An Action Plan for the Station Area - TrustNews Dec 12
The Winchester Town Forum adopted its ‘Vision for Winchester’ in September, described in its forward as a ‘vision for the things we want to achieve’. The 2020 group (combining the Trust and WINACC) have been saying to both the Town Forum and City Council that one area of Winchester that really needs its own vision is the Station Area. This is an area where much will happen over the next few years, and so it will be critical to have a clear vision of how we want it to develop.
The Station Area, which we define as including the car parks around the station, the Cattle Market car park and areas linking to the city centre, is the single largest area within the city likely to experience significant change over the next few years. On the edge of the historic centre, it also contains large areas of underused land and relatively poor quality buildings. The view as you enter the city over the Andover Road railway bridge says nothing about the quality of the city centre, and this is just one of four major road approaches to the city which passes through the station area. The station itself has a footfall of 11,000 visitors a day, compared to an average of 16,000 per day seen on the CCTV cameras on the High Street. A significant number of these each day will be first time visitors for whom finding their way to the city centre will be a confusing and less than uplifting experience. As Waterloo expands its capacity and the cross-country line to Birmingham and the North is electrified, numbers arriving in Winchester by rail can only increase.
In Weeke the community is engaged in developing plans for its own future, and in Stanmore also. The Station Area on the other hand has, for its size and significance, very few residents, most of the area being owned by just three big landowners. We are therefore suggesting that the Town Forum and the City need to commission a study that will lead to the development of a ‘Framework’ or ‘Action Plan’ to guide future development.
So, how could this Action Plan work?
The guidance it provides would need to be flexible, as development of the area will almost certainly continue to be market led. The Action Plan would set overall objectives for the area, to ensure that individual sites deliver these. These objectives would concentrate on ensuring the quality of the public realm (streets and squares). The aim would be to make the area a pleasanter place not just to move through to the city centre, but also in which to linger and live.
Contrary to the widely held view of them, developers are primarily risk managers and not risk takers. They will, in general, appreciate clear guidance on how their developments can act together to improve the quality of the area and therefore the value of their investments. By setting out a clear vision for its gateway, the City will be sending a message of confidence to investors. By managing expectations from the beginning, we can ensure the best quality of outcome for the area.
If you would like to know more on what we are suggesting, come to the presentation and discussion on 7th March at 6 15pm, in the United Church.