New Town tour, Sunday 2 September, 2pm

This coming Sunday's architectural tour goes to New Town. It will be looking at the origins of this Victorian suburb, Paxman's engineering works, the Co-op store, the first Kendall school and lots more. Tours start at the Almshouses in Winnock Road at 2pm; tickets are £4.00 for adults, £3.00 for children; and booking in advance is advised. Contact the Visitor Information Centre, 1 Queen Street, Colchester. 01206 282920.

Deflection at firstsite:newsite

Some weeks ago, a letter published by the Essex County Standard darkly suggested that certain problems were being experienced with the the construction of the firstsite:newsite building, and challenged the council to come clean on the matter. Well, would you believe it, they have. According to a recent council press release, "a deflection in the line of canopy over the entrance way" has been picked up and "and further work will be need to be carried out to correct it" delaying the project by "a matter of a few weeks". No worries, then.

New plans for Jumbo revealed

A new scheme for Colchester's Jumbo, a disused water tower, was announced last week. The proposals include flats, a restaurant and a café. The proposed restaurant will be situated at the top of the main arch, affording good views over Colchester. A planning application is expected to be submitted soon. Read more here.

Heritage Open Days 8 & 9 September

Here's a chance to explore some significant Colchester properties which are not normally open or accessible to the public, free-of-charge (including the castle on Saturday 8th only). There will also be history alive performances outside the castle and, on Saturday, a vintage bus will link the town centre to the Heritage Fun Day happening down at the Hythe (see post below). A list of the properties open will be available at any of Colchester's museums, and on the colchestermuseums.org.uk website (but nothing's there at the time of posting).The event is sponsored by the Colchester branch of architects Purcell Miller Tritton. Read more from the council's press office here.

Vineyard Gate public consultation process starts

With a planning application for the Vineyard Gate area development to be submitted by the end of this year, the developer – Vineyard Gate Developments (VGD) – has begun its public consultation process with local residents and businesses. A website dedicated to the project is now live, and an exhibition about the scheme will be held in St James' House, Queen Street (the former Shoeworld shop) from Saturday 1 September for two weeks. According to Colchester Council Vineyard Gate "will be a contemporary shopping scheme that will be fully integrated with the town centre. It will include over 65 new retail outlets over four levels (including a major department store), a variety of places to eat and drink, a new bus station, additional parking spaces and residential accommodation... Views to St Botolph’s Church and the Abbeygate will also be created from within the development, emphasising the scheme’s unique identity and strong local character. Furthermore, the development will create a new gateway to the town centre by improving links with southern parts of Colchester including the Garrison site. VGD has launched architectural competitions for three key parts of the new development. The winning entries will help to create an interesting and varied townscape that will be unique and relevant to Colchester. A total of 10 of the UK’s top design practices – some of which have worked on some of the country’s most successful developments, including Birmingham’s Bullring and the newly-refurbished St Pancras Station in London - have been invited to take part in the three competitions. Colchester people will get a chance to see and comment on the entries as part of September’s public exhibition." Lead architects for the project are Colchester's own Stanley Bragg. Read more here about how the consultation process will work.

Art and heritage of the Hythe

According to Colchester's Courier magazine, a group of artists have been working with the community to create an art trail for the Hythe area. Here's some text from the magazine (which can be viewed as a pdf online here.) The route passes through some surprising parts of town, each with their own stories and character, which inspired the themes of the artworks. The Town to Sea Trail is part of the wider regeneration of East Colchester. Starting in the town centre the trail heads down East Hill, past the East Bay allotments, through the Moors, to Haddon Park, finishing at the Hythe Quayside, where it links with the Wivenhoe Trail. Artists Andrew Rowe, David Mackie, Becky Adams and Heather Parnell have been working with local schools, groups and the wider community on design ideas to link the trail together. More than 100 walkers joined a Test the Trail day in the spring, and added more ideas before the designs were finalised. A touring exhibition is now visiting local venues, allowing people to view some of the work produced by the community and the artist’s proposals for the trail. Visit www.visitcolchester.com for dates and venues. The permanent artwork along the trail should be completed in the autumn. Bob Bunn, chair of the Hythe Residents’ Association, said: “The trail goes a little way towards raising the profile of this area, and hopefully it will spark further improvements where they are needed.” Funding has come from the European Union's Interreg IIIB North SEAfaring Programme and local developers.
Some of East Colchester’s historic buildings and vessels will be be open to view for the first time at this year’s Hythe Heritage Day. The event takes place on Saturday 8 September, with a vintage bus offering a shuttle service to from the town centre, plus music, entertainment and guided tours. For more information contact 863998. Take the following link for a report on a "test the trail" event earlier this year.