Morecambe Central Promenade Redevelopment Site

Lancaster

Masterplan for Morecambe's central promenade introducing housing as well as retail and leisure outlets. Designed by Flacq Architects.

We also reviewed this scheme on 29 September 2008.

We understand that the detailed planning application for phase 1 is still to be determined but meanwhile, amendments to the outline planning application have been submitted. For clarification, CABE’s comments on the amendments mentioned are presented here, and where indicated, offers more detailed comments that the local authority may wish to take into account when deciding phase 1.

Urban design

We note the scale and significance of this development for Morecambe and welcome the ambition and broad principles of this proposal. The curved form is an appropriate response to the site and the listed Midland Hotel. The introduction of beach houses with individual front doors along the promenade could lead to an interesting and lively edge condition. The detailed architectural and landscape design along this stretch requires careful consideration; the design team should be mindful that the promenade does not turn into a private domain.

The promenade currently allows vehicular access. However, we feel that the amount of traffic could increase significantly with the proposed quantum of development. While using the promenade as a shared space could add to its vitality and uniqueness, we think that the pedestrian environment could be compromised by the high volume of cars. The design and landscape treatment of this space should be carefully handled to ensure that all users are given priority.

Open spaces

The open spaces and public squares are the main public benefits to be derived from the scheme; it is important to ensure that they are of a high quality and enrich the pedestrian experience. We are pleased to see that a pedestrian route connects the boardwalk with the promenade and that the landscape design sets out a clear and legible hierarchy of spaces. Midland Circus could have multiple benefits for the town centre; it could be used as a public space, facilitate pedestrian movement between the retail quarter, Midland Hotel and the promenade and calm traffic along Marine Road Central. It is important that the public spaces are of a high quality and enrich the pedestrian experience. We encourage collaborative working between the local authority and the applicants, therefore, to ensure that the spaces are delivered in the form that has been proposed.

We welcome the generous provision of private amenity space for the residents on the first floor podium. We wonder if some of the communal gardens could occur on the ground floor to allow a visual connection from the town to the water.

Architectural approach

It is important that there is variety within the architectural expression of the blocks to avoid repetition and monotony, while at the same time, maintaining a degree of simplicity so that the development does not detract from the elegance of the Midland Hotel. Understanding the building uses and adjacencies could help with this and be used to inform the composition and treatment of the elevations and therefore increase legibility in the overall expression. We are concerned that the current pallet of materials fall short of the quality imbued by the existing Midland hotel.

Residential entrances

We are concerned by the entrance sequence to the residential buildings; the single entry points at the ends of the buildings create a long, foreboding, corridor to gain access to the lift core and result in predominantly single aspect flats. Multiple cores accessed from different entrance points could relax the internal organisation and improve the living accommodation.

Sustainability

We do not believe that the environmental strategy is being thought of as an integral part of the design thinking. As a large scale scheme including a mixture of uses, we would hope to see a more detailed energy strategy than that so far provided. The potential for recycling of waste heat from commercial buildings for the benefit of the new homes should be investigated. Considering the high profile nature of this scheme within Morecambe, the local authority should set high standards for the environmental performance of individual buildings, on-site energy generation and reduction in carbon emissions.

Construction and phasing

The design of the development holds together as a ‘set piece’ and therefore its success relies heavily on all phases being built. We have concerns that, given the current economic climate, an incomplete development is possible. If this were to happen, it is our view that an incomplete development, which on balance would have a negative impact on the city, could outweigh any benefits of ‘parts’ being developed. We urge the local planning authority, therefore, to request further information on the phasing to ensure that each phase works successfully as a whole. As part of the detailed planning application for phase 1, the local authority should ask for a maintenance strategy for the park and a detailed elevation describing the interface between the phase I building and the park to the east. We are not confident that the use, quality and appearance of the left over site area in the interim period have been fully considered.

Conclusion

This project could potentially bring about a significant change in the public perception of Morecambe. We think that the scheme must justify its own existence by making a tangible and lasting positive contribution to the town, in addition to being a good piece of architecture in its own right. While we are mostly supportive of many of the principles of the masterplan, we think that the local authority should be satisfied that the design team have satisfactorily addressed the concerns highlighted before giving planning consent.