Hardscape are working with architects’ Austin-Smith:Lord, Jefferson Sheard and HLM Landscape to deliver a new £13.5m Chester Bus Interchange for client Chester and Cheshire West Council.
The paving element is being designed and delivered by HLM Landscape, Jefferson Sheard are designing the interchange and associated Buildings with Austin-Smith:Lord acting as executive architects and designers. Graham Construction started on site in September 2015 and is programmed for completion in early 2017.
Located within the Chester City Conservation area, the elliptical-shaped interchange will incorporate an enclosed terminus, canopy, retail space and café, forming part of the proposed £300m retail, leisure and residential Northgate development. The development promises better integration between bus services and the rail station alongside improved linkages to pedestrian and cycle routes along the Shropshire Union Canal.
As an enabling project for the proposed Northgate Development, the new interchange will provide a fresh and modern gateway to the city, helping to reverse Chester’s decline as a top retail destination in recent years due to the rise in out of town shopping centres.
As part of the preparation for site works, archaeologists have discovered traces of a 1st or 2nd century building on the proposed site. The beam slots, which are believed to have been used in the foundations of a Roman building, have been removed from the site and are now being analysed before being donated to the Cheshire Museums Service.
Hardscape are advising on and supplying a 6000m2 area of paving and stepped areas with a mixture of Yellow Rock, Kobra, Crystal Black and Royal White granite; Prima porphyry alongside new Beige Pirineo and Holcombe sandstone paving materials.
