Case Study 1 - Leicester Waterside

The Leicester Waterside development proposes ‘325 new homes, workspace, retail, leisure and parks with green space prioritized along with maintaining connection with the surrounding blue networks.’ The waterways in Leicester are cut off from the city by historic industrial developments which lead to the waterways being disregarded and often forgotten about with the canal system being referred to by Leicester Council as an ‘underused and often under–appreciated asset, cut off from the rest of the city.’ Similarly to the Royal Docks in London, the area has been faced with severe decline in the past thirty years due to the waterfront no longer having an active role in trade and manufacturing in the city.

 

The hope for the new development is to reconnect the area and the city with the blue networks and creating opportunities for new developments to begin along the canal, reconnecting with the history of the area and its past relationship with the canal. Because of the nature of this development aiming to reconnect the city with the waterfront, the aim for the development is to become a thriving destination which draws people in, and so it was crucial that creates:

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•A thriving neighbourhood, offering a unique and vibrant place to live and space for local businesses to flourish.

•A place that reconnects Leicester to its waterfront, bringing investment opportunities for work, leisure and enhancing our urban wildlife.

•A place where people feel safe and comfortable to walk and cycle.

•A place where the streets and homes are built to high standards of design and sustainability.

•A confident place which values its history while embracing the future.