Hay Hill, Norwich
Project Overview
Project: Regneration of Hay Hill Public Space, Norwich
Client: Norwich City Council
Contract value: £3.2m
Originally a market place for hay, Hay Hill is now an important area of open space at the heart of the city, flanked on one side by Grade 1 Listed St Peter Mancroft Church, and surrounded by busy shops and restaurants. It is also a popular pedestrian thoroughfare linking the Haymarket and The Forum, Chantry Place and Norwich Market. Formerly set out as an Edwardian garden, numerous redesigns over the years had resulted in an unwelcoming and dispiriting grey paved space, offering a complex series of steps and level changes, and creating access issues.
Norwich City Council wanted to regenerate the area, increase accessibility, and seating, to make the best use of the space for the city, its residents and its many visitors.
Hay Hill, Norwich
Daniel Connal Partnership was appointed to provide Quantity Surveying services on the scheme, working with Greyfriars Project Management.
The new layout provides level access, steps with a handrail, more seating and new engaging water features. Green planting has been introduced to complement the existing mature trees, and increase biodiversity in an urban setting. Lighting has been improved. As well as improving pedestrian links, the regenerated area offers opportunities as a performance space. A purpose built ice cream kiosk, replacing an existing temporary structure, has been introduced to enhance the scheme.
To free up circulation space, and improve layout, an existing statue commemorating Thomas Browne – notable physician, philosopher and writer who lived and worked in Norwich – has been refurbished and sited in a more prominent position on Hay Hill, while other smaller sculptures have been relocated to more appropriate sites in Norwich. All of which have contributed to creating a welcoming and vibrant space in the heart of the city.