Soho Foundry Plan, UK

Dating back to the 18th century, the Soho Foundry complex in Sandwell, West Midlands is of particular interest in terms of heritage and history. It was the earliest factory in the world for the manufacture, assembly and commission of equipment on one fully integrated site.

In recent decades however, the historic Soho Foundry largely lost its relevance as an important heritage site. This was a result of the site becoming disconnected from the local communities. Surrounded by heavy industrial uses, unused for a long time, in poor and gradually deteriorating physical condition, with poor accessibility and visibility, people's perceptions of the historic Soho Foundry in recent years were of a "dirty, ugly" place with little to no meaning or relevance.

The redevelopment of the historic Soho Foundry is an ambitious project with the potential to deliver a wide range of economic, regeneration and heritage/cultural benefits. The main aims of the project are to preserve and safeguard, as much as possible, the existing buildings and reuse them in a contemporary, viable, and sustainable way. The redeveloped Soho Foundry will help re-establish the link between the local communities and the area's rich heritage and history while offering a range of uses relevant to the community's present needs. Its success will also contribute to the regeneration of the wider Soho Park area.

Halcrow was appointed to prepare a Feasibility Study and Business Plan for the redevelopment of the site in a way that ensures financial viability, provides value for money and maximises the project's wider socio-economic benefits. Our development economists focused on redevelopment options that restored much of the Foundry's architectural integrity, combining an element of heritage interpretation with business and leisure activities relevant to modern needs, aimed at attracting people back to the site after many years.