PUBLIC REALM

Preparations for the City of Culture 2017 gave Hull a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform the City Centre and this certainly has been achieved.  The public realm flows through the city starting from the Paragon Interchange down through some of the most important areas of our City, finishing in our historic marina area.  The public realm has given our City the greatest makeover seen in many years, and firmly made it somewhere that can compete with other cities around the country.

artist impression Jameson Street
Jameson Street Post public realm

At the end of Jameson Street a new pedestrianised square has been created, this provides an area for events such as markets or entertainment to take place.

You are then drawn by the new paving through to King Edward Street which will has new trees planted and outside café space.

At the end of King Edward Street is the magnificent Queen Victoria Square which has been made even more impressive by the series of works that has taken place transforming it into a place people want to use throughout the year. It is the heart of the City and a destination for visitors to enjoy, the space will be used for large events but the new design has created a space where people choose to spend time and can feel proud of.

Whitefriargate the gateway to the Old Town, the paving changes to sandstone and a beautiful granite like material called porphyry provides a look equivalent to a modern cobbled effect, that you would have expected to see in this area a few hundred years ago. The street has been designed to host occasional markets, new wall lanterns have been fitted and new seating put in place.

The paving then leads you into Trinity House Lane and ultimately Trinity Square, where the existing church wall has been removed creating one large open space and a beautiful area for the incredible Trinity Church.

The Fruit Market area has a deliberately different ‘feel’ to the rest of the City the public realm enhancing its already quirky and cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Humber Dock Street existing cobbles and historic rail tracks where lifted, cleaned and re-laid, and new walkways and crossing points created to ensure accessibility for all. Pavement cafes encouraged so people can get the most enjoyment from looking out over our wonderful marina.

humber dock street pre public realm
humber dock street post public realm

Who is involved?

  • Hull City Council
  • Eurovia Contracting
  • £26m investment including
    • Grant funding £0.85m
    • External project investment £0.4m
  • 111 jobs

The Public Realm works start at Paragon Interchange where residents and visitors cross the newly upgraded street crossing into Paragon Square, this has created a high quality entrance to the City. The new attractive granite paving starts here and continues as you move into Jameson Street. It was recognised what an important shopping area this is so everything has now become more centralised, including the planting of the new trees, providing wider pedestrian areas so access to shops is easier. There is also more places to sit for different ages groups and space for outdoor cafes.

A large informal seating area has been installed which overlooks an impressive water feature where children, and adults, can cool off play during hot summer days or sit and enjoy on more relaxing days. The feature can be turned off to create another large events space.

Queen Victoria statue still takes pride of place in the square with improved lighting making it look even more impressive.

artist impression
queen victoria square post public realm

Eight square mirror pools reflect the detail of the church building as you move through the space. The pools are very thin and can be drained when any events are being held, but add to the special character and ambience of this area. Seating has been installed and again pavement cafes encouraged with plenty of space to hold markets and events throughout the year.

The cobbled streets continue down Humber Street which is a vital part of the regeneration of the Fruit Market. The road has now been closed to through traffic to creating a more flexible space for festivals and markets. New seating inspired by fruit crates has been positioned on either end of the street and the newly opened vibrant restaurants and cafe bars spill out onto the paved areas with plenty of outside seating creating a real cosmopolitan feel.

artist impression of humber street
humber street post public realm

Timescales

Completed Summer 2017

100%

100% Complete