The Westpark development in Darlington is a unique housing project that integrates art, history, and community through a partnership between Bussey & Armstrong and Newcastle University. Over 15 years, they have created homes with cultural and historical significance, addressing common criticisms of modern housing like poor design and lack of community spaces.
By embedding local heritage and public art, Westpark has set a new standard for housing developments, influencing local council practices and promoting sustainable, community-focused living. The collaboration has allowed industries to benefit from academic expertise and drive innovation in areas such as housing design and regional regeneration.
A unique housing development in Darlington has seen a ground-breaking collaboration between sculptors, artists, designers, landscape architects, and fabricators to design a series of homes with culture at their heart.
Over the last fifteen years, Bussey & Armstrong has worked together with lead artist and poet Professor Bill Herbert from Newcastle University to develop an arts strategy which would enhance the sense of place and community among the residents.
New housing with a difference
The Future Homes Commission recently produced a report highlighting that up to 80% of people in the market to buy a house would not consider buying a property built in the last ten years. Reasons included bad design and a lack of communal space and natural light.
Bussey & Armstrong develops high quality, well-designed, affordable homes in the North East of England. A Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the company and Newcastle University aimed to embed knowledge of arts strategies within its infrastructure, and create a genuine unique selling point for its housing – that it is dedicated to creating a more meaningful environment for communities to live in.
From this partnership we have seen the creation of the Westpark development – the largest single site development in Darlington’s history, with a school, shops, homes, hospital, sports facilities, and a public park. Westpark is a living integration of bespoke art, poetry, and community that taps into the social history, ecology, and heritage of the local area.
Local history made real
The site for Westpark borders on three areas of historical importance to Darlington: the medieval villages of Archdeacon Newton and Whessoe, and a site where Romano-British remains have been discovered. This provides the artists with the opportunity to explore how the interrelated areas of agriculture, trade and technical innovation which has defined the identity of region over the centuries.
The poetry which appears on the bridges, street signs, and windows of Westpark focuses on the interrelationships with people, the past, and the environment. Sculptures of local species such as the dingy skipper butterfly and little ringed plover are crafted from local stone from Teeside-based quarries, coupled with ironwork, Corten steel, glass, and enamel work.
Even the street signs themselves are closely connected to the industrial and agricultural history of Darlington. Designed to be read many times and reflected on, verses accompanying the signs connect as a narrative, inviting residents to explore and stroll around the community at their leisure.
“Whether they’re place names, or visuals, or even memories, these connections locate us in relation to our surroundings and each other and create a mutual frame of reference when sharing experiences with each other.”
James Annesley – Associate Dean, Research and Innovation (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Changing the future of housing developments
The Westpark site has won and been shortlisted for multiple awards for its approach to design, regional regeneration, and constructing sustainable communities.
“The embedding of the arts strategy throughout Westpark led to an enhanced sense of place and community among the residents. As the ‘Art in Westpark Report’ showed, residents all felt the positive effects of the arts features in joining up the built environment with its immediate historical and geographical setting in ways described by one resident as “a sense of permanence. They are robust and meaningful … connecting Westpark to the surrounding areas.”
James Annesley – Associate Dean, Research and Innovation (Humanities and Social Sciences)
The Westpark development project approach has since been adopted as standard practice by Darlington Borough Council, directly impacting the work done by housebuilding companies across the region.
What are Knowledge Transfer Partnerships?
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships such as the Westpark project last between 1-3 years and support UK businesses wanting to improve their competitiveness, productivity, and performance by gaining access to knowledge and expertise with UK Universities and Colleges.
“The Knowledge Transfer Partnership has given us the opportunity to work with academics and others outside of the industry to create a better built environment. It has challenged us to look at what we do with a fresh perspective, and as a result, to improve our practice.”
Tony Cooper, Managing Director, Bussey & Armstrong
Newcastle University’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership portfolio covers many industries, cultural organisations, social enterprises, and academic disciplines. Its dedicated Knowledge Transfer Partnership Unit has a track record of successfully delivering more than 60 projects in the past 10 years.
Find out more about Knowledge Exchange Partnerships at Newcastle University
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/business-and-partnerships/expert-solutions/ktp/
This success story was first published in NCUB’s showcasing booklet, SHAPE the Future.
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