St Stephen's

St Stephen's is a large shopping and leisure centre in the centre of Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire, England. The development opened to the public on 20 September 2007 on a substantial brownfield site near Hull Paragon railway station and the city's principal bus interchange. It was conceived as a central element of a wider regeneration programme intended to strengthen Hull's role as the cultural and commercial centre of the East Riding of Yorkshire. The centre occupies a roughly 40-acre development area and contains approximately 12.8 acres of retail and leisure space. Its offer combines fashion, general merchandise, food and drink, entertainment, fitness and parking rather than relying on a single retail category. A large Tesco Extra functions as an anchor store, while the wider tenant mix has included national chains such as Next, H&M, Superdry, Flannels, TK Maxx, JD Sports, New Look, schuh, The Body Shop, Build-A-Bear Workshop, The Entertainer and Hugh Rice the Jewellers. Dining and refreshment operators have included Nando's, Prezzo, The Real China, Wok & Go, Subway and Starbucks. The complex also includes a cinema, restaurants, cafés, bars, a fitness club and a multi-storey car park. St Stephen's was planned as part of a long-term Hull city-centre master plan covering several regeneration districts and incorporating retail, cultural, transport, residential, hospitality and waterfront projects. Its surrounding development included the Albemarle Music Centre and a new 440-seat home for Hull Truck Theatre. The centre is also adjacent to Hull Paragon Interchange, which combines the renovated railway station with a major bus station and associated retail and catering facilities. This proximity gives the centre a role in both destination shopping and everyday city-centre footfall. The development has also been connected with local employment and community objectives. A parliamentary account of the opening reported that more than half of the jobs available at the centre were taken by local residents. In 2011, British Land, identified in contemporary material as the owner, introduced a Community Charter containing commitments to the local area. The current ownership structure is not established in the supplied sources and is therefore left unspecified. St Stephen's has served as both a retail destination and a venue for local identity-building. In March 2018, a full-size model of the Gipsy Moth aircraft associated with Hull aviator Amy Johnson was moved from the adjacent transport interchange into the centre. The model had been made over six months by inmates of Hull Prison. The centre's scale, transport connections, cultural neighbours and broad tenant mix make it one of the most prominent components of Hull's modern city-centre regeneration, although detailed current tenant and ownership information may change over time.

St Stephen's emerged from a long-running programme to regenerate Hull city centre and reuse a large brownfield area close to the city's principal railway and bus connections. The development formed part of a proposed 15-year, multi-billion-pound city-centre master plan covering six geographical areas. That wider plan envisaged a more integrated commercial and cultural centre, including retail, offices, restaurants, attractions, hotels, apartments and waterfront schemes. The St Stephen's project was developed as a mixed-use shopping and leisure destination rather than as a conventional enclosed retail mall alone. The scheme provided approximately 12.8 acres of retail and leisure space within a development area of about 40 acres. Its programme combined shops with cafés, bars, restaurants, a cinema, a fitness club and structured parking. A large Tesco Extra was established as the principal anchor, supported by a broad range of national fashion, sports, beauty, footwear, gift and general-merchandise retailers. The centre opened on 20 September 2007. Its launch was presented as a significant step in Hull's commercial revival and in the city's effort to reinforce its position as the cultural and shopping centre of the East Riding of Yorkshire. The development was closely connected with neighbouring public and cultural infrastructure. Hull Paragon Interchange, incorporating the renovated railway station and a new bus station, was built adjacent to the centre, improving access for residents and visitors. The surrounding scheme also included the Albemarle Music Centre, created for Hull Music Service's youth orchestras, ensembles and bands, and a new 440-seat venue for Hull Truck Theatre. Local economic participation was an important part of the project's public rationale. Contemporary parliamentary material reported that more than half of the jobs available when the centre opened were taken by local people. In 2011, British Land, described in the available reference material as St Stephen's owner at that time, launched its first Community Charter. The charter set out ten commitments intended to connect the development more closely with the local community. The current owner and corporate structure are not confirmed by the supplied references. St Stephen's has also hosted or displayed material connected with Hull's heritage. In March 2018, a full-size model of the Gipsy Moth aircraft used by Amy Johnson for her solo flight from Britain to Australia was transferred from the adjacent transport interchange to the centre. The model had been constructed over six months by prisoners at Hull Prison. This episode illustrates the centre's role not only as a retail property but also as a publicly accessible setting for local history and civic activity. The centre's tenant mix and facilities have changed over time, as is normal for a shopping destination, but its underlying function remains consistent: it is a major central Hull retail and leisure complex integrated with transport, theatre, music and wider city-centre regeneration. Detailed present-day ownership, management, tenant occupancy and visitor statistics should be verified against current operator or property-owner information.

• 2018

  Amy Johnson aircraft model relocated

  [1]St Stephen's Hullen.wikipedia.org

  A full-size Gipsy Moth model connected with Amy Johnson was moved from Hull Paragon Interchange to St Stephen's.

• 2011

  Community Charter launched

  [1]St Stephen's Hullen.wikipedia.org

  British Land launched a Community Charter setting out ten commitments to the local area.

• 2007

  St Stephen's opens to the public

  [1]St Stephen's Hullen.wikipedia.org

  The shopping and leisure centre opened on 20 September as a major brownfield redevelopment in central Hull.

• 2007

  Opening-year local employment reported

  [1]St Stephen's Hullen.wikipedia.org

  A parliamentary account reported that more than half of the jobs offered when the centre opened were taken by local residents.

A centrally located, mixed-use shopping and leisure destination positioned as a major part of Hull's city-centre regeneration and connected closely to the city's rail and bus interchange.

• Fashion and general merchandise · 2007

  Retail shopping units

  The centre's principal offer is a concentration of retail units serving fashion, apparel, beauty, footwear, sportswear, jewellery, toys, gifts and general merchandise. Referenced tenants have included Superdry, Next, Flannels, H&M, TK Maxx, JD Sports, New Look, schuh, The Body Shop, Build-A-Bear Workshop, The Entertainer and Hugh Rice the Jewellers. Tenant occupancy is subject to change.

• Anchor supermarket · 2007

  Tesco Extra

  A large Tesco Extra at the rear of the complex serves as the principal anchor store. It provides a broad supermarket and general-merchandise offer and contributes regular everyday footfall alongside the centre's fashion and leisure tenants.

• Restaurants and cafés · 2007

  Food and beverage offer

  St Stephen's combines shopping with a varied food-and-drink offer including restaurants, cafés, bars and quick-service outlets. Referenced operators have included Nando's, Prezzo, The Real China, Wok & Go, Subway and Starbucks. The exact current mix is not established in the supplied sources.

• Leisure services · 2007

  Leisure and entertainment facilities

  The development includes entertainment and leisure components such as a REEL cinema, restaurants, bars, cafés and a fitness club. These facilities broaden the centre's role beyond shopping and support visits at different times of day.

• 2011Community Charter

  Hull · United Kingdom

  British Land introduced a charter containing ten commitments intended to strengthen the centre's relationship with the surrounding community and local area.

  Outcome. The supplied material does not provide a detailed evaluation of the charter's individual commitments or long-term outcomes.

  Source

• 2018

  Relocate the Amy Johnson aircraft modelOther

  Background

  A full-size model of the Gipsy Moth associated with Hull aviator Amy Johnson had previously been displayed at the adjacent Hull Paragon Interchange.

  Action taken

  The model was moved into St Stephen's, where it could be viewed within the shopping centre.

  Aftermath

  The relocation added a locally significant heritage display to the centre's public environment.

  Source

• 2007

  Develop a mixed-use city-centre regeneration destinationStrategy

  Background

  Hull sought to regenerate a substantial brownfield area and reinforce the role of its city centre as a regional shopping and cultural destination.

  Action taken

  A large development combining shops, restaurants, leisure facilities, a cinema, fitness provision and parking was delivered beside the city's principal rail and bus interchange.

  Aftermath

  St Stephen's opened in September 2007 and became a central component of Hull's wider city-centre regeneration programme.

  Reported development cost. £200 million (At development and opening in 2007)

  Source

1. 1St Stephen's Hullen.wikipedia.org
2. 2St Stephen's Hull official websiteststephens-hull.com