From http://www.lda-design.co.uk/hayle_harbour/

Hayle, Cornwall

Aerial view of model made in-house.

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Once a thriving global port, exporting Cornwall's tin, copper and famous beam engine, Hayle was at the heart of the industrial revolution. Today, the town is in need of regeneration but has a number of unique challenges to overcome.

Physically divided by a historic rivalry, Hayle gained a second dock when the Cornish Copper Company refused to allow Harvey's Foundry to have access to the existing one and the town has been fragmented by the various actions of the companies ever since. As a result, Hayle has failed to forge a relationship with its stunning beaches and the town's quaysides are largely derelict. The harbour is recognised as a World Heritage Site and contains two SSSIs but these place constraints on development opportunities in the vicinity.

ING Real Estate Development acquired the harbour in 2004 and has been working to enable the development while protecting the town's key heritage assets. Initial plans were criticised by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and a fresh approach was recommended, at which point LDA Design was appointed as lead masterplanning and planning consultant to reconsider the regeneration proposals.

Our masterplan reconnects the town to the harbour and the beach while building on the special natural, cultural and community resources of the site and its heritage. The proposals for Hayle include the Wave Hub, a groundbreaking renewable energy project, supported by the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA). The scheme will be the UK's first tidal energy facility, potentially generating over £75 million and creating at least 170 jobs for the region.

The masterplan presents a mixed use development including approximately 1,000 homes, a major retail development and a range of business uses linked to the fishing industry and the Wave Hub to improve the local economy.

In March 2009, our masterplan gained outline planning consent from Penwith District Council. Our detailed application for the first phase of infrastructure on North Quay was also approved, allowing the commencement of a public sector-led initiative to renew infrastructure and bring forward the Wave Hub project. The decision is a strong endorsement of the practice's approach to the masterplan development balancing major environmental, heritage and transportation considerations while painting a compelling picture of the possibilities for Hayle's regeneration