Hayle Harbour

Hayle Harbour sits within the UNESCO Devon and Cornwall Tin and Copper Mining World Heritage Site. In its heyday, Hayle was the only port serving the mining industry and thrived on the export of copper, tin and heavy industrial machinery to locations across the world. Since the decline of the Cornish mining industries, the harbour and the adjacent brownfield sites have lain derelict, despite a number of attempts to secure its future since the 1970s. In 2010, we were selected as Masterplanner and Architect for the regeneration, tasked with unlocking this challenging site with a fresh approach. The design and client team are committed to undertaking carbon assessments at each stage of the design development encouraging the use of low embodied carbon materials aligning with the requirement of Architect’s Declare, and Governmental ambitions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The first phase of the harbour masterplan was completed in 2015, creating a landmark foodstore which provides a striking backdrop for harbour life. As part of this work the Grade II Listed quaysides have been repaired and restored and, for the first time in its history, opened to the public, providing a significant new amenity for residents and visitors. This first completed phase won a number of the UKs top architectural awards. The North Quay Wharf area, currently under construction, received a UK Housing Design Award in 2020. Throughout the design process of the harbour regeneration FCBStudios has consulted extensively with key stakeholders, local community and local authority. As a design team, we have led the design discussions focusing on a wide range of factors from harbour activities to public access, scale, uses, design aesthetic, and materiality. The regeneration project includes a number of key projects ranging from a landmark arts centre, to a range of sustainably designed housing, hotel and watersports centre. Every part of the project will bring life and activity to this significant post-industrial heritage site, providing it with a sustainable and viable future for generations to come.