Plans approved for Wakefield’s former Coroner’s Court
The building will now be known as 71 Northgate and turned into a series of flexible studio spaces for artists and small businesses, as part of Rushbond’s ongoing regeneration of the city’s Civic Quarter.
The grade two-listed property sits across the road from the housing element of the scheme, 63 homes known as the Wood Street Collection, which includes apartments in the restored police station, newly built townhouses at Gills Yard, and the transformation of the former police superintendent’s house into a four-storey home.
Delivered in partnership with Wakefield Council, Rushbond’s aim is to both restore the historic buildings and bring people back into this part of the city centre via housing and cultural spaces.
71 Northgate will be the ‘little sister’ to the former Court House, which sits 100 metres away and is already being renovated by Rushbond into a space to be used for culture and events. The vision is for the former Coroner’s Court to provide smaller studio space that complements the larger cultural and events uses planned for the Court House.
Designed by Group Ginger, the plans for 71 Northgate, which were submitted in January, include no changes to the external appearance of the building, other than minor repairs to brickwork, windows, and doors.
A single-storey toilet block which was added on to the historic building will be demolished, and external landscaping works will include the removal of steps to provide an accessible entrance.
Harry Braid, development surveyor at Rushbond said: “The Court House is set to become Wakefield’s most vibrant new destination. It will be a place where everyone belongs – from designers, local radio hosts, independent businesses – all collaborating in the studios; to families enjoying live theatre, music and markets in the Village Hall, all while sharing incredible food and drink.
“The opportunity to breathe new life into this historic space, together with 71 Northgate is incredibly exciting.”
Jonathan Maud, founder and chairman of Rushbond, said: “Wakefield has some remarkable historic buildings and they deserve to be restored with care, patience and high standards of design and craftsmanship.
“Projects like the Court House and 71 Northgate are not everyday developments, they are once-in-a-generation opportunities to find sustainable new uses from buildings that have played an important role in the life of the city and aim to do so in the future.
“Our shared ambition for the Civic Quarter is to create something genuinely best in class in terms of build quality, design and the way these historic spaces are used by everyone in the community. Wakefield deserves that level of attention and ambition, and we hope these projects help lift expectations for what is possible in this part of the city centre.”
