Urban Splash’s Royal William Yard wins Development of the Decade
Royal William Yard, by award-winning regeneration company Urban Splash, has been named Development of the Decade by Property Week.
The prestigious award was presented at Property Week’s annual RESI event in Cardiff; now in its tenth year the event organisers used the occasion to celebrate the best development in the UK in the past decade.
Property peers in attendance voted Royal William Yard as winner in the small development category, something which comes as a result of its transformation from derelict Naval Yard to thriving community and tourist attraction which has to date, attracted more than £50m investment into Plymouth.
Speaking of the award, Urban Splash Chairman Tom Bloxham MBE said: “Royal William Yard has flourished in the past decade; anyone who visited the area in the past will know it was empty, run down and a far cry from what it is today.
“We launched the first apartments there in 2007 and have since gone on to more than 200 homes, workspaces, bars, eight restaurants, shops cultural spaces – including the Ocean Studios artists spaces – a programme of regular events and a marina. I’m delighted the efforts of all involved have been recognised.”
The Yard has become a visitor destination in recent years, a stark contrast to the local perception just a decade ago that it was a closed fortress. Tom continued: “People would walk to the site entrance and think it was shut; accessibility therefore has been another key factor in our development process and we’ve ensured people can visit the site via conventional methods such as by car or public transport, but also on foot via the ‘Stairway to Devon’ staircase which linked for the first time the defensive western end of the Royal William Yard to the South West Coast path above the site.
“Visitors can also visit by bike thanks to the cycle partnership with Rocket and Rascals or the hourly ferry from the Royal William Yard Marina. Our efforts in placemaking have made this site a success.”
Anyone wishing to find out more about Royal William Yard should visit: http://ec2-63-34-210-119.eu-west-1.compute.amazonaws.com/r...
