Urban Splash
Encyclopedia
Urban Splash is a British company which regenerates decaying industrial warehouse
s, mills, Victorian
terraced houses and other buildings. These buildings have mainly been converted into housing (apartments and penthouses). The company has also constructed new build developments.
Established in 1993, the company mainly worked in the northern cities of the United Kingdom
such as Manchester
, Bradford
and Liverpool
, but has recently expanded into the Midlands and the South in such places as Birmingham
, Bristol (Lake Shore) and Plymouth
(Royal William Yard).
The company are known for taking on difficult sites and projects that other developers will not, such as the Budenburg Haus Projekte in Altrincham
, Greater Manchester
, Park Hill, Sheffield, Saxton Gardens, Leeds, the Chimney Pot Park in Salford, New Islington
and Moho in Manchester and Lister's Mill in Bradford
. They also place emphasis on design, employing well respected architects such as Foster and Partners
, ShedKM and Glenn Howells
.
Urban Splash recently developed two landmarks in Birmingham: The Rotunda
and Fort Dunlop
. They have also been chosen to redevelop the Waterfront in Walsall
. In 2006, the company bought the derelict Birnbeck Pier
in Weston-super-Mare
, North Somerset
. As of September 2010 they have placed the pier back up for sale. They have also been chosen as the developer for the East Wharf development project in Watchet
, Somerset
and have submitted plans to the local planning authority (as of May 2007). Their redevelopment of Morecambe
's famous Art Deco
Midland Hotel was completed in May 2008. Urban Splash along with Hammerson
were chosen to redevelop a large area of Swansea city centre
.
In June 2008, work got underway of Tribeca, Liverpool
. The scheme which is expected to be completed in 2014 has been described as the largest residential development in Liverpool City Centre
to date.
Urban Splash are also the chosen developers for Bank Hall
in Bretherton, Lancashire; who will work with the Heritage Trust for the North West
and the Bank Hall Action Group
in restoring the building. In September 2008 Urban Splash announced it would be making significant redundancies due to the downturn in the UK property market. This downturn has led to delays on some projects.
In March 2010 it was announced by Urban Splash that they would be drawing up plans for an £80 million project to renovate the Pleasureland Southport
site and construct an outdoor heated swimming pool, while expanding the marine lake and construct a winter garden, which will all be housed under a landmark atrium inspired by the Eden project
. This development could form part of the 34 acres (137,593.2 m²) plot, which will be known as Southport Marine Park.
, a graduate of the University of Manchester
, and Tiffinian, whose initial business experience was selling pop posters in Affleck's Palace
in Manchester
. To expand his business Bloxham branched out as a landlord opening the N4 Arcade adjacent to Affleck's Palace. He then expanded into Liverpool, opening a shopping arcade called the Liverpool Palace and then into licensed premises with the founding of the Baa Bar in Liverpool with architect and Urban Splash co-founder, Jonathan Falkingham. Tom Bloxham has recently appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List
. In the 2005 list, it was stated that Bloxham had a personal fortune of around £50 million. He now resides in Worsley
, Greater Manchester
.
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
s, mills, Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
terraced houses and other buildings. These buildings have mainly been converted into housing (apartments and penthouses). The company has also constructed new build developments.
Projects
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
such as Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, but has recently expanded into the Midlands and the South in such places as Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Bristol (Lake Shore) and Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
(Royal William Yard).
The company are known for taking on difficult sites and projects that other developers will not, such as the Budenburg Haus Projekte in Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, Park Hill, Sheffield, Saxton Gardens, Leeds, the Chimney Pot Park in Salford, New Islington
New Islington
New Islington is an inner city regeneration area of Manchester, in North West England. Historically a part of Ancoats, it has now taken a separate identity to reflect its changed status as a regeneration area....
and Moho in Manchester and Lister's Mill in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. They also place emphasis on design, employing well respected architects such as Foster and Partners
Foster and Partners
Foster + Partners is an architectural firm based in London. The practice is led by its founder and Chairman, Norman Foster, and has constructed many high-profile glass-and-steel buildings....
, ShedKM and Glenn Howells
Glenn Howells
Glenn Howells is a British born architect. His practice, Glenn Howells Architects, has offices in Birmingham and London. Howells founded his practice in London in 1990 but later moved the main office to Birmingham in 1992....
.
Urban Splash recently developed two landmarks in Birmingham: The Rotunda
Rotunda (Birmingham)
The Rotunda is an iconic, cylindrical highrise building in Birmingham, England. The Grade II listed building is tall and was completed in 1965. It was refurbished between 2004 and 2008 by Urban Splash with Glenn Howells who turned it into a residential building with serviced apartments on 19th and...
and Fort Dunlop
Fort Dunlop
Fort Dunlop , is the common name of the original tyre factory and main office of Dunlop Rubber in the Erdington district of Birmingham, England. It was established in 1917, and by 1954 the entire factory area employed 10,000 workers...
. They have also been chosen to redevelop the Waterfront in Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
. In 2006, the company bought the derelict Birnbeck Pier
Birnbeck Pier
Birnbeck Pier is a pier in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England. It is situated on the Bristol Channel approximately south west of Bristol...
in Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
, North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
. As of September 2010 they have placed the pier back up for sale. They have also been chosen as the developer for the East Wharf development project in Watchet
Watchet
Watchet is a harbour town and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, with an approximate population of 4,400. It is situated west of Bridgwater, north-west of Taunton, and east of Minehead. The parish includes the hamlet of Beggearn Huish...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and have submitted plans to the local planning authority (as of May 2007). Their redevelopment of Morecambe
Morecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
's famous Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
Midland Hotel was completed in May 2008. Urban Splash along with Hammerson
Hammerson
Hammerson plc is a major British property development and investment company. The firm switched to Real Estate Investment Trust status when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
were chosen to redevelop a large area of Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Centre; Alexandra Road, High Street, Wind Street and the...
.
In June 2008, work got underway of Tribeca, Liverpool
TriBeCa, Liverpool
Tribeca is a development scheme currently under-construction in Liverpool, England. The site is located on the southern fringe of the city centre. The 2.5 hectare site is being developed by Urban Splash, whilst urban regeneration company Liverpool Vision have also played a major role in planning...
. The scheme which is expected to be completed in 2014 has been described as the largest residential development in Liverpool City Centre
Liverpool City Centre
Liverpool city centre is the commercial, cultural, financial and historical heart of Liverpool, England.Unlike many other cities in the United Kingdom, a ring road doesn't distinguish the city centre from the remainder of Liverpool, although an inner ring road of sorts does exist, with the recent...
to date.
Urban Splash are also the chosen developers for Bank Hall
Bank Hall
Bank Hall is a Jacobean mansion south of the village of Bretherton in Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* Listed Building. The hall was built on the site of a previous building in 1608 during the reign of James I by the Banastre family who were Lords of the Manor. It was extended during the 18th...
in Bretherton, Lancashire; who will work with the Heritage Trust for the North West
Heritage Trust for the North West
Heritage Trust for the North West / Heritage Trust North West is a registered Building Preservation Trust, established in 1978 as a charity and company....
and the Bank Hall Action Group
Bank Hall Action Group
The Bank Hall Action Group is a voluntary group which aims to raise public awareness and secure the future restoration of Bank Hall, a Jacobean mansion house near the banks of the River Douglas, in Bretherton, Lancashire....
in restoring the building. In September 2008 Urban Splash announced it would be making significant redundancies due to the downturn in the UK property market. This downturn has led to delays on some projects.
In March 2010 it was announced by Urban Splash that they would be drawing up plans for an £80 million project to renovate the Pleasureland Southport
Pleasureland Southport
New Pleasureland, previously named Pleasureland, is an amusement park located in Southport, Merseyside, England. The original park operated from 1912 to 2006 and was closed by the parent Blackpool Pleasure Beach company due to what they stated was a lack of returns after investment...
site and construct an outdoor heated swimming pool, while expanding the marine lake and construct a winter garden, which will all be housed under a landmark atrium inspired by the Eden project
Eden Project
The Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, including the world's largest greenhouse. Inside the artificial biomes are plants that are collected from all around the world....
. This development could form part of the 34 acres (137,593.2 m²) plot, which will be known as Southport Marine Park.
Founders
Urban Splash was founded by Tom BloxhamTom Bloxham
Thomas Paul Richard Bloxham MBE is an award winning property developer, founder of the pioneering urban renewal property development company Urban Splash and member of the judging panel for RIBA's Stirling Prize...
, a graduate of the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
, and Tiffinian, whose initial business experience was selling pop posters in Affleck's Palace
Affleck's Palace
Afflecks is a building housing an indoor market located at the junction of Church Street/Tib Street and Dale Street with Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter of Manchester in England. Dozens of independent stalls, small shops and boutiques operate in the one building...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. To expand his business Bloxham branched out as a landlord opening the N4 Arcade adjacent to Affleck's Palace. He then expanded into Liverpool, opening a shopping arcade called the Liverpool Palace and then into licensed premises with the founding of the Baa Bar in Liverpool with architect and Urban Splash co-founder, Jonathan Falkingham. Tom Bloxham has recently appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List
Sunday Times Rich List
The Sunday Times Rich List is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families in the United Kingdom, updated annually in April and published as a magazine supplement by British national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times since 1989...
. In the 2005 list, it was stated that Bloxham had a personal fortune of around £50 million. He now resides in Worsley
Worsley
Worsley is a town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies along the course of Worsley Brook, west of Manchester. The M60 motorway bisects the area....
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
.