Background

Since its maritime heyday, Hull has faced a wide range of significant socio-economic and infrastructure challenges. The city is dealing with a loss of population density, changes in employment sectors, a decline in retail, anti-social behaviour, congestion, and childhood obesity. It also suffers from lack of green spaces, an abundance of car parking across the city centre, and significant risk of flooding from the River Humber.  Within these challenges lies a city with tremendous potential, incredible heritage and cultural assets, riverside setting, maritime history and resilient, loyal and entrepreneurial residents and businesses. 

Hull’s East Yorkshire and North Sea location, strong community spirit, independent and creative talent, local and regional business strength, cultural assets, welcoming nature, and maritime heritage have been clearly demonstrated through an inclusive engagement process to develop the City Centre Vision.  The City Council is clear in its aspiration to deliver a sustainable, resilient and inclusive city centre to support the wider East Yorkshire region.

Map of the City Centre Vision Area

Hull in Numbers

• The Hull city centre area is circa 600ha.

• Current population is 271,942 (Hull City Council) and part of wider Hull East Yorkshire Combined Authority region with a population of 618,252.

• 17.4% of employment is in the manufacturing sector.

• Active port supports 12,000 jobs and generates £12bn in trade and 50+ hectares of freeport zone.

• There are currently 8,435 local business units and 6,385 micro businesses.

• Currently, approximately 5,000 people with circa 60% aged 20-50, live within the City Centre Vision area.

• Hull's housing affordability is currently £119,520 vs. national average of £266,742.

• Hull's average weekly workplace earnings are £656.60 (2024).

• Residents have lower qualifications and disposable income (£15,818 Gross disposable household income per capita per year, 2022), suggesting much of that income disperses from the city into the wider region.

City Centre Zones and Uses


Reimagining Hull City Centre by 2045

In 2024, Hull City Council commissioned Planit to lead a team to develop a City Centre Vision that reimagines Hull by 2045. A vision that builds a strong and inclusive City Centre that is liveable and active with vibrant neighbourhoods. One with enhanced shopping, entertainment, quality housing, healthy and playful green spaces for all, that fosters culture and creativity and will celebrate Hull’s rich historic maritime cultural and visitor heritage.

The wide-reaching spatial plan provides a 20-year roadmap for investment and prioritisation underpinned by a handful of key strategic drivers - innovation, resilience to climate change, health, productivity and re-establishing a residential population and strong workforce within the city centre. The City Centre Vision supports economic growth, innovation and business growth, visitor numbers and talent retention, as well as sustainable development though targeted investment in: placemaking, brownfield housing delivery, development of new high-quality neighbourhoods and creation of new employment opportunities.

Vision Drivers


It will benefit both the city and wider region - particularly within the context of the newly established Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority. Areas beyond the city also hold huge potential for promoting key growth sectors and creating high quality jobs. They provide important strategic connections to surrounding communities, key destinations, and employers, and include major green and blue infrastructure corridors – vital ingredients in the long-term sustainability and liveability of the city centre.


Community and Stakeholder Engagement

From the start, the project team engaged monthly with a City Centre Steering Group, consisting of senior officers and political portfolio holders to guide the project through key decisions. Key stakeholders and the public were also important elements informing the future vision of Hull city centre. The robust engagement programme incorporated two periods of engaging stakeholders, including ward members and MPs, businesses, key service providers, and cultural, heritage and accessibility organisations. In addition, two public engagement periods highlighted the desired improvements around accessibility and transport, a need for more public spaces, development of an early-evening economy, and more City Centre living.

At times, this engagement included one-on-one sessions with stakeholders to enable collaboration relating to the proposals being put forward. Those parties and engaged individuals have been asked to remain close to the project to enable the conversations to continue – integral to the social value framework supporting the project.

Delivering an ambitious long-term vision requires implementation of a toolkit of measures that allow Hull City Council to collaborate with stakeholders to implement spatial and economic change across the City Centre. The project included a detailed implementation chapter setting out a roadmap of delivery - including all the major actors and their roles, to ensure everyone is clear on how to progress towards the vision.

Planit's Regenerative Design Tool applied to Hull



Embedding Sustainability, Climate Resilience and Social Value

Sustainability is embedded throughout the vision. From climate resilience and carbon reduction to green infrastructure and active travel, it forms a unifying thread that supports thriving communities and nature. Using Planit’s Regenerative Design tool, we identified the most impactful interventions to shape the vision’s key drivers.

The vision promotes environmentally sustainable development aligned with its net zero carbon strategy, addressing climate and biodiversity emergencies through targeted, positive interventions. It proposes new neighbourhoods that bring people back into the city, creating connected, cohesive communities with diverse facilities.

A thorough socio-economic and environmental baselining exercise informed wider community engagement. A Social Value Framework enables Hull City Council to set clear expectations, measure project impacts, and empower stakeholders in shaping the city’s regeneration.

Key interventions include enhanced streetscapes, a sustainable transport hierarchy, mobility hubs linking places with active-travel routes, and improved public transport. These measures help reduce transport emissions, increase climate resilience, improve air quality, and make the city centre more inclusive and accessible, supporting Hull’s Child Friendly City ambition. Additionally, new nature-rich green spaces have been planned, along active travel-routes with waterside parks and play areas vital for wellbeing, activity, cohesion and strengthened biodiversity.

The vision supports Hull’s net zero carbon strategy through:

·    Reduced vehicle use,

·    EV public transport and mobility hubs,

·    Retrofitting buildings to retain character and reduce carbon,

·    Applying new-build carbon standards (UKNZCBS),

·    Increased planting for carbon sequestration; and,

·    Neighbourhood densities that enable district heating expansion and renewable energy use.

Strengthened links to surrounding communities, key employment destinations, and major green and blue infrastructure corridors form a critical part of the long-term sustainability and liveability of the city centre. These strategies align with the emerging Hull Local Plan and support the wider regional priorities of the new Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Together, these interventions provide a clear roadmap for delivering a city centre that is healthier, greener, more inclusive and economically resilient, a place that celebrates Hull’s heritage while preparing it for a thriving future.

Read the full Hull City Centre Vision Strategy Report here.