The architect behind Land Securities’ controversial Coppergate Riverside development defended his design yesterday, saying it provided a “calm setting” for York’s historic Clifford’s Tower.
Nigel Woolner, senior partner at Chapman Taylor, appeared as LandSec’s second witness at the inquiry into the £60m retail scheme, which started on Tuesday.
Woolner said: “The buildings are designed to form a calm, understated setting for the listed buildings in the context of Clifford’s Tower and the Eye of York, while not attempting to compete with them.
“The architectural approach is one of creating simple uncluttered buildings in high-quality, naturally weathering materials that allow the existing historic architectural set pieces to speak for themselves.”
He added that the scheme would also regenerate the area behind the historic site, which was currently “something of a backwater with unexploited environmental potential flanked by rundown warehouse buildings and the surface car park”.
EGi News 17/01/02
