Minutes:
Rebecca Taylor and the Chairman gave a presentation on the draft SPD.
Engagement and Consultation
Rebecca Taylor gave details of the extensive engagement and consultation exercise that had taken place since February 2017. There had been a series of meetings, focus groups and road shows. The regeneration site had been visited; there had been hands-on planning groups and exhibitions held. In addition, there had been street surveys and discussion with commuters, developers and local businesses. 1,500 people had been included on the consultation database and this high level of engagement had helped to define the essence of the SPD - “Winchesterness”.
What You Told Us You Wanted
Rebecca Taylor provided an overview on range of comments received
· Maintain Winchesterness
· To have incremental development rather than a large, single scheme
· To have multiple architects
· The revamp of the Brooks Shopping Centre
· To retain the Antiques Market and Woolstaplers Hall
· To incorporate heritage and culture into the area
· To have mixed uses where people could live, work and shop
· To take practical measures to keep the town working during the construction period
· To make the area pedestrian friendly
· To expose the waterways
· To provide housing for all so that the area was alive both at night and day
· To continue with the high level of community partnership
· To have policies on bus routing, parking strategies (with the Middle Brook Street Car Park to be considered as the bus station location).
· To have meanwhile uses
· To be flexible in the description of land uses, so that changes in housing need and retail requirements could be responded to.
The close for consultation had been the 5 February 2018 and comments had been collected and responded to and were available to view on the Council’s website.
Key Themes and Updates to the SPD
The Chairman summarised the key themes that had emerged through the consultation process.
The SPD had been updated to better reflect sustainability and environmental protection. This included minimising emissions, including renewable energy and having clarity on cycle routes. The findings of the parallel work that was taking place on the Winchester Movement and Access Strategy would also be taken into consideration.
The provision of retail space had been defined in the range of 3000 square metres to 8700 square metres. There was presently 4000 square metres of retail provision within the regeneration area and therefore present retail provision could also be met within the regenerated area. In comparison, the 2014 scheme had proposed 15,000 square metres of retail provision. The proposed retail space gave flexibility and it was noted that from the consultation there was a preference for independent and smaller stores.
The SPD now included the findings of the Archaeology Advisory Panel. It was proposed to set up a public meeting where members of the Advisory Panel could provide details on its conclusions.
There was sufficient direction and guidance within the SPD in respect of design.
The Informal Policy Group had undertaken a due diligence role to assess the SPD’s viability and delivery. Members would also be visiting Bath, Chester and Oxford to increase their understanding of cities that had undertaken regeneration projects.
Next Steps
The Chairman stated that Members would continue to work with the teams and JTP to refine the SPD. The timeline was included in the Broadsheet available at the meeting, with the SPD to be submitted to Cabinet on 20 June 2018.
In the interim period, better use would be made of existing areas in the site including the Antiques Market and Coitbury House. The Broadway’s public realm would be improved and work would be carried out in conjunction with Hampshire Cultural Trust to bring interest to the area.
RESOLVED:
That the presentations be noted.