Heath Park masterplan shortlisted for national urban design award

The masterplan for Heath Park has been shortlisted for another prestigious national award.

Last year EcoResponsive Environments, an emerging design and architectural practice, who produced the Heath Park masterplan with site owners SOG Group, won a UK ‘‘Festival of Place: Pineapple Award’ in a competition celebrating the urban life of places and recognising developments where people seek to live, work and play.
Now the Urban Design Group has selected Heath Park as a finalist in the category ‘Frameworks + Masterplans Mid-Scale’ in a national contest judged later this year.
SOG owner John Lewis MBE DL says: “We are thrilled that both SOG Group and EcoResponsive continue to receive national recognition for our vision to transform an ageing site into a dynamic and revolutionary environment. Our plans aim to create a Net Zero place where people can live, work and play that meets the challenges of climate change and is a model that can be replicated nationally and even globally.”
EcoResponsive Environments won a global competition organised by RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) and sponsored by SOG which challenged architects, designers, planners and forward thinkers to create a sustainable futuristic environment, powered by renewable energy, for The Heath Business and Technical Park site in Runcorn, Cheshire.

The result was Heath Park, a mixed-use development on the already established and thriving business and science park. It revolves around a unique residential, business, science, leisure, community and commercial venture, built around sound ecological values, in a Net Zero Carbon environment. Focal to the scheme is a ground-breaking ‘Field of the Future’ Vertical Farm, powered by hydrogen, producing healthy, Net Zero, food for the local community.

Soham De and Prachi Rampuria, co-founders of Ecoresponsive Environments, said: “We are delighted that the Heath Park Masterplan is a finalist for a National Urban Design Award. The masterplan embraces an evidence-led, collaborative and trans-disciplinary design approach that balances financial viability with long-term environmental and social sustainability. Its selection for this prestigious award is deeply encouraging for the whole team.'
A planning application for the scheme has been submitted to Halton Borough Council following nearly three years of meticulous research. The masterplan, created in full consultation with Halton Borough Council’s Planning Department, involves adapting the existing business and science park to include:
• 545 Net Zero homes including 59 senior living and extra care apartments
• Ancillary commercial use including hotel and leisure use
• A 55,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art Vertical Farm powered by hydrogen
• 20,000 sq. ft retail

Mr Lewis adds: “Heath Park is a scheme that meets the challenges of the future through the creation of a totally sustainable environment. The aim is for the site to be powered by 100% hydrogen and other renewable energies. It is a realistic and commercially viable venture with existing buildings to be repurposed alongside the new development, with health, wellbeing, and clean energy central to everything.
“Heath Park is intended to be a vibrant new centre with accessible services including shops, restaurants, bars, leisure, arts and medical facilities that will be complemented by parkland and wooded areas for relaxation and recreation.”

For further details on Heath Park visit: www.heathpark-uk.com

About SOG Group
SOG Group is one of the UK's top independent operators of business and science parks and are renowned site regeneration specialists. SOG own The Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn, Cheshire, which is home to over 120 individual businesses that between them support the employment of around 2,000 people. Using The Heath business model, SOG created a consultancy operation under the name of 'Fusion'. SOG's Fusion team spearheaded the regeneration of a massive site in east London, formerly home to a global pharmaceutical company, where it created Londoneast-uk Business and Technical Park. Until February 2019, SOG operated Londoneast-uk as a sister Park to The Heath before selling it to a company owned by the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham. Through its Fusion concept, SOG helped to generate over £2 billion of inward investment to the Dagenham site regeneration programme. SOG's Runcorn operation is a unique example of how a successful science and technology park should operate. Many of the organisations located in the facilities are at the very cutting-edge of scientific R&D, with firms specialising from nanotechnology to carbon emissions research and from pioneering work on hip and knee joint replacements to water and waste-water treatment technology. As The Heath site has reached full capacity, SOG has embarked on a new build-programme which allows existing fast-growing resident businesses to move out of multi-occupancy units into their own exclusive bespoke buildings, designed and built by SOG's team.

For more information, please see:
sog.ltd.uk

PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
15th February 2023