The River Soar and the Grand Union Canal wind their way through the west of the city and are perhaps Leicester’s greatest hidden asset.

The Waterside project plans to reconnect the city centre with its 18 km of waterfront to create a major new river and canalside community with space for 3,500 homes.

Our vision is for a residential led, mixed use community, which will reconnect the city centre with it’s waterfront and create new opportunities for living, working and leisure – one of the best opportunities for this type of development in the country.

Progress has already been made. In 2006, Metropolitan Housing Trust completed a development of 350 new apartments, and Living in the City completed 126 apartments on Bath Lane.

Planning permission has been granted and archaeological investigations have started at No1 Westbridge, clearing the way for a development of three spectacular towers designed by world renowned Ian Simpson.

Similar investigations and site clearance have been done at Cirrus Property’s Blackfriars site, to create 600 apartments alongside open spaces, bars and restaurants.

In the northern tip of the area, Blueprint is assembling a 5 ha high quality, green exemplar housing project in the bend of the canal. URBED have been appointed as master planners and a public consultation later this year, will be followed by a planning application.