We Made That wins Colchester city-centre masterplan job

We Made That has won a public contract to re-masterplan Colchester city centre in EssexThe practice, working with Colchester-based HAT Projects, has been appointed by Colchester Borough Council in partnership with Essex County Council to guide the development of the masterplan.We Made That co-founding partner Holly Lewis said: “˜Our team are delighted to have been appointed for this exciting commission in one of the country’s newest cities, and also its first recorded settlement.”The richness of Colchester’s heritage is truly unique, and we look forward to bringing both local experience and national expertise on high streets to bear in taking this work forwards.”The comprehensive masterplan document will provide a future vision and plan for the city, identifying key areas of growth, assessing future transport opportunities and providing a new framework for development.Colchester Borough Council leader David King said: “We are very proud of how much Colchester’s historic town centre already has to offer. This masterplan will establish a shared understanding of the most important strengths of the area, along with the opportunities.”We will be working with those who use the town centre and potential uses to shape the masterplan. The development of opportunities for our city-to-be centre is not an overnight job. It will take a significant investment in time, expertise, patience and money “ but we are taking the important first steps.”The masterplan is due to be completed later this year.The historic Essex market town of Colchester was founded by the Romans and is thought to be one of Britain’s oldest recorded settlements. It is popular with commuters and experienced a 9.5 per cent increase in population between 2011 to 2017.The local authority plans to deliver 43,000 homes in new garden communities over the next 50 years. The council launched a search for a designer for a wayfinding strategy in 2019 and announced it was recruiting an architect for a new £1.5 million community hub on Mill Road two years ago.The latest appointment comes just a month after Purcell won a competition to restore and repurpose Colchester’s Balkerne Tower , nicknamed Jumbo.The London-based AJ100 firm was selected ahead of rivals Nissen Richards and Burrell Foley Fischer to win the commission for the job, which is backed by local charity charity North Essex Heritage.