Urban Splash welcomes HRH The Prince of Wales to Royal William Yard Tueday 15 July 2014
Award winning regeneration company Urban Splash has celebrated a decade of involvement at the Royal William Yard, Plymouth, with a visit by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales.
His Royal Highness visited the stunning waterside development today and was given a tour by Tom Bloxham MBE, Chairman and Founder of Urban Splash.
The Prince of Wales who is known for his interest in regenerating disused buildings has visited Royal William Yard once before in 2005. He told Tom “It has been fascinating to see it come back into use and to see so many people enjoying it. It’s wonderful to see so many recycled materials being used.”
Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Cllr Michael Fox said in his speech, “We are delighted to have you here to celebrate the establishment of Britain’s Ocean city 100 years ago. It is a marvellous opportunity to promote Plymouth and the fantastic work which goes on here.” He went on to thank Tom Bloxham, River Cottage and the entire Plymouth community.
Tom Bloxham, MBE, commented: “We are delighted to have welcomed HRH Prince of Wales to Royal William Yard and show him how we have developed the space. The Prince is a great fan of architectural heritage and has a real passion for saving old buildings; I know he has had a long and serious interest in this collection of buildings – which bears not only his son’s name but also has connections to the royal family as a whole.
“It was a pleasure to show him how we have brought the area back to life and to explain our plans for the final two buildings which will bring a five-star hotel and artists’ studios to this amazing complex.”
Tom continued: “I am excited to see the completion of this monumental work is now in sight; it’s great to see Ocean Studios already on site in Factory Cooperage and we are pleased to see planning has been achieved at the new Melville hotel.”
During his visit, His Royal Highness was shown how the ex-Naval Victualling Yard has been regenerated by Urban Splash in the last 10 years, transforming the fortunes of the 189-year-old complex.
The Yard has ultimately been transformed to become a premier destination for the South West and cited by city leaders as a ‘cultural hub’.
Hundreds of jobs, 216 homes and almost 90,000 sq ft of workspace have been created, while businesses and institutions, including universities, design agencies, architects and recruiters have been brought to the area.
A gastronomical hub for Plymouth, Urban Splash’s main coup has been their luring of fantastic leisure operators to the development including Bistrot Pierre, the Royal William Bakery, Las Iguanas, Prezzo, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage, Wagamama and wine bar Le Vignoble. Cultural delights come in the form of Rockets & Rascals cycle hire and cafe, designer clothes shop Bibi Mac, Envy hair salon, the Martin Bush Art Gallery and the yet to open One Royal William Yard – a myriad of tea rooms, fine art displays, interior designers, jewelers and secret gardens.
