Chairman's Jottings - TrustNews Sep 16
This has been an extremely busy last few months. It started with the so called Station Approach competition site, in fact, better identified as the Carfax and the Cattle Market sites. I imagine that by now everybody is probably aware that neither of the two remaining architectural firms were successful in achieving a convincing scheme. This failure to deliver an acceptable scheme almost certainly started with the briefing document.
The brief was prescriptive, with not much flexibility to allow the architects to come up with imaginative proposals. The difficult element of the brief was to provide parking for cars currently on site as well as parking generated by the buildings proposed, that is, for the offices and the housing specified in the brief. Underground parking was the obvious and probably the only answer in the circumstances required by the brief. The result would be two ‘floors’ of parking at probably around £45,000 per car to pay for before one even starts on the floor areas that provide the financial returns. Hence, you arrive at a very dense scheme inappropriate to the Winchester grain.
The other major problem was accommodating the traffic movement. Little effort was made to rationalise or suggest ways to improve the situation, which must be one of the more congested areas in Winchester. This was an impossible task for any designer, for if you start to resolve this area, you are likely to shift the problem elsewhere around the City. So this implies a full and radical traffic plan to understand and try to resolve traffic movement in and around Winchester. As many organisations have been saying for some time, a detailed strategic plan for Winchester would be an excellent way forward. The local plan, Part 2 for the Winchester area, which is about to be issued, is merely the introduction to the subject. It does not resolve the detailed issues which affect the consideration of any major development or movement study.
Another issue when considering how Winchester should be developed, is what do we, as citizens and visitors, expect of this historic City. There are so many elements to consider for a viable, successful environment which can be enjoyed - for example, history, spaces, modern interventions, movement in and around the City, and access to shopping, living and so on.
I recently attended an excellent conference organised by WinAcc and supported by the City of Winchester Trust. Many of the points I have touched on briefly in these jottings, were well covered by the participants. In order not to lose the momentum, the Trust are in the process of picking up the baton and are arranging an event to discuss traffic and general people movements in and around Winchester. This is likely to take place in February 2017.