FUTURE OF WINCHESTER: A STRATEGIC VISION
Enthusiastic support has been received from:
Prof. Sir Colin Stansfield-Smith CBE RIBA
" Winchester should welcome this paper. It articulates in a simple and straightforward way all the most attractive and relevant ideas of the Richard Rogers Task Force report. Winchester is a privileged, beautiful City with special attributes which are in danger of being made ordinary; we need something better.
The City of Winchester Trust is right to remind the City Council not only of its responsibilities but of the many opportunities which exist. Given good leadership the people of Winchester will want to avoid pollution, congestion and downgraded suburbs, and have the intelligence to identify the opportunities and seek quality in all its forms.
Winchester cannot just live in the past and indulge its heritage in spite of a culture that continuously persuades it only to look back. It must, instead, realise the need and benefit of looking forward and planning the vision that this paper represents."
David Rock PPRIBA CSD Hon. AIA
" Winchester is a fine City and has the potential to become even better but also to decline; it cannot stand still.
Strong policies are needed which by the clarity of their aims give everyone the chance to lend their support. This discussion paper is an appropriate and timely start. It is clear-sighted, easy to read and understand, and reflects the best of current - and past thinking, for there are certain absolutes in such matters. It is necessarily broad-brush in its aims, as befits a launch document and I should be surprised if anyone could fault what it says.
The other important need in developing the vision is to establish the best process for commissioning the reality. Without it the potential could be lost. This demands knowledge, experience, the avoidance of expediency, and the will to succeed. Above all the aim must be to achieve the quality which befits the City of Winchester. I am happy to support this paper and commend it to all."
Robin Nicholson CBE RIBA
"Winchester has survived but the world is changing rapidly. I commend the City of Winchester Trust's Strategic Vision to its citizens and the City. This is a special moment nationally, with a growing consensus that the well-designed sustainable city must be nurtured in order to contain the seemingly endless spread of the suburbs. It may even be possible to increase the density at the periphery, as though it were a modern city wall with gateways.
However, for the vision to have power, there now needs to be active consultation with the people of Winchester and positive political leadership in developing this into a working urban strategy. "
David Mackay RIBA COAC, Partner MBM Architects, Barcelona, Member of the British Government's Advisory Panel for Urban renewal.
"Most European cities are aware that the instruments used to effect the process of urban change have proved inadequate. The fundamental issue about the need for a fresh understanding of the city is to put aside, however valuable, most of the philosophy on cities, including those of Ebenezer Howard, Louis Mumford and Colin Buchanan's report. The functional city died long ago.
Fragments of the city need to be seen as architectural projects, and designed in the same way that architects design buildings. The task consists of designing the form of public spaces, streets, squares, gardens, parks, the placement of public buildings and the position and heights of adjoining façades. In this way we avoid both a rigid master plan and market-orientated developer proposals, in favour of a series of project-plans which accommodate the complexity of the situation."
Michael Wilford CBE RIBA AIARB FRSA
" Winchester is a City of national importance and significance. Like many historic centres, its heritage is under threat from development pressures in response to new commercial and social needs. Such pressure is not new. Cities have historically rebuilt and regenerated themselves over time in response to developing requirements. The most successful have done so with vision and skill and have ensured that the inherited quality and character is enhanced rather than destroyed.
Winchester faces critical decisions. The response of its leaders to the current challenges and opportunities will condition its future for the next century. I hope they can rise to the occasion with an appropriate vision and seek out the best talent available to assist them in realising it."
Ben Webster, The Civic Trust
"This document presents a bold and challenging vision for the City Of Winchester. It is fluently written in an engaging style. Most importantly it exudes a passionate commitment to Winchester. The Civic Trust wholeheartedly endorses this vision and hopes that it will underpin a fruitful partnership between the City of Winchester Trust, the City Council and the local