The town of Hayle has a remarkable history and the harbour has been at the centre of it. The town grew around what was originally a natural estuary and became a major centre of industry and trade in the nineteenth century. Today it has international significance as one of 10 designated areas within the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site (WHS). This is belied by the harbour’s current run-down and neglected appearance, having suffered major neglect over the last quarter of a century. The harbour itself contains 20 Grade II listed structures and, despite the dereliction that has occurred over the past Century, remains a remarkably intact example of an evolved industrial port.

North Quay, Hayle is located immediately adjacent to the rugged north Cornwall coast, which is a haven for adventure sports, coastal walks all year round. It is anticipated that the existing natural context will be of huge benefit to creating a strong sense of character for North Quay, defining it as a popular destination. At present there are no facilities located in the north quay area to serve the tourism industry, and this will be a key aspect of the project to look at in more detail.

WATERSIDE APARTMENTS
The majority of the domestic accommodation on the site will consist of apartments. It is anticipated that these will be popular for holiday use and available for rent, or for sale. The materials and design should be of high quality and stand the rigours of coastal use and environment. Internally, the apartments must have a light and airy feel, and where possible have a view of the sea or Hayle estuary. In response to the expected demographic for the area, communal facilities such as surfboard, wetsuit and bike storage should be integral parts of the apartment blocks.

YARD APARTMENTS + TOWNHOUSES
The townhouses will largely be located on The Yard area of the site. These will be a range of sizes offering a variety of choice for potential residents. Each one should have access to well managed communual landscape, and sheltered external spaces to benefit from throughout the year. Architecturally, these buildings should be well considered, good quality ‘background’ buildings which evoke the character of the scale of a traditional harbourside settlement, but without pastiche.

COMMERCIAL
The emerging scheme for the North Quay area of Hayle should create a strong and attractive destination which will draw visitors from the ----immediate context and from further afield.
It is intended that the vast majority of the commercial space will be located along the quayside upper walkway so as to create a vibrant waterside. A secondary commercial frontage will be presented along the existing access road, so as to ‘advertise’ what is accommodated along the main frontage to those visitors using the route to the residential development and the beach. It is desirable for the type of retail and restaurant operators who will be accommodated within the comercial units have a high quality ‘boutique’ feel, and link in with the coastal lifestyle.