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| UTTOXETER DESIGN COMPETITION MOVES TO THE NEXT STAGE | ||||
| The future shape of part of Uttoxeter's town centre today took an important step forward with the selection of two architectural practices to help draw up a final design masterplan. Six practices had been invited to submit proposals for the redevelopment of JCB's Heavy Products site in Balance Street as part of a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) design competition. Their entries were put on display in the town and the general public was invited to give their views on the submissions. Now two companies – Birmingham-based Glenn Howells Architects and London-based McDowell + Benedetti Architects – have been selected to take the project to the next stage by producing further design work for the proposed redevelopment of the twenty-two acre site. Over 500 people viewed the six short-listed entries at a three-day exhibition in Pinfold Street opposite the JCB Heavy Products factory in early May and over 160 feedback forms were completed by local residents describing what they liked most and least about the submissions. JCB Chairman, Sir Anthony Bamford said: "I wanted to share the architectural concepts with the residents of Uttoxeter at an early stage and was delighted to receive so much useful feedback. When I visited the exhibition on the opening day, I talked to some local residents about the opportunities arising from the proposed redevelopment, but more importantly, I hope that I managed to address any concerns." Sir Anthony added: "The detailed feedback we received made it clear that any masterplan for the redevelopment of the site would need to take account of local concerns and be undertaken in a sensible and professional manner, which is exactly what I want to achieve as well." Sir Anthony chaired the judging panel that also included his wife Lady Bamford and their daughter Alice Bamford, together with Uttoxeter residents Katie-Jo Thomas, Norman Whittingham and Michael Lee. They assessed the six design concepts during May and decided that Glenn Howells Architects and McDowell + Benedetti Architects should produce further work on the architectural and technical detail of their respective proposals and work closely with JCB's project consultants as required. Both teams will present back to JCB later in the summer. Glenn Howells Architects was founded in Birmingham by Glenn Howells in 1990. Now located in two offices, in Birmingham and London, the practice combines architects, landscape architects and urban designers to deliver architectural solutions on residential, commercial, urban regeneration, education and arts projects McDowell + Benedetti Architects is a London-based practice formed by Jonathan McDowell and Renato Benedetti in 1996. The award-winning practice has established a high-profile reputation for design excellence across an unusually diverse range of architectural projects of different types and scales, including urban design and master-planning, including retail, housing and bridges. JCB intends to vacate the site and relocate the JCB Heavy Products business to a new, larger and more accessible £40 million plant next to the JCB World Parts Centre on the A50 on the outskirts of Uttoxeter. The relocation of the factory presents an opportunity to redevelop the town centre site and contribute to the wider renaissance of Uttoxeter. The Bamford family has links with Uttoxeter stretching back nearly 200 years. Sir Anthony's family started out in business in the town as blacksmiths in the 1820s. Uttoxeter was also the town where his father, the late Joseph Cyril Bamford, founded his business in a lock-up garage in 1945. An application for outline planning permission has already been submitted to East Staffordshire Borough Council for the redevelopment, which will significantly reduce heavy goods traffic in and around Uttoxeter and alleviate congestion and parking problems in the town centre.
For further information, click here to visit the JCB’s website
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