Fielden Wharf case study

Fielden Wharf had been a blot on the landscape for well over a decade, and attracted a lot of anti-social behaviour. Thanks to a much-needed facelift, the site has been transformed from a derelict site into high-quality public space.

Fielden Wharf is used by local people, visitors and boat-owners. It offers a quality canal-side amenity with moorings and sanitary facilities for boat users; attractive flower beds; picnic tables for visitors; and a number of sculptures designed by a local artist and school children.

The project received a commendation in the ‘Community’ category at the 2008 British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) Waterways Renaissance Awards Ceremony. The awards recognise best practice in sustainable waterway regeneration and development throughout the UK.

The project location

Todmorden is a market town in the metropolitan borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, with a population of approximately 11,826.

A former restaurant, which had been derelict since 2000, stood in a dominant position at Fielden Wharf, on the Rochdale canal, one of the key gateways to Todmorden. The derelict property blighted the centre of Todmorden for a number of years, hiding the canal from public view and detracting from the character of the conservation area in which it stood.

The derelict restaurant

A partnership for Todmorden Todmorden Pride was established in January 1998 as a voluntary group, and is a member of the Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Market Towns programme. Fully constituted, its diverse representatives are drawn from all sectors of the community including council, business, community and environment representatives.

The partnership’s objectives are to build a sustainable future for Todmorden as a community, exploiting its considerable architectural heritage and environmental assets. To date, the partnership has defined a future strategy for Todmorden, and has assisted in the development of several areas of the town.

The rear of the restaurant

With no operating budget at the board’s disposal, these achievements reflect the very significant investment of time and the wide-ranging expertise which are brought, free of charge, to Todmorden Pride by each of its members.

How the project began

Todmorden Pride lobbied support to get rid of the old restaurant building and create a public open space which would improve the town’s attractiveness to visitors. Some within the community didn’t want the building demolished, feeling that it constituted part of the town’s heritage. The owner of the former restaurant lived abroad and had no interest in it, so eventually Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council issued a compulsory purchase order and once the building was in the Council’s control it was demolished.

The completed project

The project’s progression

As the project progressed, local property owners started to see the benefits, and began improving their own properties. For example, a local pub overlooking the canal refurbished its public seating area which is adjacent to the wharf.

Todmorden Pride was keen to make sure that the wharf was seen as a public open space, and involved lots of local groups to provide support. An artist was brought in through the Arts Council to work with local schools in designing the decorative panels and sculptures along the wharf, and a local craftsman was asked to produce them.

Maintaining the area

Fielden Wharf is maintained by Calderdale Council, and the sanitary facilities are maintained by British Waterways. A local community group, Todmorden in Bloom, contributes to the maintenance of the planter boxes, landscaped areas and decorative steel sculptures.

Key successes

• Views over the canal have increased and improved, and the wharf is now well-used, benefiting a wide range of businesses and offering a much-enjoyed open-air amenity.
• The project generated tremendous community spirit and ownership, underpinned by great support from several departments within the local authority.
• Fielden Wharf has opened up access to the town and enables Todmorden to improve its tourist experience.
• The project has been the catalyst for private landlords to regenerate yet more derelict land and to build new housing.

Lessons learnt

• Things always take longer than expected – especially when buildings or land are owned by absent private landlords, and when a compulsory purchase order is needed.
• If groups are invited to be involved from the start, and are kept informed all along, they
• develop a sense of ownership and therefore maintain their support (especially when things take longer than expected).
• Don’t give up. When the scheme was first put forward for a Waterways Award, after the initial works had been done, it was turned down for not being a big enough project. However, a second submission was successful.

More about this success story

Further information can be found at www.todmordenpride.org.uk

Alternatively, call Todmorden Pride on 01706 819617, or contact:
Steph Hiscott
Yorkshire Forward
Mercury House
4 Manchester Road
Bradford
BD5 0QL
01274 386908
stephanie.hiscott@yorkshire-forward.com