Landscape Committee - Trust Annual Report 1992
The Committee has had an extremely busy but frustrating year. One of it's successes has been an involvement in the policy discussions about the future landscaping of the Cathedral Close and the acceptance of its recommendation to favour the planting of large trees rather than small ornamental species. It lent support to the City Council's successful objections to the conversion of the garden area behind No. 9 The Close into a car-parking space and was invited by the Hampshire Gardens Trust to be a member of the steering group for the reconstruction of Dean Gamier's garden lying immediately to the south of the remains of the Chapter House.
We have followed the proposals for Park & Ride with interest. A possible site for a car-park in the ultimate (not the pilot) scheme is the carriageway of the by-pass south of Bar End which will be redundant on completion of the M3. We would oppose this if it seriously compromises the reconstruction of the lower slopes of St. Catherine's Hill and its reunification with the City which was promised by the Department of Transport as part compensation for the landscape damage caused by the completion of the motorway.
A more minor but very real cause of vexation was the unauthorised reconstruction in a conservation area of the front garden of the houses occupied by a dental practice in Newburgh Street to which the City Planning Officer appeared prepared to turn a partially sighted eye.
The major cause of concern to the Committee since the Autumn of last year has been the launching by the City Council of a wide-spread programme of road and pavement improvement schemes. Winchester, though small, is one of the most important historic cities in Europe. The grid of its streets still follows with remarkable closeness the basic layout King Alfred superimposed on the remains of the Roman city at the end of the 9th century. The carriageways and pavements of its streets are an essential part in the Committee's view of its historic fabric and contribute much to the City's unique character. Criticism of a number of the design features proposed led to the modification of some of the schemes but the Committee's anxiety about the wholesale use of modern mass produced proprietery paving materials was largely ignored. These materials, harsh in their precision and mechanical regularity strongly coloured and patterned, have done much damage already to other towns. Designed to be laid at high speed with the minimum of skill they lack scale and have none of the intrinsic quality and attractiveness of the natural materials which they are replacing. Artificially coloured and textured, what attractiveness they possess can at best be described as cosmetic. It is impossible to be other than pessimistic about how they will age and weather. The levelling of roads and pavements to put pedestrians and vehicles on equal terms is laudable in intention but the loss of kerbs and the proliferation of bollards it results in is often visually a very great pity.
At a seminar on roads and pavements organised by the Planning Department in May, representatives of English Heritage spoke out strongly against many of the things of which the Committee has been and continues to be critical.
It is difficult to make Winchester look anything other than attractive, but the accompanying sketches by Michael Morris are intended to show:
- The effect of the new paving in The Square at its junction with Little Minster Street: note the strong pattern of paving slabs, loss of kerbs and the introduction of massive bollards.
- The new ramp constructed across the forecourt of the shopping precinct on the north side of St. George's Street without any apparent regard for the exemplary materials and detailing of the original scheme, which was probably the best thing of its time (1964) in the City. Note the clumsily positioned signs on the post.
- One of several new galvanised tubular street lamp standards erected in the St. James' Lane Conservation Area.
New Paving in the Square- 1
New ramp in St Georges Street-2
New Lamp in St James' Lane-3