What’s new and exciting in Gloucester Docks?

The recent story of Gloucester Docks can so far crudely be divided into three phases: 

1: Regeneration of Victorian Warehouses as offices and accommodation (1980s onwards)

2: The creation of Gloucester Quays by Peel and then British Waterways (now CRT: 2006 onwards)

3: New flats by e.g Crest Nicholson and the creation (2011), expansion and relocation of Gloucester Brewery and their retail outlets: Tank and Warehouse No 4 (2010 onwards). 

Alongside that is: new life for Llanthony Secunda Priory as a charity, winning a large Heritage Lottery Fund award; the new large Monk Meadow development on the canal; changes to the Peel Centre and now the Food Dock (15 independent food and drink outlets).

Sun setting over Gloucester Docks

But of course not all is quite done. And the next stage is the remaining old warehouses beside High Orchard Bridge. So let me update you on the Rokeby-owned long abandoned Downings 1, 2, 3 and 4 Warehouse complex between Gloucester Quays and the new Premier Inn and Costa, as well as the resurrected Provender Mill building, now flats that they opened in 2018. 

This photo shows the Downings element of Bakers Quay, site of the original grain warehouse, the factory beside it and the already largely collapsed but façade preserved Downings 1

So there are two intact ivy-clad canal side buildings, one shell building, one almost cleared site and the former Transit Shed. 

Their plan is to turn Downings 2 into new build, low energy, low carbon apartments with ‘work’ zones, balconies, canal-side views, car parking and EV charging. Pre-start planning is under way.

The Downings Warehouse complex now has planning permission for a ten-story Downings Tower, a spectacular new residential landmark that will take Gloucester canal side to a new level – and either exciting or heretical according to taste. 

Proposed Downings Tower, Rokeby Merchants Development LTD

If we wanted all of Gloucester Docks to be a reimagination of existing buildings or that and modern clones or pale echoes of that, then there would be a case that the Downings Tower was a giant interlope, damaging a single architectural and visual theme. 

But that isn’t the case. The rusty restaurant next to Mariners Church was the first bold innovation, the alterations to the Food Dock Regency Customs buildings the most recent: Peel’s Gloucester Quays is all modern, and Rokeby’s existing work mixes what remains from the 2015 arson attack at Bakers Quay (while everyone watched the Rugby World Cup) with a modern twist. 

So I come down in favour of boldness for Downings. I like ancient and modern together; like our hymn books of old they work well. Blackfriars is a great example of almost a thousand years of blended charm. 

But I also like modern clad by ancient facades. A hundred years ago as HM Consul for Macao, the then small Portuguese Colony down the Pearl River estuary from Hong King, I admired late 18^th century facades that housed modern banks, offices and clubs. So I look forward to seeing how this translates at Downings. 

Perhaps most interesting of all will be the conversions of the two intact Canalside buildings, the latter beside Numold, (the one remaining manufacturing site in the Docks). Initial architectural designs try to maximise height in a post-industrial vibe: creating a large shared space in the centre of Downings.

None of these 4 separate, if halved, buildings will be easy: and building costs have risen sharply, as have regulations, planning sensitivity and scrutiny and of course awareness of fire risk. 

So for any private developer, this has to be a cause, something they believe in, with a considerable long-term commitment. Luckily I believe that’s what we have in Rokeby Merchant partners: Michael Chicken and Adrian Goodall, both of whom live nearby and see this as their legacy to Gloucester. 

In front of what will be Downings Tower

Showing me around recently, they explained that the order in which they tackle the buildings has changed. Because of revised building regulations, the plans for Downings Tower need to be altered and so the Tower now comes last. The heritage elements of the development come first. This makes sense so that building happens behind the new residents rather than in front of them.  

It also means the canal side walkway from High Orchard Bridge on St Ann Way to Llanthony Bridge on the south side of the canal comes closer to completion, although the section at Numold remains closed. I still have a dream for a gondola service back and forth to Llanthony in the summer here, with ice cream in Gloucester Walls for sale at the mooring point and perhaps Alan Myatt singing ‘Just One Cornetto’ but my children imply I’m getting carried away. 

What will all this cost and when will it happen? 

The short answer is a lot, invisible work has started, and it will take time. 

In more detail, this is £40 million of private investment – no public money - with work on sites starting this year and, I hope, completion of the complex by the end of 2026. The Downings Tower will follow, with a likely schedule of completion by the end of 2028. 

I am looking forward to seeing work start on the site in September/October 2024.

Over the next six years much could happen: we have learned to live with major global and closer shocks. But we’ve seen that Gloucester’s unusual mix of private and public employers give us economic and employment resilience, that our strengths in aerospace, nuclear, cyber, engineering, discount retail, health and finance are very relevant to our age. And we know therefore that the demand for housing in Gloucestershire is very unlikely to fade away. So I have confidence that the rationale for the investment is sound and I am absolutely sure that it is good for the Docks and for our city. 

Will there be hiccoughs? Yes, but Rokeby is already used to those. Might the structural problems be more complicated than expected? Probably. Will the flats come onto the market when property weakens? Who knows – but property has been remarkably resilient in 2023 when the Cost of Living and interest rates were supposed to cause falls. Now the cycle has started to turn, and I am more positive.

Gloucester Docks is by no means my or our main focus for housing. The affordable housing that Rooftop is building at St Oswalds, Bromford at Holly House and Little Winney and GCH in several places, including Park Road and Northgate Street take up more of my time and energy. 

But the Docks are special, the completion of their regeneration important, their link to our largest retail centre unique, and the heritage precious. For all of those reasons I wanted to explain what’s happening – and I hope you share my belief that bringing back to life the four Downings sites is good news, and another sign that Gloucester is on the up, in this case metaphorically and literally. 

Please do share your thoughts on this with me at [email protected]. 

Best regards,