West Shottery

Stratford on Avon

Construction of up to 800 new homes, retail uses, a primary school, public space, and highway infrastructure. Designed by FPCR.

Summary

We welcome this opportunity to comment on the proposed development of a new community at West Shottery, but regret to say that we think significant further work is needed prior to outline approval. Much of the information that CABE would expect to see at the outline planning application stage is not yet available. We think the scheme should be more rigorous in challenging the Statement of Development Principles, commissioned by Stratford-upon-Avon, and tested at public enquiry. For example, we are concerned that the relief road, transferred from this document to the current proposals, may create future problems of severance between communities. We would like more information about the relationship between the new and existing communities. We are concerned that the location of the local centre away from primary routes may not help it thrive. We also think that further information on the character of the development is needed, and note the opportunity to respond to differing contexts to the north and south of the site. We sense that this site would benefit from an approach driven by landscape and sustainable design, which could inspire more creative solutions, to achieve a high quality new place. In our view, a Design Code could address some of our concerns, and allow Stratford-upon-Avon to secure high quality design through the planning process. However, to be successful, this would need to be developed alongside revisions to the masterplan, addressing our fundamental concerns. Finally, the success of West Shottery as a new community will depend in part on a strong phasing strategy, ensuring a high quality of life for residents occupying early phases of development.

Relief road

A Statement of Development Principles was commissioned for this site in 2003 by Stratford-upon-Avon, and subsequently tested at public inquiry. We are concerned that the relief road proposed by this study has been uncritically adopted as part of the current scheme. Manual for Streets, published by the Department of Transport in 2007, places new emphasis on streets as places in which people want to live and spend time, rather than just being transport corridors. In the light of this, we think it is essential that the need for, and design of the relief road should be re-examined. In our view, if constructed in the form currently proposed, this would create severance between new communities to the north and south of the site, and the countryside to the west. It would also prevent integration with any future development to the west.

Connections with neighbouring communities

The scheme provides for vehicular access in five locations: from Alcester Road, Evesham Road, and West Green Drive. In addition, pedestrian access is maintained along two rights of way. This promises to create a new community well connected to the existing residential areas to its east. However, the relationship between these access points and the pattern of development, within the site is unclear. The way in which pedestrian, cycle, car and bus routes are woven into the development will be critical to its success. To take one example, we are aware that bus services in the surrounding area are currently poor, and the development may not provide a significant critical mass to improve this. However, a clear strategy for encouraging public transport use will be essential to achieve sustainable development.

Local centre

We welcome the inclusion of a local centre, including a primary school, as part of this scheme, but are not convinced that this is in the best possible location. This is isolated from both new and existing main roads, and we think that there is a risk it will fail to establish itself, due to a lack of passing trade. We wonder whether a closer association with Alcester Road could help avoid this problem, and the potential blight of boarded up shops.

Character of place

The Design and Access Statement provides studies of the character of existing development around the site, but little information about how this will inform the fundamental nature of the masterplan. One example of this is the figure ground diagram of development patterns in Stratford-upon-Avon. To determine whether there is any relationship between this and the new development, a figure ground of the development proposals would also be needed. Overall, the plans do not yet describe a specific response to site, topography or architectural context.

The differing characters of existing development to the north and south of the site could provide a strong clue for the character of West Shottery. To the south of the site, the village of Shottery, displays an incremental pattern of development, with buildings of varied ages and styles, including some whitewashed thatched cottages, of which Anne Hathaway’s Cottage is the grandest example. To the north of the site, there an estate of post war semi-detached houses in the area around West Green Drive, and more recent developer housing off Alcester Road. These existing conditions suggest that development to the south of the site could be informed by its attractive and characterful context, whilst to the north there may be greater freedom for the scheme to establish its own identity. Whilst the Design and Access Statement includes aspirational statements about the future character of West Shottery, it does not provide clear standards or principles for achieving this. We understand that the production of a Design Code has been discussed by the local authority and design team. We would encourage this as a means of securing a coherent development character, responsive to its context.

Landscape

Negotiations are ongoing between the developer and local authority to determine whether the public open space and green infrastructure included in this scheme will be adopted, or maintained by a management company. The outcome of these negotiations may drive the landscape design, on the basis of likely standards of maintenance. We understand that the design team has experience of producing Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Management Plans, which can be conditioned as part of an outline planning approval, including provision for a steering group. We would be interested to know more about this, and in our view it is essential that responsibility for landscape maintenance is resolved prior to outline planning approval. Once this is established, we think there is potential, with further work, for the landscape design to help define the character of the development. In particular, we think a strong idea is needed for the central open space.

Sustainable design

In our view, the aspiration of the development to achieve a 25% improvement in terms of Building Regulation requirements to minimise carbon emissions is not sufficiently ambitious. In masterplanning a new community on a greenfield site, there is clear potential for the scheme to draw on some of the principles underpinning Eco

Towns, perhaps incorporating productive landscapes, or working towards One Planet Living principles (a Bioregional and World Wide Fund for Nature initiative). What makes an eco-town? (CABE / Bioregional 2008) and Sustainable Places are sources of further information. In our view, a clear attitude to achieving environmental sustainability, could help shape the character of West Shottery, in terms of street layouts, building orientation and design, and landscape design. We would also expect to see clear and ambitious commitments to Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM targets set through any outline planning approval. We would encourage the local authority to take a long term view in setting such targets, given the likely phasing of this development over a ten year period.

Design Code

Whilst the Design and Access Statement for West Shottery sets out some general design aspirations for the development, it does not provide sufficient detail to allow conditions to be attached to any outline approval. A Design Code could give greater certainty about the character, form and height of development. This is of particular importance at West Shottery, where implementation will be phased over a period of ten years, and development parcels may be built out by developers other than those currently involved. A Design Code should also lead to a more efficient planning process at reserved matters stage. We understand that the design team have discussed the possibility of a Design Code being produced following outline approval, through the use of a planning condition. However, in our view a Design Code produced as part of the outline application, could be a powerful tool for testing the principles of the masterplan, such as parking strategies, architectural character, sustainability, landscape and streetscape design. Further guidance is available in Design Coding: testing its use in Britain (CABE 2005) and Creating successful masterplans: a guide for clients (CABE 2008).

Phasing

It is envisaged that this development will be built out over a period of 8 to 10 years, but no information on phasing was included in the presentation material for our review. Issues such as how ongoing construction impacts on the lives of new and existing residents, and when public open space and community facilities are delivered, should be dealt with at the outline application stage. The success of this new community will depend on a robust phasing strategy, and we would encourage the local authority to set clear requirements for this through any planning approval.