New Look for West Accrington

Regeneration is dramatically changing the face of Accrington’s Blackburn Road.  MPA is providing creative thinking to help ensure that, after all that transformation, it still feels like home, and still has its own, distinctive ‘sense of place’... 

A whole new neighbourhood is taking shape, with ‘housing market renewal’ creating hundreds of new homes.  The huge new Acorn Health Centre rises up at the heart of the area.  Traditional terraced streets are also seeing some renovation work, and the Council’s retail study will propose a new look to the Blackburn Road shopping strip.   The challenge for the Council and partners is to make the renewed West Accrington feel like one cohesive neighbourhood.    

This is where the arts can help. MPA is working with the Council and the regeneration agency Elevate to put together a package of creative ideas to enhance that all-important ‘sense of place’.  The resulting report will provide a toolkit of possibilities for the decision-makers steering regeneration over the next few years. 

Three different and very distinctive creative artists are contributing concept ideas for the report.  All three will be engaging with local people to generate ideas that are at home in West Accrington.  

Chris Edmunds of United Creatives applies a graphic design approach to the built environment.  Chris has worked on visual identities and arts programmes for major regeneration schemes like the New Islington area of Manchester.  He combines a cutting-edge contemporary approach with a feeling for the fine detail of architectural heritage, and a love of craftsmanship and artisanal processes.  Chris is working on ideas for street signage, and a visual identity for the area. 

David Burns was one of the artists commissioned to create work for the new Acorn Health Centre.  He produced a spectacular, large-scale vinyl design for the glazed entrance area.  David specializes in graphic treatments that can be reproduced on building facades, windows and so on.  His Shops Upfront project in Liverpool created stunning new facades for a cluster of retail units.  We have asked him to propose ideas for shopfronts on Blackburn Road.          

Landlife are the group who operate the National Wildflower Centre.  They promote biodiversity and encourage the use of imaginative planting schemes to make the most of the potential of wildflowers.  Redevelopment will leave long pauses between demolition and rebuilding, so we are asking Landlife to look at the opportunities for temporary planting schemes. 

All these contributions will feed into our report, which is being compiled by public art consultant Christian Barnes.  Our work started, though, by consulting the young people who will be the future of West Accrington. 

The West Accrington feasibility study has been commissioned by Hyndburn Borough Council, and made possible by Elevate East Lancashire.  Our thanks to all the local agencies and individuals who have contributed to the project.