Award-winning architectural practice, Corstorphine + Wright has been appointed to develop a new marina at Stourport to meet a growing demand from the area’s tourism and leisure industry.
The development will transform the currently undeveloped 7.3 acre site, with the state-of-the-art marina providing 404 new berths, business and commercial space, picnic and recreation areas, and 84 new holiday let apartments with cycle and parking facilities.
The new holiday lets will be made up of 4-storey apartment buildings, with private balconies offering stunning views of the river for visitors, interspersed with ‘pocket-parks’ and landscaped communal areas. The scheme will also feature a new clubhouse, which will provide welcome meeting and social space for existing residents and tourists.
Adjacent to the existing Stourport Marina along the River Severn, the scheme is being brought forward by Clive Fletcher Developments and will offer a new type of holiday accommodation to the area, complementing the existing caravan and camping parks that make up the bulk of visitor space in Stourport. Links to the town centre will be improved via the new ‘Marine Mile’ footpath which will also encourage visitors to explore the wider area.
Costorphine + Wright has designed the marina with sustainability at its heart, including the use of recycled materials and innovative use of Thermal Mass to regulate temperatures within buildings and a wildlife area that will be maintained to the west of the marina.
And, with a nod to the Marina’s main purpose, the architects have elected to clad the new clubhouse in Corten steel, a material close to that used in ship building but with a ‘warmer’ feel.
John Bradshaw, Corstorphine + Wright, said: “We are immensely pleased that planning permission has now been granted for this exciting development. It has been fantastic to design and plan Stourport’s newest Marina. The growing number of tourists to the area means that there is currently massive untapped investment potential, which this development will attract.
“The development will encourage investment through increased numbers of tourists visiting Stourport and staying for longer, and signals a maturing tourism market in the region.
“New holiday apartments, business space, shops and a new clubhouse will cater for residents and visitors alike, with the new Marina becoming a hub of activity. By linking the development to the Marina Mile we will also make the whole area more accessible, benefitting wider Stourport.
“The sustainability credentials of the development are outstanding. It delivers space for wildlife to thrive, whilst minimising the carbon footprint of the whole scheme.”
Planning consent is already in place and work on the new marina is due to be completed in 2018.