Neighbourhood Studies
Oram's Arbour and St James's Lane
12 Conclusions
This is a particularly attractive part of Winchester. It has a high proportion of listed buildings and is not unduly threatened by disfigurement from permitted development or road schemes. The redevelopment of St Paul's Hospital, a potential threat, has been resolved satisfactorily. At present, the future of the Police Headquarters is uncertain, and anything that happens on this site will have a considerable bearing on the character of the neighbourhood as a whole. There is however no apparent imminent danger of development on the Prison site.
The area is well provided with trees; they have a positive effect, not only at the neighbourhood level, but also for the landscape of the whole city, and will need to be carefully managed and maintained. There is a wealth of views into and out of this area and the consequences of proposed development and tree planting need to be carefully considered, as a loss of outlook could occur in the most unlikely places. For an area built entirely in the 19th century it is remarkably picturesque and informal, and any new development in the area needs to complement this tradition, in both overall planning and detail.