Castleford Project update

The Castleford Project is a unique collaboration between Wakefield Council, Channel 4, key regeneration agencies and the community to develop a group of improvement projects in this West Yorkshire former mining town.

• Projects costing a total of £11 million, range from a children's play forest on derelict former council allotments land, to a new river crossing and transformed riverside area in the heart of Castleford.
• Eight of the 11 schemes are now either complete or underway and there is good progress towards achieving the remaining ones. These include a town centre gallery and exhibition space; the new village green in the former pit village of New Fryston; Cutsyke play forest; the town's outdoor market has successfully relocated into a more central location and consultation continues about the new permanent stalls. the first phase of community park improvements at the Green, Ferry Fryston are complete and the park was recently awarded a prestigious Green Flag award. Work is almost complete on improvements to the town centre. A new and bigger town centre underpass has been installed and is to be further enhanced by a landscape design scheme.
• Progress continues to gather pace with the other projects including, a new river crossing. This now has planning consent and contractors have been invited to tender for work to construct it. There are further plans to attract investment to improve the riverside area with the help of a 'Riverside Improvement Strategy.'
• Ideas and priorities for the schemes were identified through extensive community consultation, a process which began in 2003.
• Some of the projects focus on improving the environment with more attractive and sustainable public spaces; some support neglected neighbourhoods and improve the sense of safety and wellbeing; others more obviously contribute towards attracting renewed interest and investment to the town centre.
• To offer the public an insight into the process of urban regeneration Channel 4 commissioned independent television company Talkback to produce a series of documentaries charting the people and processes involved in regeneration. Presenter is Kevin Mc Cloud of 'Grand Designs.'

About Castleford

Castleford was once an important centre for coal mining and glass and pottery manufacturing. These industries have been replaced by jobs in chemical production, clothing manufacture, freight distribution and out of town retailing and leisure at the Freeport and Xscape complex.

The poor built environment in the town centre deters inward investment. The derelict state of public open spaces, particularly in areas of high deprivation promotes low aspirations, poor health and cultivates the conditions for anti social behaviour.

Population is 40,000 and Castleford was chosen after evaluating more than 100 towns across the UK.

A panel including leading figures from the world of regeneration, design and development recommended Castleford because:-

• The town is full of active citizens committed to creating a better future for their community.
• Castleford has real investment potential because of growth linked to its location.
• Key stakeholders are committed to excellence in regeneration.

A group of leading architectural and landscape designers from the UK and overseas were selected by a local panel. They include foremost figures such as Martha Schwartz from the United States and Sarah Wigglesworth MBE from the UK. Their involvement reinforces the firm belief of all those involved in the project that good innovative and cutting edge design should not be confined to sites in major cities or commissions for the private sector.

• Developed in consultation with local people such designs can help to transform and reinvent areas blighted by the loss of traditional industries. They can also raise the aspirations of the communities they are developed within.
• The Castleford Project is about real and relevant projects developed with and by real people to produce tangible and sustainable improvements to local communities.