Sheils Flynn won a national competition to develop a masterplan for the regeneration of this vast brownfield site just to the south of King's Lynn's historic town centre and subsequently worked with a large multidisciplinary team to develop a framework for this major regeneration scheme. The £2.5M infrastructure landscape is a linear connector running through the site, interfacing with all the development areas. Links with the town centre and adjacent community of South Lynn take the form of vistas, new roads, new bridges, a community centre and new pedestrian and cycle routes. At the heart of the scheme, a dramatic new riverside park re-introduces local people to a river which has, until now, been relatively inaccessible and virtually ignored. Set within the floodplain, the park incorporates walkways, bridges and decks to provide new wetland habitats and recreational access to the water's edge.
Nar Ouse Regeneration Area, Kings Lynn.
client
Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council
Morston Assets Ltd
date
2000 -2003
design team
LSI Architects (Architecture)
WSP (Engineering)
Irene Rogan (Artist)
Penny Anderson Associates (Ecology)
WT Partnership (QS)
links
During November 2000 Irene Rogan was appointed as master planning artist by Sheils Flynn Ltd to develop an arts strategy for NORA. Commissioned at the very early stages of the NORA scheme an art component was identified within the NORA budget to develop the arts strategy within the landscape cost plan.
The role of the masterplanning artist is to develop an overall vision for the art strategy. Contemporary artworks are embedded within the regenerated landscape, offering a new layer of meaning to this important reclaimed site, and conveying a message of civic pride and dynamis through a thematic conceptof the restorative power of nature.
The artworks will demonstrate the social benefits of NORA – the project provides a meeting, recreation and education space for local residents, as well as a visible gateway to the town, promoting it as a clean and innovative centre for working and for living.
Diatom Tower
Irene Rogan's early concept sketch for a landmark feature 2000
Sheils Flynn landscape architects and designers plan for location of a landmark sculpture NORA
NAR OUSE REGENERATION AREA (NORA)
In 2000, I was commissioned as Master Planning Artist for the Nar Ouse Regeneration Area (NORA), a major riverside redevelopment in King’s Lynn, located along the Nar (a Site of Special Scientific Interest) and the River Ouse.
I developed concepts for Diatom-inspired landmark features, including a striking 35-metre spire with an integrated shelter/kiosk. The design incorporated recycled glass to reflect the exquisite forms of microorganisms—especially diatom, symbolising water purity and ecological balance. These shimmering glass images were envisioned to be embedded within the tower structure, creating the effect of an 'eco-cathedral' rising from the landscape.
The base of the tower was designed to function as a community shelter, with steps and a ramp leading to a viewing platform, connecting people physically with the surrounding water and environment.
The wider public art strategy focused on embedding meaningful, site-specific artworks throughout the regeneration scheme involving roundabout, pathways, street lighting and furniture. It drew inspiration from ecological themes of rescue and renewal, particularly the work Beautiful Bulrushes, Remarkable Reeds: The Water Reclamation Miracles of Kaethe Seidel in parallel with research of microorganisms and in particular scientific study of diatoms as indicators of water quality.
Working in collaboration with Sheils Flynn (Landscape Architects and Urban Designers) and Penny Anderson Associates (Ecologists), my role was to integrate artistic vision with the ecological and architectural planning for the site. The scheme was part of the national Millennium Communities Programme, supported by English Partnerships, the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), Norfolk County Council, King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council, and Morston Assets Ltd.
This project aimed not just to regenerate land, but to create a living environment that celebrated the river’s natural resources, brought environmental awareness into public consciousness, and reconnected the community with nature.
Beautiful Bulrushes, Remarkable Reeds by Kaethe Siedel
Client
King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council
Morston Assets Ltd
Date
2000–2003
Design Team
Sheils Flynn (Landscape Architecture & Urban Design)
LSI Architects (Architecture)
WSP (Engineering)
Irene Rogan (Artist)
Penny Anderson Associates (Ecology)
WT Partnership (Quantity Surveyors)
Links
www.eeda.org.uk/656.asp
.png)
