Walltown Country Park, Northumberland

The winning team selected for the estimated £50,000 (excluding VAT) project will produce architectural, engineering and landscaping proposals for a redevelopment of Walltown Country Park – one of the key visitor destinations along Hadrian's Wall.

The £1.5 million Walltown Wider Horizons project aims to transform the 17-hectare park near Haltwhistle – which currently hosts small leisure facilities for visitors and communities – into the most accessible outdoor space within Northumberland's UNESCO World Heritage landscape.

The commission's key goals include creating a comprehensive master plan that strengthens connections between the park and the nearby city while improving visitor infrastructure, accessibility and environmental sustainability.

The specification states: “Walltown Country Park is relatively underdeveloped as a visitor destination and its potential economic impact on local communities is not being realised.”

“It is part of an evolving ‘destination cluster’ and has the potential to create closer and more effective integration with the town of Haltwhistle as the main visitor gateway to Hadrian’s Wall [Unesco World Heritage Site].

“Completing RIBA Stages 2 and 3, this contract requires a multi-disciplinary consultancy firm to coordinate the project proposals, produce supporting designs for the individual component elements (built and unbuilt) and produce an overall coherent and cohesive site plan for the country park.”

Hadrian's Wall runs from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway and was built as a defensive fortification almost two thousand years ago. Today it is an important visitor attraction and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

The latest Walltown Wider Horizons project focuses on upgrading a 17-acre park next to the ruined Roman wall, which currently has a visitor center, toilets and walking trails. The main objectives include improving accessibility and strengthening connections to the surrounding area.

The contract includes the conception and spatial coordination of the design phases for a range of upgrades to the site – including new accessible paths and pathways, a multi-sensory route, an outdoor classroom, a bird hide, play areas, improved water and digital infrastructure, a group accommodation, a dark sky observatory and new electric vehicle charging facilities.

The winning team will also prepare sustainability, biodiversity and conservation strategies to support the park's goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. Proposals must integrate architecture, engineering, landscaping and interpretive design into a single coherent plan for the rural area.

Offers to fulfill the contract are evaluated 65 percent based on quality and 35 percent based on costs. Applicants must have employers' liability insurance of £10 million, public liability insurance of £5 million and professional indemnity insurance of £5 million.