Client
Torus
Location
St Helens
Value
Undisclosed
Date Completed
Feasibility Summer 2018
Development Overview
Torus appointed Ainsley Gommon Architects to carry out a feasibility study and some initial design proposals for the regeneration of an existing community Library and Sports Centre, Sure Start Children’s Centre and surrounding landscape, on the edge of the Four Acre Estate in St. Helens.
- Minor changes to the inside of the LEAF Centre will allow it to be used by different groups at varying times of the day. Office space, library, sports centre, cafe and community garden all provide opportunities and activities for the local residents.
- Currently the library is quite inconspicuous, despite it being in a relatively large building. By opening it up, in terms of both light and space, it will help the building become more widely known as a community hub for Four Acre and the surrounding area.
- Minor interior changes to the Sure Start Centre will enable it to become an established community health care centre and a children’s support centre.
- One of the major aspects of the proposal was how the buildings could all be linked together. Removal of the six foot metal fences and replacing this with low level hedging was one key requirement of the feasibility study proposals.
- The LEAF Centre has the potential to become a thriving community hub, by serving the surrounding residential areas.
The study also incorporated a master plan landscaping design proposal, which involved relocating the sports pitch to enable a pedestrian route to be established between the Sure Start, Health Centre, LEAF Centre and shopping area within the wider curtilage of the site.
