Urban Splash commissioned Lathams in 2003 to work on the development of the design for the conversion of The Silk Warehouse into 132 residential units, together with three commercial units amounting to some 20,000 sq ft of potential business within the regeneration area of Manningham. Lathams was chosen because of our experience of working with the existing fabric of a building under the banner of creative re-use, following on from our master planning for the development and particularly due to our planning skills and historic building repair expertise. The scheme is a typical regeneration package of European, Local Government and private funding, creating a mix which is intended to lift the area that has suffered due to the industrial decline within Britain. This project is seen as essential and catalytic to the regeneration of this area of Bradford and indeed to the whole image of Bradford.