North west facelift...

Interesting news popping up on Commonty radar this morning from Collective Architects 

Here's some text from their site...


Winning entry for a national competition to masterplan the North West of Dumfries and consider how this detached quarter of the town which has been cut off by the A75 and A76 can be linked back into the town centre. The regeneration is centred on four widely spaced sites with the potential to be connected by existing open space, a new cycle path running along a disused railway and the River Nith.


Collective Architecture masterplanned the project and developed an arts strategy in consultation with the local community linking the open space by improving pathways, keep fit activity for all ages, and cycle routes. The new routes will run from the local secondary school into the centre of town.  Collective Architecture has also worked closely with community artists developing interventions based on the themes of heritage, nature and activity. These interventions incorporate new gardens, sports facilities and play spaces designed with local children. Working with Dumfries and Galloway Council, new attenuation wildlife ponds are under construction, which are intended to provide education facilities for the local schools along the three themes. 


Three of the four sites were taken to design stage by DGHP’s in-house architects with the fourth most central located site being designed by Collective Architecture. Regular meetings were held with the groups of architects to develop the sites through planning approval and all formed part of a bulk procurement process to be constructed by the same contractor. Together all four sites will provide over 400 new homes and local amenities for NW Dumfries.


Central Lochside, designed by Collective Architecture provides 78 new homes including for rent, for sale and shared equity accommodation. These have specifically been ‘pepper potted’ around the site to integrate these various tenures with a view to long term sustainability of the community. The site is due for completion in August 2011 and will complete the construction of the overall masterplan and change the face of North West Dumfries.