A NEW urban waterfront village could be on the horizon in Hull.
Planners say land at Albert Dock and William Wright Dock has the potential to be used for housing.
Up to 1,040 new homes could be built in the area if the dock basin is retained.
The west Hull docks are included in a council report outlining possible sites for new housing in the city.
It is thought transforming the two historic areas could help redefine Hull's image as a waterfront location.
And the idea could create a completely new community, similar to the city's Victoria Dock.
Property experts say that area, overlooking the River Humber, has proved very successful since its redevelopment.
Melissa Rason, managing director of estate agents Riverside Property, has lived on Victoria Dock for ten years.
She said: "Victoria Dock is very popular because it is close to the city centre.
"The primary school and the park also makes it popular with families because there is a real community feel, but it took a long time for the school to be built and parents still move away when their children reach secondary school age.
"They are the sort of issues that need addressing if the same sort of development is being looked at."
She also said the city needs more affordable family homes.
"I wouldn't want to see a massive amount of apartments because we already have enough flats in the city centre," she said.
The council report has been drawn up to map out where new development might take place over the next 15 years, and mirrors a similar exercise being carried out in the East Riding.
Estimates put the number of new homes needed to be built in Hull over the period at 17,600.
According to the report, however, redeveloping the two docks for housing would face major challenges, because of access to the site and the potential impact on the nearby A63.
Port operator Associated British Ports (ABP) says it currently has no plans to close either dock – despite the council report saying the company had
previously indicated the sites were likely to become surplus to operational needs from 2015.
Philip Coombes, ABP's commercial manager in Hull, said: "We are not envisaging Albert Dock being used for anything other than shipping in the foreseeable future.
"We have sold off some land in the area recently and things can change, but that is our position at the moment."
ABP is expected to publish its own port masterplan for Hull later this year, setting out proposed land uses until the year 2030.
Covering 17 acres, Albert Dock opened in 1869. William Wright Dock was opened in 1880 and the two were joined together in 1910.
Albert Dock was the original home to the city's North Sea fishing fleet and trawlers transferred there again in 1975 after the closure of St Andrew's Dock.
The city's fish market is still based on William Wright Dock along with a number of maritime firms, including ship-repairers and a training facility for offshore workers.
Dock historian John Morfin said he doubted whether housing was the solution at the western docks.
He said: "In my view they should be used for shipping, whether that be commercial or leisure.
"I know this has been talked about in some circles within the context of the City Centre Masterplan but that was when ambition and money was apparently freely available.
"I am afraid we are now living in different times."
Most of Hull's new housing is expected where there is already existing planning permission for
development.
Just over half of all currently approved housing is located at Kingswood, with another 25 per cent in the city centre.
There is also an emphasis on trying to encourage new housing in areas where regeneration programmes have stalled because of recent funding cuts.
However, options for completely new housing sites are also now being explored.
In the report, city council planning manager Alex Codd said the authority needed to ensure a balanced use of land in Hull.
"Our proposals focus on housing, as this is a major pressure on land requirements," he said.
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