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July 8, 2025

St Nicholas Square completed

We are thrilled that our project at St Nicholas Square in Colchester celebrated its grand opening this weekend. The site was formerly the churchyard to a Sir George Gilbert Scott-designed church (demolished in 1955), and had become an unloved left-over space dominated by ad-hoc parking. It has now been transformed into an open and welcoming square for markets, events and the spill-out of the cafes, restaurants and bars that surround it.

It is remarkable to think that it is nearly four years since the project was tendered for construction, and seven years since the original feasibility study was commissioned. This timescale is testament to the complexity of the site, and of the processes required for the renewal of the public realm within historic city centres. The square includes adopted highway land, diocesan land that was transferred to Colchester City Council as part of the project, privately owned land, and Council land leased to the nearby shopping precinct. Below ground, the team negotiated the services undercroft of the shopping precinct; medieval graves; Roman streets and buildings; and a congested tangle of pipework and cables, both live and disconnected. Four Traffic Regulation Orders were required along with a range of legal agreements and technical approvals which required us to demonstrate compliance with highways standards designed for new-build sites rather than historic cityscapes.

Despite this complexity, we have achieved a space which feels effortless - natural, open and generous. Our office lies just minutes away from the site, and it is truly special for us to be able to contribute to improving a space we use every day. We were able to work with a local visually impaired user group, wheelchair users, and cycle campaigners to understand and balance their accessibility needs, and - as city centre residents and workers ourselves - contributing our lived experience of different times of day and night. During construction, we could inspect the works closely and at short notice when required. The quality of finish in the final result attests to our team’s care and attention to detail.

St Nicholas Square is the first of a number of city centre spaces to be revitalised through the public realm strategy that we produced for Colchester City Council in 2018. We are shortly completing the technical design for Trinity Square - another deconsecrated and complex historic churchyard - and construction will start on site in 2026.

St Nicholas Square in numbers

7 years since we were commissioned for public realm strategy and feasibility study
5 years since we were appointed for full design
4 years since the project was tendered for construction
2 years since the construction contract was signed
17 months since the start of construction
2250m2 site area
Over 12,000 emails
Over 250 meetings and site visits
14 burial chambers uncovered and reburied, with remains left in situ
Bone and skeletal remains found during excavations will be reburied with due care and ceremony at Colchester Cemetery.
2 Roman gold rings discovered along with fragments of Roman marble and a North African amphora
First use of structural soil tree pits in adopted highway land within Essex

May 16, 2025

Sunspot wins RIBA East Award!

"The project is very much 'of Essex', of this place, and it delivers with confidence something quirky, tough and bold."

We're really happy to reveal that Sunspot has been awarded a RIBA East award, with Tendring District Council also awarded the 'Client of the Year' award by the judges. "Together with the architects they have produced a model regeneration project that should be an exemplar for local authorities trying to bring communities together while fostering new businesses - especially those by the seaside."

A huge thank you to the other members of our design team; Momentum, Ingleton Wood and Potter Raper, and contractor TJ Evers.

The project is now being considered for a RIBA National Award, the winners of which are due to be announced in July.

May 1, 2025

Lowestoft Town Hall has started on site

We’re excited that work to restore and extend Lowestoft Town Hall has begun on site. We’re carefully removing the ad hoc extensions to the Grade II listed building, whilst making the most of the good weather and repairing the historic roofs and facades. The buildings should be completed in 2026, and will be the administrative and civic home of our client, Lowestoft Town Council, with a restored Council Chamber, a Register Office, exhibition spaces, coworking and event hall. We have already found lots of exciting things to put back on display, as well as accommodating the extensive collection currently in the council’s archives.

Barnes Construction are the contractor and the design team includes Max Fordham, Momentum Engineering, RGA, Cahill and Daniel Connal Partnership. The Lowestoft Town Hall Project is a Lowestoft Town Council initiative supported National Lottery Players via the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Funding support is also provided by Historic England, The Architectural Heritage Fund, Towns Fund, and East Suffolk Council.

March 3, 2025

Rebecca Kalbfell shortlisted for MJ Long Prize

We are thrilled to reveal that Rebecca Kalbfell has been shortlisted for the MJ Long Prize for Excellence in Practice, for her work on Sunspot in Jaywick Sands. The prize forms part of the W Awards programme, in partnership with the Architect's Journal and Architectural Review, and seeks to celebrate exemplary work by women and non-binary people in architecture. The prize is named after the architect MJ Long, whose dedicated work on the British Museum is an inspirational example of contributions by women architects that have historically been overlooked.

We’re really proud that Rebecca has been recognised in this way - having been with the practice for over 10 years, we’ve seen her develop into a thoughtful and committed architect and core member of our team.

The winner of the prize will be revealed at the W Awards ceremony on the 9th of May.

February 13, 2025

Sunspot shortlisted for RIBA East Awards

We are delighted that Sunspot has been shortlisted for this year's RIBA East Awards. It's a very special project that is continuing to have a real impact in the community.

One of 23 projects on the RIBA East shortlist, the building will be visited by a regional jury, with winning projects announced later in the Spring.

"The sheer volume and quality of the projects that now come forward in the region highlight not only the talented architectural community, but the vision and collaboration of clients, stakeholders and contractors who make these projects possible." Matt Blakeley, RIBA.

January 20, 2025

St Botolph's Quarter

We have been appointed as part of the team developing proposals for a new public square, including a new connection to Colchester Town station, on part of the existing Britannia car park. Led by Haworth Tompkins with LDA Design, the square forms part of a new walking route incorporating improvements to the grounds of St Botolph's Priory and leading up over the Roman Wall and towards the galleries and museums beyond.

HAT are leading on the public engagement aspects of the £7.2m project, helping achieve a well-informed final design. This builds on our work on the Colchester City Centre Masterplan, adopted by the Council in early 2024, and is part of our commitment to helping Colchester make the most of its new city status.

The plans are being presented for public consultation from 20th January to 14th February 2025, where you can find out more and comment on the proposals.

September 26, 2024

Jaywick Sands Place Plan adopted

We are really pleased that the Jaywick Sands Place Plan has now been formally adopted by Tendring District Council. A challenging, absorbing and rewarding piece of work over the last six years, HAT worked with a range of partners and collaborators (including the Environment Agency, Essex County Council, Homes England and DLUHC), undertaking a lot of research and design work in order to develop a regeneration vision this is grounded in practicality and tested through extensive consultation with the community.

Flood risk and housing quality; retaining the many qualities that make Jaywick Sands so special; addressing the real problems in ways that are supported by the local community - all this has made for a fascinating process and we are excited to see how this helps Jaywick become more resilient over the coming years.

"This is an ambitious but clear long-term vision for Jaywick Sands to improve the area for the good of all. Jaywick Sands is a unique place with an incredible community spirit." Andy Baker, TDC Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning.

June 14, 2024

Sunspot wins Best Use of Brownfield Land in Placemaking

We are delighted that Sunspot won Best Use of Brownfield Land in Placemaking in the 2024 Planning Awards. A real testament to our client at Tendring District Council, for their commitment to use the brownfield land they own for real impactful change in the heart of Jaywick Sands. This is part of a long-term strategy for the revitalisation of Jaywick - the Jaywick Sands Place Plan - which we have been working on for some time.

May 20, 2024

HAT appointed to Kirkley Waterfront masterplan

We are delighted to have been appointed by East Suffolk Council to masterplan two substantial brownfield sites within the regeneration area of Kirkley Waterfront in Lowestoft. We are leading a team that includes Haworth Tompkins and Archio.

The Sanyo and Survitec sites were part of a major industrial area near Lake Lothing and have considerable challenges of contamination and flood risk, but the potential to create a new neighbourhood of much-needed homes close to rail links and the regenerating town centre of Lowestoft (where we are also working on the Town Hall development). We are working to develop a landscape-led neighbourhood masterplan for around 300 homes on the sites, which have been awarded substantial funding from the Brownfield Land Release Fund.

May 1, 2024

Planning Awards shortlists

We are thrilled that both Sunspot and the Jaywick Sands Place Plan have been shortlisted for the Planning Awards 2024. Sunspot in the category for best use of brownfield land in placemaking and the Place Plan for the award for planning to address climate change.

The awards highlight exceptional contributions across varied planning and placemaking sectors, acknowledging excellence in a range of disciplines - so we are delighted to have had our two projects for Tendring District Council selected, both of which designed to bring real benefits to the community of Jaywick Sands.

The winners are due to be announced in June.