Housing association and house builder Curo has been given the go-ahead to build an iconic £10 million community hub at Mulberry Park, home to a new primary school, children’s nursery and state-of-the–art community facilities.
The buildings, commissioned by Curo and designed by internationally renowned architects BDP, will sit at the heart of the Mulberry Park development fronting onto a new public square, within easy reach for residents of Combe Down and Foxhill.
The new community hub is central to Curo’s ambition for the development of the former Foxhill MOD site.
It is ten times larger than the community building required by the original outline planning consent for Mulberry Park. The distinctive, contemporary development of 700 new homes will be completed by beautiful open spaces and high quality facilities for use by local residents from Mulberry Park, Foxhill and Combe Down, drawing the community together.
Curo’s Chief Executive, Victor Da Cunha said: “We’re thrilled that B&NES Council has approved our ambitious plans for a new community hub at Mulberry Park.
“The development of these iconic buildings underlines Curo’s ongoing investment in the local community. We look forward to seeing the buildings buzzing with activity when they open in 2018.”
The hub buildings will house a new 210 place primary school, 70 place nursery and community facilities.
Local people have been key to the development of the community hub, from helping to select the architects to commenting on building designs. In July 2015, they participated in a workshop to develop a vision for the community building as “a warm and beautiful place that the community can feel proud of”.
This vision inspired BDP to develop designs for high quality, flexible spaces that bring people together.
Designed as a beacon for the local community, the striking buildings will be marked out from new homes by distinctive perforated copper alloy panels. Large expanses of glass will create light-filled spaces on the ground floor including a café, meeting rooms and multifunctional spaces.
The cantilevered second floor of the hub building will be home to an enterprise area providing lettable space for a range of businesses.
The new public square will provide space for the community to meet and gather and to host events and markets. It will also provide a safe space for children to play before and after school. The primary school building will benefit from high quality classroom and play spaces, including a new sports pitch.
Architect Chris Kenny said: “This is a unique project which will become a focal point for the communities of Foxhill, Combe Down and Mulberry Park. There has been a lot of community engagement from the outset to ensure that the design provides the facilities that the community will use and a building that they can feel proud of.”
Curo is working to bring on board partners to provide a range of services and activities from the new community hub when it opens in September 2018.