to know this area now has a great future and will not only see huge improvement but attract jobs, accommodation and create a really interesting urban space in the middle of the city centre that everyone will enjoy.”
Work is expected to start in Autumn 2023, with a completion date of 2026.
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