Lagoon Hull: ‘If the will is there the investment will come’
VISION OF THE FUTURE?: An image of how the lagoon could look
Chewing the Fat - out to lunch with Phil Ascough
This week’s guest: Paul Hatley, Project Director for Lagoon Hull
With the sun blazing down and the estuary in mill pond mode, where better to enjoy an al fresco lunch than St Andrew’s Quay? Sitting outside Pasco’s, admiring the Humber Riviera and wondering why nobody else was doing the same.
One reason is that there’s actually not much along that stretch of the waterfront, but Paul Hatley is leading a project which could change all that and much more.
Lagoon Hull, with an estimated price tag of £2bn, would transform the north bank of the estuary from the Port of Hull to the Humber Bridge.
The grand plan is to address flooding and transport issues by building a causeway to keep road traffic moving along the Humber rather than push it to pinch points in a congested city centre.
The development will also control water levels, with expert studies showing the potential to improve flood defences for the city and the wider estuary.
Add to that the exciting ideas for greater leisure and recreational use, the possibilities for a new maritime living environment, plus the benefits for traditional industries and the burgeoning renewables sector and you have a project capable of driving regeneration for the next 100 years and beyond.
Paul said: “People are ready for change, they want to do something bigger and better all the time. We have to have that level of ambition. It’s an opportunity to make a big change.”
‘THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE IMMENSE’: Paul Hatley, Project Director for Lagoon Hull
Whether the local owners of Pasco’s were buying into the Lagoon Hull dream in 2021 when they opened on the site of a former Frankie & Benny’s, who knows? It was their second outlet and has a welcoming style and intimacy a step up from the first in Cottingham.
The company also owns Da Gianni, a popular destination in Princes Avenue, and is garnering positive reviews for the latest addition Cibo Italiano, which opened recently in the former Da Lucia premises in Willerby Square.
We chatted over a light lunch of seafood salad, pepperoni and mozzarella toasted sandwich and soft drinks and pondered why the developers built the restaurant the wrong way round.
Instead of giving diners glorious views across the Humber, the best window seats face the retail warehouses across the car park. Instead of taking inspiration from the shimmering waters and ordering from the restaurant’s selection of seafood, you’re perhaps more likely to ponder how much damage you might cause by spilling your lasagne ordered using a laptop from Curry’s on your fancy new sofa from Barker & Stonehouse.
Paul spent nearly 30 years working with ABP before joining Hull-based civil engineering and structural engineer Alan Wood & Partners in 2016. His priority is his role as Project Director for Lagoon Hull, but he also works with other clients on maritime construction in the estuary and on rivers elsewhere in the UK.
As Deputy Engineering Manager for ABP in the Humber his major projects included the P&O terminal in 2001, the new steel terminal in 1997 and, from 2011 until he left the business, the flagship Siemens Greenport development.
Paul’s relationship with the Humber also extends to leisure use. He tries to get out at least once a fortnight on his yacht, Sagitta, and he took on responsibility for organising the private craft which took part in the Humber Jubilee Flotilla in June.
APPETITE FOR DEVELOPMENT: Paul Hatley enjoying a light lunch at Pasco’s on St Andrew’s Quay
The presence of 50 vessels of all backgrounds and sizes in a procession from Hull Marina to the Humber Bridge and back, plus the tens of thousands of people lining the vantage points on the banks, underlined the potential of the estuary as a facility for fun and festivals.
The racing tide, which demanded considerable skill from mariners just to keep their boats in position, highlighted the risks.
Paul said: “The flotilla used the estuary river for what it’s supposed to do, but the event was very challenging with the tides and the weather and the different craft and the mix of capabilities. Modern craft and very old craft, and the great success of the event was testament to the efforts of everybody involved.
“The opportunities for play are immense. Most people find it very difficult to go out there and access the waterway. It’s dangerous, but imagine the difference if we had that sheltered water.
“There used to be powerboat racing and they had a three-hour window to run the tides. With the Lagoon you could pick whatever weekend you want regardless of tide, time and weather. You could also pick any activity you want. Rowing, canoeing, a triathlon around the lagoon and in it.”
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As with any major project the cost can be broken down into bite-sized chunks, with the initial target about £25m to get to the stage of a Development Consent Order, which was a key step for Castle Street as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project.
The really big money comes after that, but the potential rewards are enormous, long-lasting, and could start emerging within five to ten years.
DEFENCE: The lagoon would improve flood defences and ease congestion
Paul said: “RSM UK did the economic study and their analysis indicated the Lagoon would deliver 19,000 skilled and semi-skilled jobs which would add £1bn to the Yorkshire and Humber economy every year.
“We have spoken to the financial people and we know it’s fundable. We have also had three separate studies which show the Lagoon works in terms of flood protection, and we know it will still be delivering benefits after 100 years.
“This used to be a dock. It was constructed in the late 19th century by building a causeway in the river, it opened in 1883 and the land is still in use. We are talking about building infrastructure that will last a century or more. We are only here enjoying our lunch today because 140 years ago somebody had the ambition to do it.”
Paul admits that doubts were rife even with the two men who came up with the original idea – Nick Ward, former Managing Director of Alan Wood & Partners, and Tim Rix, Chairman of J.R. Rix & Sons Ltd.
He said: “They were trying to work out if they were completely mad. Initially I thought they were too ambitious but I said I would think about it. The more I looked at it, the more I realised it ticked so many boxes.
“Normally you look at projects, especially those that are a bit unusual, and you instantly know if there’s a problem. With this there were a couple of concerns but they didn’t look like major problems. I thought it was worth looking at bearing in mind what had been achieved, particularly with Greenport and from putting the public and private sectors together. That’s how Greenport happened.”
It all comes down to money and motivation. The project was unveiled in 2019 with a high-profile launch at The Deep. Momentum stalled in 2020 when Covid limited engagement with politicians, government ministers and the public, but the team was able to work with the Environment Agency and has made up for lost ground.
‘WIN HEARTS AND MINDS AND WE CAN DO IT’: Paul Hatley
Paul said: “We have had great support from our MPs and what the politicians want to know is whether the Lagoon is what people want. If it isn’t we won’t be doing it. It’s a project for people and what we want is for people to talk about it, read about it on our website and sign up to support it.
“We want to be able to tell the politicians they should be investing in this because it’s good for people and will bring opportunities and help us with levelling up.”
With funding sources likely to include cash from the government and sponsorship from businesses the Lagoon Hull team is committed to delivering and demonstrating value for money as it sways the doubters.
Paul said: “There are those who don’t believe it will happen because of the scale of it and that’s reasonable – it’s a level of investment that’s very significant for our region so I can understand people being doubtful, but all you have to do is look at the figures.
“The finances will be complicated because they will be public and private sector but the hard bit is getting that first stage. You need hearts and minds and public and political support.
“We have a cost of living crisis, a climate crisis and the war [in Ukraine] but we have to have some long-term plans. Covid has changed people’s perceptions of how society will operate. It will look very different. We have to adapt our infrastructure to reflect that, which means having a big plan and big ambition.
“Once we get to the point of the Development Consent Order there will already be an influx of investment because people will anticipate, they will see that it’s going to happen and it and they’ll want to be part of it.”
You can find out more about Lagoon Hull, and register your support, here.