Development Control - TrustNews Mar 03
It has been a busy start to the year and Winchester has had its share of large and/or controversial schemes.
Left over from fast year is a Try Homes development for three 4-bedroom terraced houses and a three 2-bedroom apartment block in place of Woodpeckers, Park Road, which has been permitted, and the Wates Homes proposal to demolish Hillcroft, Northbrook Avenue, to make way for twelve flats and two 3-bedroom houses, which has been refused.
Although we were still concerned about the extra traffic it would bring to Park Road, the new scheme for the awkward site at Abbotts Court, Park Road, seemed much better than the previous one; it has been approved.
Decisions have still to be reached on two proposed demolitions in the Conservation Area.
Winchester College would like to replace Antrim House, 37 St Cross Road with a new boarding house, a site felt by the planners and the College to be the most appropriate of those available for a building of the size proposed. Ideally the Trust would prefer to see it retained, but it seemed this would result in a greater area of Kingsgate Park being lost to public use than would be the case with a new building. As Antrim House isn't essential to the street-scene (less so than the demolished Friary), we didn't object to its demolition - provided the new building was a worthy replacement. It wasn't, and this scheme is now being reconsidered.
The height and mass of Chestnut Mead, Kingsgate Road do, however, make an important contribution to the street-scene because the building can be seen from afar, and we objected to its demolition. We specially felt it would be detrimental to the Conservation Area to replace a structurally sound building with one providing no more accommodation than that provided by an extension with existing permission, although it has not been built.
It was proposed that 13 units should be built on land behind the houses on the corner of Sparkford and Airlie Roads. We welcomed the retention and division of the house on Sparkford Road, but felt the density was much too high for the area's character and would cause overlooking. This scheme has been refused.
The latest Banner Homes scheme for 58 units at Salters, Salters Lane is probably the most contentious proposal because of the size and exceptional qualities of the site. A major constraint is its parkland quality, and it seems the only way the requisite density indicated by central government can be accommodated amongst the trees is for the development to include tall and somewhat massive blocks of flats, which would be uncharacteristic of the neighbourhood.
A similar solution has been proposed for the development of 23 small flats at The Grange, 140 St Cross Road. This is another very sensitive site, primarily because any building here will be seen in relation to the Hospital of St Cross, on the opposite side of this important route into the City. Although screened by trees, The Grange is partially visible at this time of the year, and the massive block proposed - of no obvious design concept - would be even more visible, presuming of course that most of the present trees survive, which seems unlikely. Trees are in any case ephemeral, so we feel that any new structure here should be able to stand on its own merits, which this could not do. The main aim of the scheme seems to be how to cram the greatest numbers of units onto the site to conform with PPG3 rather than considering how the development could make best use of its attractively treed surroundings and contribute to the neighbourhood as a whole.
This type of approach is evident in the majority of recent developments and, as there is no over-all plan for how such densities can be accommodated within Winchester without damaging its inherent character, it is a great cause for concern that the crucial components of Winchester's character may be incrementally eroded away without our appreciating that it is happening. Do we really want great blocks of flats on the outskirts of our city? Would this be an acceptable alternative to the present entry into Winchester, of being in the country one moment, immediately followed by being in a welcoming human-sized environment? This sudden change is a major part of what makes Winchester and its setting special.
While the Trust is prepared to accept increased densities in the city where appropriate, it is most unhappy at the apparent current response of allowing increased densities everywhere to accommodate PPG3 requirements, whatever the cost may be to the character and infrastructure of Winchester as a whole.