Transforming a stark retail park into mixed-use retail and leisure-led destination for a wide demographic range. This included a rolling programme of asset management and public realm enhancements, with a masterplan intended to expand the variety and quality of retail and leisure facilities on offer. Leonard Design led the front-end concept for numerous asset management and leasing initiatives, culminating in a long-term masterplan for the site.
Working in close collaboration with British Land, Arcadis, Macgregor Smith (Landscape) and local delivery architects, Cooper Cromar, a vast and stark expanse of surface car parking will be rationalised and replaced with a warm, welcoming public realm experience running along a North-South axis to connect three distinct retail and leisure zones.Working in close collaboration with British Land, Arcadis, Mcgregor Smith (Landscape) and local delivery architects, Cooper Cromar.
A vast, stark expanse of surface car parking will be rationalised and replaced with a warm, welcoming public realm experience running along a North-South axis to connect three distinct retail and leisure zones.
The key emphasis of the future masterplan was improving the arrival experience with car parking, as well as rationalising the bus interchange and replacing it with a higher quality terminus. Additional development land resulted from this reorganisation to increase the area of public realm and to form a new, welcoming front door to the scheme.
Several studies were also produced to activate stark, single sided streets to the periphery of the scheme, plus to screen the ungainly service yards which currently compromise the arrival experience to the park.
Whilst the park is relatively new, shopfront designs and signage are poorly considered, with limited activation and views into the units. Leonard Design provided significant, front-end asset management design input and support to attract new prominent retailers, including Primark and Zara. New double-height glazed frontages combined with public realm improvements and canopy refurbishment works were implemented to satisfy requirements arising from leasing negotiations, whilst providing an overall theming strategy for the site-wide street scene.
Client
British Land