A team including BSP Consulting has been appointed on the North Walsham High Street Heritage Action Zone project.
Chartered landscape architects Influence will be undertaking the townscaping element of the project.
Master planning and consultation will be led by HETA – a studio of architects, designers and thinkers.
Other partners involved include Rees Bolter Architects as heritage consultants, BSP for highways and transport consultancy and Gleeds Cost Management, quantity surveyors.
North Norfolk District Council has appointed the team to provide sustainable solutions to urban planning.
It is a vital part of a vision to inspire people to re-imagine and re-engage with the town centre as the heart of the community.
It will focus on making the town centre a destination which embraces its heritage and community, creating a shared space people can enjoy, take pride in and encourages others to visit.
Associate at BSP Consulting, Jo Posnett, said: “We are very pleased to have been appointed as part of the team that is working on the North Walsham High Street Heritage Action Zone project.
BSP has extensive experience of highways and transport consultancy and we are excited to be involved in this public realm project in Norfolk.
“We are providing input on the highway design aspects of the concept design and options for consultation, which has recently started, and will also be completing the detailed highway design work going forward.”
Vibrant market town
Shona Hatton, associate director at Influence, said: “High Street Heritage Action Zones are such a key part of the future for our towns – especially post the pandemic – and are often driven by a strong local community interest.
Revitalising and regenerating our high streets whilst reinstating the heritage roots is critical to their success, now and in the future.
“North Walsham is a vibrant market town but has been waiting for a long time to bring forward a high street public realm project.
“Our previous experience in delivering High Street Heritage Action Zones has given us specialist knowledge and understanding of the challenges and huge opportunities in our high streets -and we are using those assets to re-imagine the physical and social environment in North Walsham – to enable it to be a prosperous town where people want to live, work and relax.”
Cllr Richard Kershaw, NNDC’s Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth, commented: “This will be an exciting, inclusive project to bring lasting improvements to the fabric of North Walsham and to bring visitors to the town for the benefit of local businesses.”
The High Streets Heritage Action Zones is a £95 million government-funded programme led by Historic England, designed to secure lasting improvements and help breathe new life into our historic high streets for the communities and businesses that use them.
Historic England is working with local people and partners to unlock the rich heritage on these high streets, through repair and improvement works as well as arts and cultural programmes, making them more attractive to residents, businesses, tourists and investors.
For more information about the North Walsham High Street Heritage Action Zone project visit:
https://www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/news/2021/march/placemaking-to-begin-for-the-north-walsham-high-street-heritage-action-zone/
