The Vision for Winchester Town - TrustNews Jun 12
Revised and published by the Town Forum April 2012
The following paper was written by Desmond Clarke (then a member of the Trust’s Policy Group) to sum up the group’s thinking in June 2004. The Trust had published its own Strategic Vision for Winchester in 2001 (see website) and hoped a similar document would be produced by the City Council. In 2006 the Town Forum’s first Vision for Winchester was published.
The Policy Group would now make only the few changes [shown below in brackets] to the wording of the 2004 paper.
Why is there a need for a Vision
A vision looks beyond today and describes a desired future. In terms of a city like Winchester, a vision describes its future purpose, form and character in the light of changing economic, social, political, cultural and environmental influences. Some of the influences are outside the control of its residents; others can be shaped by local control and pressure.
Winchester was the ancient capital of England and its character over the centuries has been shaped by its role as an administrative, legal, ecclesiastical and military centre. It is often described today as an important historical city and is widely regarded as a ‘nice place to live’, encouraged by its unique setting and the architecture of many of its buildings, notably its cathedral, its good schools, its lively high street and its ‘leafy’ suburbs. However, its environment has also been scarred by a few inappropriate or unattractive developments.
Winchester, like all cities and towns, is rapidly changing as many of its traditional roles diminish and improved rail and motorway links are introduced. In particular, there has been an enormous demand for new housing, both to meet local and national targets. As a result Winchester’s unique character is increasingly under threat and there is a real danger that the City is rapidly drifting towards becoming just another ordinary/run-of-the-mill dormitory town with a well-preserved historic centre.
While we cannot, and should not attempt to, avoid any change, Winchester’s residents, through their elected representatives, local associations and media, can influence the evolving shape, design and character of the City. In particular, we need to ensure that major developments are truly integrated into the character, culture and life of the City, and that smaller developments enhance and reflect their local environment. To achieve this we need a vision for a future Winchester that builds on its unique character and creates an exciting and attractive environment for future generations. We need to describe a future Winchester where we want to live and work and have a master plan [conceptual framework] within which developers, architects and planners can operate. Without such an over riding plan [concept], the rapid enlargement of Winchester will be confused, unimaginative and destructive.
There is no single utopian vision about how Winchester should develop. Cities can adopt very different visions such as the ‘historic’ city of Wells where development is strictly restricted; the garden dormitory towns; the European model based on ’the Good City’; and the regenerated cities in the North. The best cities were created because their leaders had a vision that influenced their development.
The Trust believes that there is a real need for a Vision for the future of Winchester and there should be a genuine debate about what that vision should be for our City.
The Trust warmly welcomed the first Forum Vision to which it had contributed, and does so again with the revised version. However, as before, we do not think this Vision will achieve anything significant unless it is followed up by an action plan leading amongst other things to the Conceptual Framework we advocated in 2004.
Town Forum Vision:
http://www.winchester.gov.uk/news/2012/apr/new-vision-winchester-consultation-launch/.