Concept:
Kirkgate Station was described in 2009 as ‘the worse medium to large sized station in Britain” by the then Secretary of State for Transport Lord Andrew Adonis. The fabric of the building and urban surrounds were in a decayed and unsightly state and a series of brutal attacks at the station gave impetus to find funding to regenerate the site and act as a catalyst for the urban regeneration of the Kirkgate area.
Led by Groundwork and in partnership with Wakefield Council, the local MP Mary Creagh, Grand Central, Network Rail, Northern Rail, Wakefield and West Yorkshire PTE (Metro) and the Railway Heritage Trust. The regeneration of the station and surrounding landscape was proposed as a showcase for how an old building can be turned into a hive of sustainability and enterprise, with active community involvement.
The Grade II listed station, which first opened in 1840, was brought back to its former glory and for the first time in its history, the full facade of the building was linked and made fully accessible. The main focus for the externals being the sweeping steps which framed the facade and helped draw your eye to the architecture.
Groundwork Landscape Architects acted as consultant on the full externals which included the feature steps and ramped access to the platform and station building, access road, roundabout, parking area, bus stop and cycling facilities. Please note there were full soft landscaping proposals for the site which were omitted due to
value engineering.
The new station also includes a cafe, retail space, offices, meeting rooms for the local business community and incubation units for start-up businesses. The final project created a safe and welcoming gateway to the city and helped to foster a sense of community pride in the area.
