The River Hull Tidal Barrier.
The River Hull Tidal Barrier.

Huge flood-proof Hull development a step closer

The final submissions for Hull’s first large-scale flood-proof development have been shortlisted.

Earlier this year, Hull City Council announced a competition in conjunction with RIBA, seeking water-resilient design ideas for a major residential development in Humber Quays West and Hull Arena.

Both sites have been earmarked for housing development involving apartments and modern terraced properties.

The five shortlisted teams who will present their design concepts to the panel on Thursday 23 May are:

  • Alessandra Covino with Salvatore Catapano, London
  • AR Urbanism with Greysmith Associates, London
  • Condy Lofthouse Architects, Liverpool
  • Harper Perry, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
  • John Puttick Associates, London

Alex Codd, Hull City Council’s assistant director economic development and regeneration, said: “The interest and response to the design competition has been really positive and we’re really impressed with the calibre of design standard.

“The competition is helping us move further forward in terms of raising the design quality of housing and responding to the need for water resilient communities through design approaches that embrace the principles of the Living with Water initiative.

“We’re looking forward to the next stage of the competition and confirming the best design proposal for this key site.”

Last year, the RIBA published a report outlining what the Government needs to do to help create homes and communities that are resilient to flood damage.

The Value of Flood-Resilient Architectural Design report stresses that the UK can no longer base its approach to managing flood risk on simply keeping water out.

The Witching Hour is at Hull's East Park. Image credit: Tom Arran.