MARYPORT

Project:	Maryport Regeneration
Client:	Cumbria County Council
Location:	Maryport, Cumbria
Value:	£168m
Status:	Shortlisted
Awards:

Maryport lies at the mouth of the river Ellen in Cumbria and developed from a small village to a prosperous town during the industrial revolution. By the end of the twentieth century, the town had become isolated from the main road and rail links within the north of England. A competition was launched in 2007 to develop a master plan for the dock area as part of the wider West Cumbrian regeneration strategy. Our vision for Maryport was to create the UK’s first energy-independent town which was to be complemented by development proposals forming a core of buildings founded on sustainable principles. These buildings reflected the planned nature of the Georgian town and illustrated how new development could complement the historic urban fabric. Maryport’s location on Britain’s Energy Coast allowed this ground-breaking scheme to plug into a network of regeneration strategies at a time when seemingly ever increasing energy costs meant that the proposals would have a direct and immediate benefit to the population of the whole town.