Disused land in Hull to be turned into shipping container 'box park' for street food and arts studios

Hull City Council’s Cabinet have backed plans for the box park in disused land in between High Street and Clarence Street, by the Drypool Bridge.

Council Regeneration Portfolio Holder Cllr Paul Drake-Davis said Hull box park would follow the success of others in Manchester, Newcastle and elsewhere and bring a new dynamic to the city.

Cabinet approval means the council will put £250,000 towards works on the site near Drypool Bridge and award a contract for initial ground investigations.

They would then install utility connections to help make a box park there viable.

It would also mean the site could be used for small businesses, leisure or for the Maritime City offer, among other uses, if box park plans do not take off.

If the site does become a box park, it would see repurposed shipping containers host food and drinks venues as well as arts and crafts studios and boutique retailers.

It is hoped the project could create up to 30 jobs on the site once it is up and running.

Initial proposals drawn up by the council stated the Hull box park, like others, would see the shipping containers arranged around a central courtyard.

The courtyard could be covered to allow for events all year round.

The council’s report on the proposals stated he box park would fit with the High Street and the Fruit Market.

It added the site would complement other destinations in Hull city centre like the Fruit Market and Trinity Market, rather than competing against them.

Manchester’s Hatch, York’s Spark are examples of box parks in other cities and one was approved for Leeds earlier this year.

Cllr Drake-Davis said the development was ideal for the disused plot of land.

The portfolio holder said: “Run well, they can bring a new dynamic to the city centre like those in Newcastle and Manchester an have also proven to be very successful across London.

“Aside from enriching and diversifying the city’s leisure and culture offer, box parks can also provide a social mission.

“The intention for one on this site is to help provide people in Hull with another pathway for entrepreneurship.”