Shipley Sustainable Community Hub Shortlisted for Yorkshire and Humber Regeneration Award

The new multi-million-pound sustainable community hub in Shipley, West Yorkshire is in the running for a prestigious award.

The Shipley Sustainable Community Hub, at the Old School building on Kirkgate, has been shortlisted regionally in the Constructing Excellence Yorkshire and Humber Awards, for the Regeneration & Conservation category.

Organised annually by the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing at Leeds Beckett University, the awards are a celebration of the built environment and the construction industry.

The year-long refurbishment transformed the pre-1900 building into a contemporary base for charitable organisations Hive and the Kirkgate Community Centre, which work together in in providing complementary services and facilities for the local community.

Designed under the team at Rance Booth Smith Architects of Saltaire, the works revealed features which had previously been hidden, such as the original windows and fireplaces, which were exposed, restored and upgraded sympathetically. As part of the project, solar panels were added alongside a heat pump, insulation and double-glazed windows.

The £3million project was funded with £2.51million from the Government-funded Shipley Towns Fund, as well as funding from the Community Ownership Fund, BD25, Mayor’s Climate Change Grant and the Architectural Heritage Fund.

Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Transport and Planning Cllr Alex Ross-Shaw said: “The users of the building were always at the heart of the project – some of whom remembered the building from having been to school there. The team worked closely with the community to understand what was needed. It was important to maintain the heritage of the building but future-proof it for generations to come.”

Chair of the Shipley Towns Fund Gill Thornton added: “The transformation of this building is incredible and it very much deserves to win an award, so I am delighted to see it shortlisted here.

“The space is now flexible and caters for everyone, with accessibility lifts throughout the building.  Acoustic ceiling panels have also just been installed, made from recycled plastics, to manage noise levels. What has been achieved here for the people of Shipley, on time and to budget is something to be very proud of.”