St James’ Church is one of the town centre’s most significant buildings but the buildings which surround it are of a much lower quality and therefore don’t add anything to St James’ Square or complement the church itself.  The overall aim of the project is to improve the look and feel of St James’ Square, provide the church with a suitable setting and create additional activity which is sensitive to this particular location. The Square is one of the town centre’s few green spaces and the project will aim to harness this by enclosing or ‘wrapping’ the Square with buildings of much higher quality than at present to provide the church with a ‘close-like’ atmosphere.

St James' House Redevelopment

One of the first improvements identified for the project is the redevelopment of St James’ House. A new facility here could potentially include a mix of uses such as office, retail, cultural space and a quality café/restaurant. Any new building however must be designed to a high quality and will also need to work with and enhance the character of the Square and the church. This development could set the tone for further regeneration proposals in this part of the town centre and bring extra activity to St James’ Square. Alongside this changes to the public areas and further landscaping will help enhance the existing green space in the Square to make it an ideal place to spend time and relax in.