Fresh and new: the new Hull College building in the city centre.

Getting the planning right for key city centre sites

Proposals to revitalise Hull city centre include new planning guidelines that will help steer future development.

Following the adoption of Hull's City Centre Masterplan earlier this year, up-to-date planning policies, which will give developers the confidence to invest, are being drawn up to meet a new planning system being introduced by the Government.

The City Centre Masterplan's vision for a vibrant, safe and accessible city centre is starting to yield results, with office development and land acquisition now under way at two key riverside locations: Island Wharf and the Fruit Market. The City Council has begun a review of its Local Plan, which contains statutory planning policies that will have to be in place by spring 2007. In the meantime, the council and Hull's urban regeneration company, Citybuild, have commissioned a specialist team, led by Roger Tym and Partners, of Leicester, to prepare interim planning policy and guidance to enable the redevelopment of key areas to continue.

Public consultation on the interim planning policy is now taking place. The consultation strategy can be downloaded from the City Council and Citybuild websites and is available to view at public libraries, housing estate offices, area team offices and the Guildhall. People can also help develop the draft planning policy and guidance by attending a public exhibition and workshops at Hull City Hall on September 10 and 11. Following the consultation, several documents will then be produced and placed 'on deposit' for eight weeks, allowing a further opportunity for public comment.

The results of the consultation will then be collated and planning guidance amended before being adopted by the council next March. Coun Kath Lavery, portfolio holder for regeneration, said: "This planning work is vital to guide the future direction of change in the city centre, which with suitable planning policy support can play an even greater role in improving the city's economy by providing new employment, leisure, retail and housing opportunities."

John Haymes, Citybuild's development director, said: "Developing a clear land use policy, based on the Masterplan's economic rationale, will give developers the confidence needed to invest, and the guidelines will ensure that this investment is carried out to the high standards that the city deserves."