Southampton City Planning Officer.
Re City of Southampton Society Response to the Draft City
Centre Action Plan (Jan 2012)
Dear Helen
Further to our fruitful
meeting with you and Dawn Heppell on Monday 12 March 2012, set out below are the
salient points that CoSS wish to make.
The Plan does not achieve
a balanced community strategy; matching public green open space with the
additional housing and providing secondary schools in the city centre. The principal traffic routes are not identified
on any of the maps and it could be said that there is a clash of use between
traffic and pedestrians in such places as the proposed “Green Mile”.
For example, the traffic
flow plan at the proposed Platform Road Changes should not simply be for Dock Gate
4 and Dock Gate 5, but one which will take into account all the roads
feeding into that area (see page 65).
We must remind you of the
SCC obligation to adhere to the Core Strategy (Policy 21). You refer on page 41 (4.90) that you will
only “seek to retain” public open space.
The wording should be “The City Council will retain the quantity
and improve the quality of public open space”.
You will also recall that
the Core Strategy Government Inspector, in August 2010, asked the SCC to “take
on board” the need to avoid overshadowing/dominating the Central Parks with
high-rise buildings.
We see the compromise as
the “step-back” design to the development, rather like the plans for the new
art complex on the old Tyrrell & Green site.
The Old Town too needs to
be protected from high buildings (six storeys was the original agreement).
Page 81 (Policy 5.21 and
20). Blechynden Terrace public open
space is well used at lunchtime by office workers. The City Green Open Spaces Manager, John
Horton, has told CoSS that this bomb-site park could be a memorial garden to
the civilians killed in the city during World War II, i.e. similar to the
Kaiser Wilhelm Gedenkemal Kirche in Berlin.
The planned squares
either side of the railway station appear not to be “green” and the proximity
of the main dual carriageway on the south side seems to curtail the
construction of a “square” of any size!
CoSS have identified two
walking routes, which we believe should be part of the plan.
The route from Maddison Street through the Castle
perimeter wall towards West Quay shopping centre. This needs to be incorporated in the plans to
convert the car parks at Albion Place into POS.
When Hanover Buildings shops are
re-developed, a path which continues the route down Houndwell Park should cross
the road there and go directly south to Polymond Tower. This will re-unite the parks and the medieval
town walls to the east of the Bargate, and in so doing rid the city of an
unattractive dumping ground for waste material. (See page 111)
Referring
again to the Albion Place proposed POS, we are concerned that the views west
from the Catchcold Tower area will be severely affected by the West Quay Phase
III (Watermark). “Where is the water?”
is the common complaint by visitors to the city.
As
regards Tourism & Heritage, we consider the view of the water from High
Street, French Street and Bugle Street to be sacrosanct (not listed on
p.55). We would also ask that the three
Heritage Trails for Titanic, Jane Austen and Isaac Watts be incorporated into
this and any other plan for the City Centre.
Remember this is now a stopping off point for Cruise Liners, not just a
departure and arrival port.
On
page 23 (4.33) in addition to the Seacity Museum and the new Arts Complex,
please add Tudor House Museum and the Solent Sky Aviation Museum.
On
page 14 (4.93), the role of Queensway should be stressed to achieve the “Green
Mile” connection between the Central Parks and Queens Park.
Map
10 introduces viewing “arrows” from Mayflower Park pointing towards the Old
Town; however, more viewing arrows need to be shown on Map 10 pointing in both
directions, i.e. Old Town to Waterfront panoramic views (not glimpses!) and,
likewise, arrows at Guildhall Square to and from East Park. Long term, arrows from Above Bar
Precinct to and from Houndwell Park.
Page
64. There is no paragraph entitled
“Coaches”. As regards transport, CoSS
wish to suggest two “hubs”, duly connecting with a free bus service.
Hub 1, at the Central Railway
Station, to include a new and adequate Coach Station for National Express
etc. (This may have to be raised above
the new public square since space is at a premium.)
Hub 2, at the Town Quay/Royal
Pier site, shortly to be vacated by Red Funnel.
We envisage a Circular Quay (Sydney) set up. River ferries (jetties at, e.g., Redbridge,
Marchwood, Cobden Bridge, Woolston), buses and a tram terminating at the end of
QE2 Mile. A tram route for tourists and
shoppers as well, running down the QE2 Mile and through the arch in the Bargate
(as before World War II).
The
“Super Bus Stops” at Castle Way/Portland Terrace will pose problems for the
users of the proposed POS at Albion Place, unless engines are switched off.
The
Vincent Walk site is essentially a park-side location and buses should not be
there at all. Provision should be made
for the bus stops to be in Above Bar Street, north of the Precinct. This will be convenient for bus passengers
and free up the parks area of Pound Tree Road and Vincent Walk. The whole nature of Vincent Walk could be
re-assessed with retail/cafés facing out onto the park, thus
revitalising the whole area.
Long
term, CoSS and SCAPPS envisage that many more retailers and apartments should
face the Central Parks rather than having their backs to them, which will give
the area social advantages to shoppers, residents and park users.
CoSS
look forward to reading the definitive Plan as and when it is published.
Yours
sincerely
Marian
Hubble and Arthur Jeffery
On
behalf of City of Southampton Society
The Jonas Nichols fountain in St Mary Street Southampton is grade II listed. It was moved to the present site when Jonas Nichols square was created. The monument needs attention as the paint is flaking and there are signs of rust showing through.
