Urban Splash. Clever name. Clever brand.
Recognisable across the UK property sector.
Urban meaning of the town or city. Splash evoking impact, energy and reinvention.
Few companies embody their name as fully as Urban Splash.
Founded in 1993 in Manchester by Tom Bloxham MBE and Jonathan Falkingham MBE, the partnership between entrepreneur and architect created one of the UK’s most innovative regeneration forces. Their work can be seen across the country, particularly in the North where post-industrial cities are full of buildings worth saving.
Take Park Hill Flats in Sheffield
Launched in 1951 with its pioneering “streets in the sky”, the estate fell into decline and became emblematic of urban decay. Demolition would have been the easy option. Urban Splash chose regeneration instead. They recognised the value in the dual-aspect layout, the courtyards, the light and the unrivalled position above the railway station. Their approach revived the area and helped reshape Sheffield’s confidence in its architectural heritage.
Manchester, around 40 miles west along one of the most scenic rail routes in the country, has also been urban splashed. Schemes like New Islington, Piccadilly Village, Chimney Pot Park in Salford and the much-admired conversion of the Avro mill in Ancoats demonstrate how mills, terraces and industrial shells can be reinterpreted for modern city living. These projects preserve the story of Manchester’s cotton economy while giving the neighbourhoods new life.
Further afield, Urban Splash have transformed the Royal William Yard in Plymouth, a magnificent waterside naval complex, into a thriving hub of homes, workspace and leisure.
In Birmingham, Fort Dunlop went from a derelict tyre factory to a landmark commercial building.
Liverpool, with its deep maritime heritage, contains multiple examples where their approach to sensitive, design-led regeneration has reshaped buildings once thought beyond saving. Examples include:
• Matchworks, Speke
• Tea Factory, Ropewalks
• Vanilla Factory, Ropewalks
• Collegiate, Shaw Street
• Concert Square and Ropewalks cluster
Block Compliance Ltd commend this type of thoughtful regeneration
Our work often sits behind the scenes, ensuring that ambitious design meets the realities of modern legislation and resident safety.
Whether a listed mill, a post-war concrete block or a Victorian warehouse, we ensure that passive fire protection is integrated with care.
Our team carries out fire door surveys, compartmentation inspections, and full fire risk assessments, providing clarity and confidence for building owners and developers.
Where required under the Building Safety Act, we also prepare building safety case reports, collating evidence that demonstrates a building is safe for occupation and managed competently.
In London near Farringdon, we completed fire door surveys in a beautiful heritage building, Herbal House. We completed passive fire protection work on historic Grade 1 and Grade 2 listed properties on Charles Street and Bruton Street, Mayfair, as well as John Street in Bloomsbury.
On Wood Street in Liverpool, parallel to Bold Street, we delivered compartmentation works within a converted rope works, balancing its historical features with the fire safety requirements of modern residential use.
In Leeds, we have contributed to projects on Wellington Street, Park Row, Park Square and the striking Crispin Lofts, a Victorian mill conversion of remarkable character.
Regional case studies in Ilkley and Harrogate show how historic buildings can be brought forward to modern standards while retaining their identity, as well as examples like Lexington 42 in Manchester.
And in York, up Bishopsgate Road, the Residence, the former Terry’s chocolate factory. Here, under the watchful clock tower, Block Compliance carried out dual services – fire door surveys and fire compartmentation surveys.
What we are championing is Urban Splash’s and others’ commitment to regeneration done well
With the demand for urban living growing and cities evolving quickly, it is vital that heritage is preserved, not overshadowed by identikit glass towers. Sheffield’s steel, Manchester’s cotton and Liverpool’s maritime roots are part of their cultural DNA.
Regeneration should celebrate those origins while ensuring the buildings meet today’s safety expectations.
If you are planning a regeneration, refurbishment or conversion project, Block Compliance Ltd can support you with fire risk assessments, building safety case reports, fire door surveys, compartmentation inspections and all aspects of passive fire protection.
Contact Block Compliance Ltd today to ensure your development is safe, compliant and ready for modern occupancy.
You will too feature in one of our case studies, on this website and on our growing Instagram and LinkedIn channels.
