News → HAT Projects

November 18, 2021

Head Street wayfinding artwork

An online consultation has been launched for the second of our projects resulting from the ‘Indies Route’ strategy, developed for Our Colchester BID. We have commissioned locally based artist Ben Coode-Adams to create a new piece of wayfinding signage, celebrating the history of the town, and his proposal can be seen in the online survey.

Sited at one of the entry points to the independent ‘lanes’ – part of the medieval town layout which was overlaid onto the Roman street grid – Ben’s proposal is inspired by the pre and post Roman history of the town and informed by Colchester Castle’s collections. It serves to announce and invite visitors to explore further, as well as acting as functional signage in a location where existing signage is inadequate, and also includes proposed improvements to the public realm and cycle racks at the site.

The informal consultation runs from Wednesday 17th November to Wednesday 1st December, and feedback will inform the development of the final proposal before we submit a planning application later in the year. This follows a successful consultation for the first of our creative wayfinding projects, which received very positive support for a piece sited at the other end of the ‘lanes’. HAT have been working with the BID and Colchester Borough Council since 2018 on various projects to improve the public realm of the town centre.

October 14, 2021

Short Wyre St wayfinding artwork

The first of our projects resulting from the 'Indies Route' strategy, developed for Our Colchester BID, has now been launched for consultation. We have commissioned artist Nicola Burrell to create a new wayfinding artwork for Colchester town centre, and her proposal can be seen on the online survey.

Sited at one of the entry points to the independent 'lanes' - part of the medieval town layout which was overlaid onto the Roman street grid - Nicola's proposal celebrates the distinctive identity of the streets and invites visitors to explore further, as well as acting as functional signage in a location where existing signage is inadequate.

The informal consultation runs from Thursday 14th October to Thursday 28th October, and feedback will inform the development of the final proposal before we submit a planning application later in the year. HAT have been working with the BID and Colchester Borough Council since 2018 on various projects to improve the public realm of the town centre, and proposals by artist Ben Coode-Adams for another site will be unveiled later in the year.

July 29, 2021

Jaywick Works receives Planning approval

We are really pleased to reveal that Jaywick Works has now received planning permission; we anticipate that work will start on site later this year. The project includes 25 affordable business units, ranging from shopfront kiosks to office and light industrial units, indoor and outdoor market space, training room, café and community garden (developed with Beth Chatto Gardens) as well as public WCs and other improvements. Further information can be found here.

June 8, 2021

The Granary submitted for planning

We have submitted a planning application for a new scheme to complete the canal frontage at Heybridge Basin, on the site of a former granary which was demolished in the 1960s and replaced with a series of now derelict sheds. Our design has been informed by wide local consultation and considers the wider public benefits that can be delivered through the scheme.

In response to this challenging and sensitive site, within the Heybridge Basin Conservation Area and Flood Zone 3 and taking into account changing patterns of work, we have proposed two-storey homes which include flexible workspace on the ground floor, suitable as office, artist/maker studio or other business uses, with living spaces at the first floor level. More information on the scheme is available here.

May 24, 2021

Jaywick Works submitted for planning

We have submitted a planning application for a new workspace facility, covered market and community garden in Jaywick Sands. The project includes 25 affordable business units ranging from shopfront kiosks to office and light industrial units, indoor and outdoor market space, training room, café and community garden (developed with Beth Chatto Gardens) as well as public WCs and other improvements. The project is largely funded by the Getting Building Fund, alongside funding from Tendring District Council and Essex County Council.

HAT have been working in Jaywick Sands over a number of years now, including on the Place Plan, the exhibition Tides of Tendring, helping Inclusion Ventures and the Jaywick Sands Community Land Trust and on other initiatives. We are very excited to see our first major project be submitted for planning consent and hope that work can start on site later this year. Read more about Jaywick Works.

March 17, 2021

Jaywick Market Consultation

We are running a survey with Tendring District Council to find out what residents of Jaywick Sands think about our ideas for new business space, covered market and a community garden in the heart of their community and are particularly interested in hearing from people who may be interested in renting a space.

This exciting new project has been awarded central government funding, to bring businesses and jobs into Jaywick Sands, and to improve the public open space on the former Sunspot and market site between Brooklands and the Village. HAT are working with Tendring District Council and operator Colbea on the project, which should open in mid 2022.

We want everyone to be involved in developing these exciting plans with us - so please follow the link to complete the survey before 9th April 2021 - we will feed back what we have learnt to you after that.

More information on the project is available here.

February 17, 2021

St Nicholas Square Survey and Webinar

HAT have produced an online survey running from 15 February to 19 March 2021 on behalf of Colchester Borough Council asking residents for their views on designs for an exciting new public space at St Nicholas Square in the town centre. Funding from central government's Town Deal has been awarded to CBC, enabling this important but neglected public space to be improved.

We have been working with local businesses, councillors and representatives from different user groups to develop a design that achieves the project’s ambitions and is both practical and beautiful. We now really want to hear what the wider community thinks - and we'll then be refining the designs in response to feedback.

We are also holding a community webinar at 6pm, 2 March 2021, where you can ask any questions you have about the project. Full details are on the final page of the survey.

St Nicholas Square is a wonderful historic space but it has not been used to its full potential for some time - so we are excited to help it become a vibrant space for the future. We expect the project to start on site in late Spring 2021 and be completed a few months later.

Councillor David King, Portfolio Holder for Business and Resources at CBC said: "I am looking forward to the opportunity to present initial plans for what promises to be a very exciting new public space. This investment will be a real boost for local retail and hospitality businesses and I am extremely pleased work on this project is moving forward.

"I would encourage local stakeholders and interested parties to join the webinar to hear more about the proposal for a safe and vibrant social hub in the heart of our town centre."

February 9, 2021

Hana attains RTPI Chartered Town Planner status

Director Hana Loftus is now a chartered town planner (MRTPI) having qualified through the Experienced Practitioner route offered by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). The Experienced Practitioner route recognises the significant planning experience that practitioners from different academic backgrounds can have. We are delighted that Hana’s expertise in planning, community engagement and policy has been recognised and look forward to helping our clients and partners with their further planning requirements.

February 4, 2021

Jaywick Market & Workspace

HAT have been engaged by Tendring District Council to deliver an ambitious £1.2m Jaywick Sands Market & Workspace, having previously been commissioned to undertake a feasibility and business case for the project, as well as support in the successful SELEP funding bid in 2020.

The market and commercial workspace facility will create new affordable commercial units ranging from kiosks to large workshop units suitable for light manufacturing; covered and open air market space; a community garden and other public realm improvements on a seafront site in the heart of the community which has been derelict for a number of years.

Paul Honeywood, TDC Cabinet Member with special responsibility for Jaywick Sands, said he was excited to see the plans coming forward.

“The site is such a key location to the Brooklands and Grasslands area of Jaywick Sands, acting as a gateway to those communities, so it is important that the project is a real landmark,” Councillor Honeywood said.

“I am pleased to welcome HAT Projects on board, knowing that their experience and previous work in Jaywick Sands in particular, will really benefit this scheme and drive it forward.”

Hana Loftus added: “Jaywick Sands is such a brilliant place to work in due to the energy in the community and the desire to work together to improve things.

“We are excited to be involved in this project to deliver something which will be a real benefit to local residents.”

January 28, 2021

Science Museum Smith Centre shortlisted for AJ Retrofit Awards

We are delighted to announce that the Science Museum Smith Centre has been shortlisted for the AJ Retrofit Awards 2021. The awards, created by the Architects' Journal, recognise "well-designed, sustainable projects and promote material and structural reuse in the built environment."

The Smith Centre was created by HAT Projects from a series of existing disused 19th and early 20th century structures that were previously unconnected to the Museum, neglected and semi-derelict in parts, we successfully transformed them into a generous and inviting series of spaces for events as well as informal use by the Museum's patrons and trustees - well integrated into the Museum, and with a distinctive, salon-like character.

Included in the Cultural and Religious Buildings category, the winners will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony on 24th February. The full shortlist is available here.