Practice wins consent for project next to Chipperfield’s £35m Hepworth Gallery

A Hawkins Brown Architects masterplan to revamp a series of grade II-listed Victorian mill buildings in Wakefield has been given planning permission.

The work at Rutland Mills, which have been derelict since the 1990s, is an arts-led regeneration and will include space for artists, designers as well as those working in the digital and tech industries.

The latest phase of a scheme to redevelop Wakefield’s waterfront, the mills site sits next door to the West Yorkshire city’s £35m Hepworth Wakefield Gallery designed by David Chipperfield.

The shape of the mills’ 34m high chimney, which was demolished in 1982, will be recreated by a steel lattice structure that will be lit at night to serve as a landmark for the site.

Hawkins Browns proposals for the grade II listed Rutland Mills

Hawkins Brown’s proposals for the grade II-listed Rutland Mills

Created for developer City & Provincial Properties Investments, the scheme will also include close on 3,000sq m of new buildings built in brick.

Hawkins Brown director Katie Tonkinson said the practice’s vision for the project involved the delivery of a “rich mixed-use” inclusive, creative and cultural cluster.

Hepworth Wakefield by David Chipperfield Architects

Hepworth Wakefield by David Chipperfield Architects

“The rich and diverse offering at Rutland Mills will entice visitors already following the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle to prolong their stay in Wakefield, while providing a new and exciting destination for the local community,” she said.

“Rutland Mills will form a critical next phase in the Wakefield Waterfront masterplan, contributing to and expanding on the creative, arts and culture programme currently generated by the Hepworth Wakefield.”

Hawkins Browns proposals for the grade II listed Rutland Mills

Site overview for Hawkins Brown’s Rutland Mills proposals