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Huddersfield Waterfront Quarter underway
Strategic Sites has started construction of the £73m Kirklees College in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in a development which will help kickstart the Huddersfield Waterfront Quarter regeneration scheme.
The development arm of Wynyard Park plans to complete the 260,000 sq ft campus by September 2012.
It will replace obsolete 1970's buildings and is being funded by the Learning & Skills Council, Yorkshire Forward, Kirklees Council and the College's own resources.
Leeds-based Allenbuild is carrying out the main contract works with Turner & Townsend acting as project manager.
The Waterfront Quarter is a joint venture between Yorkshire Forward and Kirklees Council with Strategic Sites acting as development manager. In total the scheme will comprise 190,000 sq ft of office space, 300 new homes, leisure facilities, restaurants and an improved public realm with a new public square on a 6 acre site near the town centre.
Development plots for offices and leisure use will be available from summer 2011.
Paul Barber, chief executive of Strategic Sites, said: "Waterfront Quarter is one of the few major regeneration projects to proceed in the current climate. As well as bringing huge benefits to Huddersfield and West Yorkshire in general, the project also marks a shift by Strategic Sites into the role of development management, a natural extension of our traditional role as a developer."
The project will also open up the Huddersfield Narrow Canal which runs under the site to create a waterway which will also serve to provide cooling water for the college building. The public will be able to access the river and canal side footpaths in this part of Huddersfield.
Wakefield Waterfront & Hepworth Gallery
CTP St James, award winning developers, have worked for a number of years to bring forward a viable, deliverable and exciting Masterplan for Waterfront Wakefield. This masterplan has now become a reality.
The £100 million mixed-use development by CTP St James sits alongside a £26 million new art gallery designed by leading architect David Chipperfield to celebrate the work of sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth. Together the projects feature improvements to public spaces, new and refurbished buildings, formal gardens and restoration of the grade II listed Calder and Hebble Navigation Warehouse creating a new southern gateway to Wakefield city centre.
CTP St James has recently completed phase 1 which includes 2 new office buildings, the Navigation Warehouse refurbished as offices and a new residential building, Hebble Wharf. In the ground floors of these buildings is space for restaurants, pubs and delis.
The Hepworth, Wakefield
The Hepworth Wakefield is a major new art gallery, opening on Waterfront Wakefield in early 2011.
Designed by award-winning British architect David Chipperfield, The Hepworth will unveil a previously unseen collection of sculptures by its namesake, Barbara Hepworth - one of the most important artists of the 20th Century, who was born and raised in Wakefield.
The gallery's bold, modern architecture will be a fitting home for its nationally-important collection of British art, spanning the 16th Century to the present day. The collection features work by some of the UK's best-known artists including Walter Sickert, Anthony Caro, Ben Nicholson, LS Lowry, David Hockney and Henry Moore who, like Barbara Hepworth, was born just a few miles from The Hepworth Wakefield site.
Along with The Hepworth Wakefield's own outstanding collection, visitors to the gallery will be able to see works from the national collection of British, modern and contemporary art thanks to new partnerships with the Tate Gallery, Arts Council Collection and the Henry Moore Foundation. As one of the largest new art galleries outside London, The Hepworth Wakefield will also bring to Yorkshire major shows by leading contemporary artists from the UK and around the world.
As well as its ambitious exhibition programmes, The Hepworth will be a new social space in Wakefield city centre. Visitors will be able to learn about art, architecture and design through a varied programme of talks, tours, film screenings, lectures and artist-led workshops, or simply relax with friends in the stylish restaurant and cafe offering seasonal, locally-sourced food.
Wakefield Council is developing The Hepworth Wakefield with co-funding partners Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Homes and Communities Agency, Yorkshire Forward and the European Union.
Barbara Hepworth
"All my early memories are of forms and shapes and textures. Moving through and over the West Riding landscape with my father in his car, the hills were
sculptures: the roads defined the form..."
Wakefield district is the birthplace of modern British sculpture. Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore - two of the most influential sculptors of the 20th Century - were born in the district, just five years and a few miles apart.
Hepworth was born in Wakefield on 10 January 1903, the eldest daughter of Herbert Raikes and Gertrude Allison Hepworth. During these early years, her father was a surveyor for the West Riding, working from County Hall in Wakefield.
Hepworth trained at the Leeds School of Art where she met the Castleford-born sculptor, Henry Moore. Together with Moore, she moved to the Royal College of Art in London in 1921. The two sculptors, along with artist Ben Nicholson whom Hepworth married, became influential figures in the British modernist movement of the 1930s.
Hepworth received numerous public commissions including Single Form, erected outside the United Nations building, New York as a memorial to the Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld, and Winged Figure for the John Lewis Building on London's Oxford Street. In 1965 she became a Dame Commander of the British Empire.
Barbara Hepworth died in May 1975 in a fire at her studio home. In the following year, Trewyn Studio was opened as a public museum and sculpture garden devoted to her life and work and now forms part of the Tate St Ives.
Continuing Hepworth's legacy
The Hepworth Wakefield will celebrate Barbara Hepworth's achievements in the city where she was born and raised. Its centrepiece will be a unique gift from the
Hepworth Estate of over thirty original sculptures - many of which have never been seen in public before.
These sculptures - which include the prototypes for some of Hepworth's most important public commissions - will be shown alongside her workshop tools, rare documentary footage of the artist at work and The Hepworth Wakefield's excellent representative of her early carvings. Key bronzes on long-term loan from the Hepworth Estate and the Tate Gallery will give visitors a complete picture of Barbara Hepworth's career.
WORK on the city's £210m Trinity Walk development had been suspended after the developer's bankers refused further finance for the scheme
In March 2009, 185 workers stopped work on the development being run by Shepherd Construction, which said it was still committed to completing the scheme despite the problems. In February 2009 it was revealed that Wakefield Council had agreed to help bail out the privately funded project, which had a shortfall of at least £7m, with up to £3.5m from its capital budget to help save 1,500 jobs.
Wakefield Council corporate director for regeneration Andy Wallhead said: "Though the council agreed a support package in February, this was dependent on borrowing from the bank.
"We will reserve this position until the outcome of our continuing talks on funding arrangements. The global economic climate is clearly having a huge impact on regeneration schemes around the country.
"We want to reassure people that the council will continue to do all it can to regenerate Wakefield city centre and bring all the schemes to completion. The council and its partners have worked tirelessly to support this major private sector development scheme which is a key part of the regeneration of Wakefield city centre."
As well as retail, the scheme also includes the city's new central library.
In May 2009, a ray of hope for the seemingly-doomed Trinity Walk project was on the cards as council bosses hinted the project was on the verge of being saved.
Potential buyers were understood to have met with the administrators of the "210m scheme with a view to closing a deal described as 'a bargain' by council leader Peter Box. Coun Box appeared to suggest the future of the city centre retail and leisure development was secure when he addressed business leaders recently.
He told the first Friday networking event: "We are very confident it will go forward." He added: "It's a real bargain for somebody."
There were rumours of an announcement, but KPMG, which took control of Trinity Walk after its funding from the Anglo Irish Bank was pulled and work stopped on March 10, said there would be no news until later in May. A spokesperson said: "We are involved with a competitive sale process that is progressing well and we are looking forward to bringing it to a timely conclusion." Coun Box issued a further statement yesterday, after building firm Shepherd Construction also said there was no change to the situation. The statement said: "We are in contact with the administrators and are certainly encouraged by the fact there have been a number of bidders interested in taking on this private development. The council remains committed to helping see this scheme completed and we are now looking forward to further announcements on Trinity Walk in the near future."
Trinity Walk Wakefield Ltd, which was set up by developers Modus and CIREF, remains in administration.
The troubled Trinity Walk project looks to have now been saved. Developer Centros, from London, is about to sign a deal to take over the "210m shopping project after a cash crisis forced workers to down tools in March. Leader of Wakefield Council, Peter Box, announced the news at a full council meeting in June. Centros are currently involved with redeveloping the Castle Piccadilly area of York, and shopping developments in Lancaster and Bury St Edmunds.
Almost 9 months after workers downed tools, work on Wakefield's troubled Trinity Walk project should resume in January 2010 after developers struck a new deal to complete the scheme.
The development, which stalled after a funding crisis, has been taken over by a new consortium comprising Shepherd Construction, Sovereign Land and AREA Property Partners. And they say it will be completed by Easter 2011. A spokesman for Shepherd Construction, the appointed contractor to complete the building work, said plans for the 500,000sq ft scheme remained largely unchanged.
Council leader Peter Box said: "This is fantastic news and we are now looking forward to seeing this important city centre development completed, which will breathe new life into our economy."
Key Facts about Wakefield Trinity Walk Development
The primary upper mall will link with the City's existing retail offer and provide:
- A 96,000 sq ft department store for Debenhams
- A 20,000 sq ft store for Next
- A 19,000 sq ft store for New Look
- A 19,000 sq ft store for H&M
- A 10,000 sq ft store for River Island
- 52 additional retail and catering units of various sizes
- The lower mall, with a direct link to the car park is anchored by a 92,000 sq ft Sainsbury's.
In addition Trinity Walk will bring:
- A new self contained indoor market opened June 2008
- A new public library
- A 950 space car park
Trinity Walk will bring Wakefield up 24 places in the CACI's National Retail Footprint Rankings to 64th in the UK.
Kear reacts to Wakefield Wildcats' "mouth-watering" Super League XV fixtures
Premium Article !
WAKEFIELD Wildcats head coach John Kear has given his reaction to the Super League XV fixture list released today. The Wildcats begin their challenge with a trip to Harlequins on January 30 before consecutive home games against Catalans Dragons (February 7) and champions Leeds Rhinos (February 14).
Kear said: "It's not the easiest of starts for us or the Wakefield fans having to head down to London, but we'll be looking forward to facing Brian McDermott's team at the Twickenham Stoop.
"Quins proved last year that they could be dangerous opponents and playing in front of their own fans they'll be determined to make the best possible start to the season by collecting both points. It'll be up to us to counter that challenge."
He added: "The Catalans were a much improved side by the end of the 2009 season and we'll have to be on our form to withstand their challenge when we open the season at the Hearwell Stadium. The Dragons came close to making the 2009 Grand Final and they'll want to build on that in 2010.
"We finished fifth and we too have ambitions to improve on that placing. It should be a fascinating battle." Kear said: "It's all exciting stuff. Whichever way you look there are riveting encounters and there's going to be plenty on offer for Wildcats fans this year.
"I've no doubt playing standards will have risen again and most of the Super League clubs have recruited well during the break. "We're going into the 2010 season full of confidence and after seeing this mouth-watering fixture list, I just can't wait."
Boost for tenants as regeneration of South Elmsall draws closer
The regeneration of the Westfield Lane area of South Elmsall moves a step closer on 7 May when local residents are invited to a public exhibition of plans and proposals to transform the area.
Initial ideas for planned improvements, including proposals for new housing, updates on Frickley Country Park and the creation of a wild meadow will all be part of the display.
Cllr Denise Jeffery, Wakefield Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for regeneration spoke about the positive difference the ideas would have to the lives of people living in the area, and the importance of keeping residents in the loop to ensure investment is made in the right places.
The exhibition will be held at South Elmsall Social Centre on Westfield Lane from 12.00 pm to 6.00 pm.
New opportunity to live and work in Wakefield city centre
The demolition of the annexe to County Hall will herald a milestone in the regeneration of the Westgate area of Wakefield city centre. The hall, a grade I listed building dates back to the late 1800s although the concrete annexe was added in 1969. The Westgate area is being developed into Merchant Gate, a £140m business centre located around old yards next to Westgate station.
The demolition of the annexe marks the first step in this exciting development which will create an inspired and vibrant new urban community, offering residents the opportunity to live and work in the city centre.
The development will include three new combined office and leisure buildings, retail outlets, residential block, multi-storey car park and stylish public square which will open in summer 2010.
Green roots for Hemsworth building scheme
Wakefield Council has launched a temporary scheme to turn empty land in the Hemsworth area into a wild meadow. Old derelict houses have been demolished in areas of the West End estate and the cleared area will offer a chance for local school children to learn about horticulture.
Youngsters, with the help of a heavy horse called Big Lad, will also learn traditional methods of seed sowing and planting flower seeds as part of a landscaping plan for the area.
The Council, working with Green Estate Ltd, decided to create something the local community could enjoy and take ownership of rather than leave the land untended.
The land will eventually be developed as work continues to move forward on the overall regeneration and building scheme.
A Pioneering Move For The Sixth Form
A possible site for Dewsbury's new sixth form college may also mean keeping one foot in the past.
Dewsbury MP, Shahid Malik, said that the possible location of the college at Pioneer House could provide both a new lease of life for the Grade II listed building and inject a much-needed boost to the town's economy.
In the absence of available sites in the town centre for a new-build, the 'recycling' of Pioneer House would provide an opportunity to mix past with present and give both students and the community the best of both worlds.
It's also good news for landlords and tenants as it will make Dewsbury a more attractive and sought-after place to live and work.
Improved Healthcare Choice For Wakefield Mums
Mums-to-be in Wakefield will have one less thing to worry about when the new Pinderfields hospital opens in 2011. Pinderfields will have a new consultant-led maternity ward and if plans go ahead, an on-site intensive care unit for newborns.
The new facilities will include a consultant-led maternity ward, an early pregnancy assessment unit, ante-natal clinic and inpatient ante-natal care - all on hand to ensure safe deliveries.
Specialist neo-natal facilities are also proposed which will help minimise the risk of premature babies being moved to other specialist hospitals.
The hospital has also been shortlisted as one of the North's most improved hospitals - providing excellent healthcare in the district to match its proven track record in education and leisure.
Roads Boost For Wakefield
Wakefield's appeal as a place to live and work is to get another boost to its transport links.
The North Wakefield Gyratory is set to get the go-ahead from senior council bosses and become Wakefield's most important highway development.
The pivotal new gyratory system will provide the key highways linkage to Wakefield's two biggest regeneration projects and will form part of the North Wakefield gateway scheme.
The scheme will include pedestrian facilities along the route, new parking for the school run and will also feature a 450 space park and ride facility on the A650.
Bretton Hall Goes International
Wakefield could become a cultural beacon if plans are given for the go-ahead to develop the historic Bretton Hall into an international research centre.
The centre would focus on arts, landscape and the environment and plans could include a luxury hotel and conference facility.
An agreement was close to being reached with the award-winning Yorkshire Sculpture Park over the plans, which also include studio space for design and media companies which would further regenerate the district's economy.
The new research and conference facilities would bring a welcome boost to the area and breathe new life into the historic estate for an international audience.
More Fancy Footwork For Casteford's Footbridge
Castleford has its feet firmly in the spotlight again as its most famous footbridge wins yet another award. The bridge won the community category in the National Waterways Renaissance Awards and was a finalist in the design and construction category.
The bridge also won an award in the Civic Trust Awards last month and with a place on the Yorkshire shortlist for a national architecture award, this famous footbridge in Castleford looks set to continue to make headlines.
Morley - The Most Patriotic Town In England
Morley must surely be the most patriotic town in England - after attracting record-breaking crowds into the market town for St George's Day.
The celebrations stretched over the weekend with town centre packed with shoppers and local bands on Saturday, whilst hundreds watched as St George led the parade on horseback from Morley Town Hall to Scatcherd Lane on Sunday.
The celebrations culminated in battle re-enactments and a host of other activities at Scatcherd Lane with the organisers are already thinking ahead to 2010!
Artistic Shopping Hits The High Street
Art could be coming to the Wakefield high street as Wakefield Council consider creative alternatives to vacant premises - in a bid to boost shoppers.
Exhibitions and farmers markets could offer both a cultural and uplifting experience to shoppers in the town centre. The government scheme was announced to further boost the city's attraction to shoppers.
If the suggestions become reality, shoppers could notice an artistic improvement to their city centre.
Linley & Simpson Expands Wakefield Operation As Rental Operation As Rental Demand Continues To Grow
YORKSHIRE'S largest residential letting agents, Linley & Simpson, has sealed a deal to strengthen its position in Wakefield - just three months after launching in the city.
As demand for property rentals continues to soar on the back of mounting pressures on the house sales market, Linley & Simpson has successfully acquired the lettings business of neighbouring Northgate agency Ashtons.
This week's deal has resulted in the whole of Ashtons' letting portfolio - which covers Wakefield, Horbury and Ossett - transferring under the management of Linley & Simpson.
"Wakefield is the newest in our Yorkshire network of seven offices and this deal will enhance the service we can offer landlords and tenants across the district," said Linley & Simpson branch manager Ross Harding.
"We only opened the doors to our Wakefield office in June yet we have witnessed a demand for properties that has already exceeded our expectations - a clear sign of the health of the rental market.
"This deal reinforces our position as a major player in Wakefield's residential letting market and enables us to stay at the forefront of its growth."
He added: "It offers landlords and property investors the opportunity of being able to access a wider pool of prospective tenants. Tenants also benefit by having a wider choice of properties to match their needs."
Linley & Simpson director Nick Simpson said the agency has just experienced the busiest ever month in its 11-year history.
"This acquisition marks another important step in the company's growth and gives us a strong platform for further enhancing the high level of customer service and satisfaction that we strive to achieve," he said.
"It paves the way for linking our presence across Leeds with our expanded Wakefield operations, to cater for the increasing number of people who work in Leeds but who choose to live in the Wakefield district."
The privately-run company has its roots very firmly in Yorkshire and has three sister branches in Leeds - the city centre, Horsforth and Oakwood - as well as offices in York, Harrogate and Wetherby.
Its dedication to customer service has led to it achieving the strict criteria required to secure accreditation to both the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), and the National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS).
Linley & Simpson's Wakefield office can be contacted on 01924 375245.
Coming soon - Wakefield's spectacular new market
The countdown to the opening of Wakefield's prestigious new market, which opens for business on June 23, has begun.
Designed by leading architect David Adjaye, the new building is in a prime position on Union Street, opposite the old market and the bus station.
An official opening will be held later in the month after trading has begun at the market hall, which will house 49 general indoor units, 11 retail areas in the food hall and nine shops fronting onto Union Street. A new open market will sit alongside the market hall with 45 outdoor stalls and room for three mobile catering units.
The Council has already signed up several local speciality food companies for the market hall in a bid to improve customer choice and to reduce the city's carbon footprint. Many familiar faces from the old market will be there and newcomers include a Polish deli and a Yorkshire tapas bar.
Outdoors, there will be an emphasis on high quality, locally produced produce on general market days but we also have some exciting new initiatives. Each Thursday there will be a global and ethnic market. This will offer high quality food, clothing, soft furnishings and other household goods from around the world. On Tuesdays there will be a reuse market where quality, fit for purpose, second hand items can be sold.
The new market hall is part of the Trinity Walk development by Modus Properties and Simons Developments, with the main contractor for the scheme being Shepherd Construction Ltd.
It is set transform the Marsh Way area of the city and in addition to the new market hall, includes:-
- more than 500,000 sq ft of retail accommodation including new stores for Debenhams, Sainsbury's, Next, H&M, Peacocks and New Look
- 72 residential units
- a 957 customer space car park
- a new library
Opening hours
Market Hall and Food Hall
Monday to Saturday 8.30am - 5pm
Open Market
Monday, Friday, Saturday 8.30am - 4pm
Re-use Market
Tuesday 8.30am - 4pm
Global Market
Thursday 8.30am - 4pm
Wakefield waterside apartments sold in record time
Due to high demand to live at Waterside, the most significant regeneration project in Wakefield to date, the apartments in phase one sold in record time. They were bought by private individuals, regional investors and Wakefield investors, all keen to take advantage of the luxury apartments, many of which benefit from a riverside view. The mixed-use development forms an outstanding peninsula on the south side of the city, with the River Calder to the east and the Hebble Navigation to the west. Developers Waterside (Wakefield Ltd), contractors J F Finnegan and the project management team were all involved in the 77-week contract to build the luxury apartments, which alone have a development value of some £15 million. Paul Hammond, development director for Waterside, said: "We're delighted with the amount of interest we have had in all aspects of the scheme and developments on site are progressing well and in accordance with our projections.
Over £5.5 million redevelopment of waterfront site in Wakefield city centre
Yorkshire Forward was set up by the Government to promote sustainable economic development throughout the Yorkshire and Humber region. One of England's nine Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). They support the expansion and development of business in our region by encouraging public and private investment, and by connecting people to economic opportunity. The organization has approved an investment of more than £5.5million in the redevelopment of the Waterfront site in Wakefield City Centre. Working in partnership, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) has also earmarked more than £8 million Objective 2 funding for the project. This is the first major investment in the city following the creation of the masterplan for the renaissance of Wakefield, and will see the development of 0.76 hectares of the 4.55 hectare site. The Yorkshire Forward investment will enable flood prevention works, highway improvements to provide access to the site and site infrastructure works to ensure that development of the site is not impeded. Within this vital first phase of works will be the restoration of the Grade ll Calder and Hebble Navigation warehouse to provide 2,600 sqm of commercial floorspace, the development of a new office building and 52 new residential apartments.
Wakefield Wildcats' Belle Vue stadium to be replaced by 120 homes?
Wakefield Wildcats' Belle Vue stadium could be replaced by 120 homes if a planning application is successful. The club, along with Cala Management and Tillion Partnership, has applied for permission to build 120 homes on its current ground site. About 78 houses, including a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes, 12 apartments and 30 affordable homes form the bulk of the plans. The news came as Wakefield Council chiefs met to discuss the planned 12,000-capacity stadium and sports village at Thornes Park. The council's cabinet was told of feasibility study results, which said a stadium could be built on the footprint of Wakefield College's Thornes Park campus. A business plan, including funding options and an investigation into sustainability of the stadium, will be put together ready for late summer. A statement from the Wildcats, tenants for the proposed stadium, said: "We have taken steps to apply for full planning permission for housing on Belle Vue, enhancing its current outline permission. This move will reinforce the club's Super League licence application in areas of financial strength and stability. The club will continue to work with the local authority to pursue aspirations for a new community stadium" A council report has also highlighted two timescale options. If the college moves out of Thornes Park campus in 2010, the stadium and sports complex could be completed by summer 2012. If it does not vacate the site until 2012, the facility would be built in stages with the stadium finished in 2012 and the sports village in spring 2014, but council bosses want to build a swimming pool as early as possible.
Multi-million pound plans to expand Calder Park business centre given the go-ahead
Multi-million pound plans to expand the Calder Park business centre have finally been given the go-ahead. The £19m scheme, which will create up to 1,000 jobs, stalled in January after Wakefield Council's planning committee deferred a decision after concerns were raised over flood risks and whether the drainage was adequate. Peel Holdings and investment partner Gladman Developments have now been given permission to build 10 two-storey office buildings at the business park, off Denby Dale Road. Nick Hey, construction project director at Peel, said: "This planning application follows hot on the heels of Gladman's successful phase one and phase two development and reflects their confidence in Calder Park as a great business location. "We are delighted that Gladman are investing further at Calder Park. "The development will offer further high-quality office accommodation with on-site car parking, set in an attractive courtyard environment. "Despite the current economic climate, this additional investment strengthens Calder Park's position as the fastest-growing business park in the region. "It is the number one choice for occupiers looking for city centre quality office accommodation, but with the added benefits of an out-of-town location like reduced commuting and intercity travel times, hassle-free access to motorway networks and a working environment that is second to none. "Calder Park is going from strength to strength with more than 45 businesses and 1,000 people already working on site."
Hepworth Wakefield Art Gallery to be home to unique casts and sculptures
Amongst the Waterfront regeneration project, the Hepworth Wakefield art gallery will be in the heart of the city, but it will have the city itself at its heart. It will be the home to a unique collection of casts by Wakefield-born artist Barbara Hepworth and sculptures by Castleford's Henry Moore. And when it opens in 2010, the new £26m gallery will have a dedicated Wakefield and Yorkshire in Pictures room, which will house the Gott Collection of more than 1,200 images of the district. And thanks to the siting of the gallery on Wakefield's Waterfront, the room will look out onto the Chantry Chapel, a place that has drawn artists to Wakefield for centuries and continues to do so. Nino Vella, Wakefield Council's senior cultural officer for art, said: "The Hepworth won't just be about modern art - we want to show all of our collection. "We want to create a ripple effect with what we show, starting in the Wakefield Waterfront, then to take it to the city, the district and then to Yorkshire. "Wakefield was on the route of the major tours which artists would take in the 18th century - mainly because of the Chantry Chapel. "We wanted to have a visual connection with the chapel and in the Wakefield room. "We will have a window looking out onto it, with pieces of art inspired by the chapel alongside it." Wakefield Art Gallery is in the process of digitising the 10 volumes in the Gott Collection so they are available to view on the internet. By the time the new gallery opens, the entire collection will all be available online. The new gallery will also have two spaces dedicated to Dame Barbara Hepworth. Mr Vella said: "They will show Hepworth's work and her connections with Wakefield, which will explain why and how she created them. All the display areas will be on the first floor - beautiful and intriguing rooms. The before and after will be remarkable. "Because of the quality of the Hepworth building we will be able to borrow from international collections." Hepworth Wakefield architects David Chipperfield have released new impressions of how the inside of the gallery will look. Work on the building started in November and is set to finish late 2009, with the opening set for spring 2010. A new footbridge designed to give better access to the city has been finalised and is set to be built in the autumn.
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