GALLERY | Designs revealed for Newcastle’s Orchard Yard
The 78-home residential neighbourhood in the Stephenson Quarter, delivered by igloo Regeneration, forms part of the wider £137m Founders Place scheme, which is revitalising the historically significant former industrial site.
The Orchard Yard site was once home to the Stephenson Engineering Manufactory. Over time, the area has seen a range of industrial uses before falling into disrepair, leaving a number of historic buildings, including the Machine Shop and Smith’s Shop, in a derelict and inaccessible condition.
Delivered in partnership with Newcastle City Council, the site is next to Newcastle Central Station and the 32,000 sq ft Pattern Shop, another former Stephenson locomotive building, which is now home to Atom Bank’s 600-strong workforce.
Designed by Newcastle-based acclaimed architects FaulknerBrowns, Orchard Yard will provide a mix of homes, including apartments, duplexes and family houses.
Green spaces are integrated throughout, including planted streets and shared gardens, alongside features designed to manage rainfall and support biodiversity.
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- All images credit: FaulknerBrowns
A key feature of the proposals is the re-establishment of historic routes through the site, with South Street, Orchard Street, and Sussex Street being brought back into use via new connections. Ground floor spaces for small-scale commercial uses are also proposed.
The designs have now been shown at a public consultation ahead of plans being submitted to Newcastle City Council.
Insiyah Khushnood, development director at igloo, said: “Orchard Yard represents an opportunity to unlock a part of Newcastle that has been neglected for many years, bringing it back into use in a way that respects its remarkable history while creating a neighbourhood where people can live and work.
“By retaining what is already here, re-establishing historic routes and introducing new homes, we are aiming to create a place that is both rooted in its past and designed to support a long-term community.
“As a sustainable developer, we put people, place and planet at the heart of all our developments – and that’s why community feedback is so crucial.
“Bringing Orchard Yard homes forward, as part of this major mixed-used regeneration scheme in the centre of Newcastle, is an important piece in the jigsaw for the city.”
