SITE B, WALLINGFORD

site b, Wallingford pre-planning application public exhibition - JulY 2013

Wallingford is a town steeped in history. From the medieval bridge over the Thames to the grassy banks of its ancient fortifications, it proclaims a colourful past. It’s a town of surprises with the bustle of the Market Place contrasting with the tranquillity of the quiet back-streets.

It was the river that first attracted settlers to the area and in the Bronze and Iron Ages the rich soils encouraged farming communities. The Romans in turn left traces of occupation - burials, roads, coins and pottery - but it was left to the Anglo-Saxons to build the first town under the rule of King Alfred. Since its founding, Wallingford has at different times been the home of William the Conqueror and Queen Matilda. The castle was bounded on three sides by earthen walls and on the fourth by the river.

As times changed during the 16th century, the need for strong castles declined. The walls came down and the town was free to expand. The town has since undergone various other stages of expansion, perhaps most notably when the railway came in 1866. Through all these varying stages of expansion, the town has grown westwards, northwards and southwards from its core to this day, the east of the town is still bounded by the River Thames.

WALLINGFORD & SuRROuNDING AReA AS exIStINGWALLINGFORD

InTRoduCTIon

SIte LOcAtION pLAN

OxFORDShIRe hIStORIc MAp - 1574

OxFORDShIRe hIStORIc MAp - 1913

tOWN, ceNtRe & ReSIDeNtIAL AReAS

BRIGhtWeLL cuM SOtWeLL

© Based upon the Ordnance Survey mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. oS Licence number 100020449 © Crown copyright.

tODAY’S exhIBItION

The process of identifying suitable land to be allocated for new housing in Wallingford has run over several years, involving many people from the area. South Oxfordshire’s Core Strategy was adopted in December 2012, with ‘Site B’ allocated for 555 new homes. Following an extensive process of community engagement that began back in 2009, St Edward Homes now wish to share their proposals for how housing could be developed on the site. This exhibition will give people from the area a chance to learn more about our vision for the area, before the design is worked up as part of an Outline Planning Application later this year. St Edward Homes is a joint venture company owned by the Prudential and Berkeley, benefitting from the expertise of PRuPIM – a subsidiary of the Prudential’s investment arm. The development will provide a rich mix of new housing types for Wallingford, including affordable housing. This will increase opportunities for people to move to new homes from within the town, and for new people to move to this popular location. The housing mix will be enhanced by a new ‘Extra Care’ facility providing accommodation for older residents, with the benefit of communal facilities and care options. Residents of the development will provide additional support / custom to local businesses in the Town Centre, whilst the site itself will offer newly accessible public open space, an enhanced network of footpaths / cycleways, junior sports pitches, and additional allotments. Fundamental to the development receiving planning permission will be the commitment to provision of land for the construction of a new primary school for the town. the planning application will be in Outline, with details of all matters apart from site access to form Reserved Matters. these would then be addressed in detail at a later date, if the Outline planning Application were to be approved by South Oxfordshire District council.


BuILt FORM AND vehIcuLAR ROuteS pLANcONtextuAL LAND uSe pLANWALLINGFORD cONtext: AeRIAL phOtO

The site is located towards the north-west of the town of Wallingford. It forms part of land known as Slade End Farm – the remainder of which lies beyond the bypass (the A4130 / Calvin Thomas Way / Bosley Way) to its west. At present the site is arable farmland and features only one built structure, that of Fir Tree Cottage situated approximately in the centre of the site. The property is reached by tracks that connect to the bypass and to Queen’s Avenue.

The application site comprises 32.37 hectares / 80 acres – this includes two areas of existing highways on which new or reconfigured junctions will be required by the proposal.

Excluding this highways land the site itself comprises 29.74 hectares / 73.49 acres.

At present the site is accessed from Wantage Road at its northernmost point, from Queen’s Avenue on its north-eastern boundary, and by a farm entrance off Calvin Thomas Way / Bosley Way. Pedestrian access on a Public Right of Way exists at a footpath leading from the north-eastern corner of the site towards Wantage Road / Fir Tree Avenue: this public footpath traverses the site, emerging at the bypass, beyond which it heads north-westwards towards Brightwell-cum-Sotwell.

The site lies at the western extent of Wallingford, beyond which lie open farmland and the villages of Slade End / Brightwell-cum-Sotwell. However, analysis shows that the site is not peripheral: residential development already extends almost entirely along its northern boundary (properties along Wantage Road and Queen’s Avenue), and entirely down its eastern edge (properties along Chiltern Crescent and Fir Tree Avenue). Along its southern edge the site borders existing allotments, and at the south-western corner, the sports pitches at Wallingford Sports Park. Thus if the site is considered conceptually to have four sides, three of those adjoin the uses described -

demonstrating that the site can form an effective ‘piece of the jigsaw’ that is the town of

Wallingford, rather than be a place that connects only loosely by one edge to the existing form of the town.

The fourth of the four sides is that adjoining the A4130, the road bypassing the town. This route, established in the early 1990s, inevitably forms a line of perimeter around the western edge of the town: the site to its east effectively sits within the curtilage that it describes. This road will pass the edge of the town, but development of the site should form a positive edge to Wallingford that is not directly shaped by the alignment of the A4130.

THE SITE

© Based upon the Ordnance Survey mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Crown copyright. unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. oS Licence number 100020449


The River Thames represents an approximate eastern boundary to Wallingford, with the settlement of Crowmarsh Gifford situated a short distance east of the river itself. This historic core of the town remains associated with the river, from where it has developed primarily westwards and northwards. It meets Winterbrook to the south. The town lies centrally within a group of smaller settlements comprising Brightwell-cum-Sotwell to the north-west, Benson to the noth-east, Crowmarsh Gifford immediately to the east, and Cholsey to the south-west. Today the population of Wallingford is approximately 7,000 people. There are two primary schools and an infant school.

The secondary school is situated north/north-west of the historic town centre.

In addition to the commercial premises in the town centre, significant employment uses are located on the Hithercroft Industrial Estate, towards the south-west of the town. Adjacent to the industrial / business park on Hithercroft Road lies the Wallingford Sports Park. Wallingford Rowing Club has a base on Thames Street. other facilities available within the town include a hospital, a museum, a hotel, a library, the Corn Exchange theatre and cinema, and a variety of shops, restaurants and public houses. Various regular markets and annual events are held in the town.


› A historic Roman grid-iron town centre to the west of the Thames› Small hamlets in the surrounding landscape› Roman roads and tracks connecting the settlements› The landscape crossed by drains and ditches leading from the river

› Continued residential expansion within undeveloped areas to the west of the town› Pockets of development in the area between the new bypass and

the river

› A small pocket of infill development south of Wantage Road› Continued farming of the land around Wallingford› The network of drains maintained for farming purposes

› Areas of undeveloped land in-filled to the west of the town centre› Continued growth of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell towards Wallingford› The construction of the A4130 between Sotwell and Wallingford› Slade End Barns demolished but track and path retained

› Very little development during the inter-war years› Expansion of the residential area to the west after the 2nd World War› The area unaffected by large scale industrial activity› The construction of the A4074 bypass to the east

› The potential development of the Slade End Farm site, up to the boundary formed by the bypass to the west of Wallingford: site not yet allocated for development

HISTORIC DEVElOPMEnT OF WAllInGFORD

pRe 1883

1960 - 1972

1883 - 1914

1972 - pReSeNt

1914 - 1960

LOcAtION OF SIte B


COnnECTIOnS & COnTExT

Station Road

High Street

Slade End Farm

St. John’s Road

daoR

tf o

r CSt.G

eorges Road

St. Nicholas Road

Fir Tree Avenue

yaW r

etra

hC

Kinecroft Croft Villas

Egerton Road

The Bull Croft

The

Kine

Cro

ft

Site B

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2

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78

Bosleyway (A

4130)

Wantage Road

Hithercroft Road

Reading Road

6

9

The Murren Road

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8

Pedestrian Routes to Services from Slade End Farm

Site Pedestrian / CycleAccess Points

Public Footpaths

St. John’s Primary School

Hithercroft Industrial Estate

Wallingford Community Hospital

Town Centre / Shopping

Fir Tree School

Londis Supermarket

Wallingford Secondary School

St. Nicholas Infant School

9 Employment Area

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Pharmacy

Church

Public House

Allotments

Hithercroft Sports Centre

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0.5km

1 km

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17

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78

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Pedestrian routes to services from Site B

Public footpaths

Site pedestrian / cycle access points

St. John’s Primary School

Hithercroft Industrial Estate

Wallingford Community Hospital

Town centre / shopping

Fir Tree School

Londis supermarket

Wallingford Secondary School

St. nicholas Infant School

Employment area

Post Office

Pharmacy

Church

Public house

Allotments

Wallingford Sports Park

Proposed Morrisons Foodstore and Petrol Filling Station

Cholsey and Wallingford Railway

keY


Site B lies on the north-western edge of Wallingford, and to the south of properties along Wantage Road. To its west runs the town bypass, and to the south is an area of allotments and also the Wallingford Sports Park. The eastern boundary of the site runs along the rear gardens of properties along Fir Tree Avenue and Chiltern Crescent. The site occupies an area of approximately 32.37 hectares (80 acres).

SITE lOCATIOn & COnTExT


Application site boundary

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SuRROuNDING LAND uSetOpOGRAphY, ORIeNtAtION AND SuRFAce WAteRROuteS AND cONNectIONS

This diagram highlights the principal connections leading to and from Site B. Whilst Wantage Road and Hithercroft Road both lead towards the town centre, there are additional pedestrian routes leading eastwards from the corners of the site, and offering the quickest routes into the centre of Wallingford for those on foot.

A well-used footpath runs along the northern part of Site B, offering an attractive and direct route for pedestrians to Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, although this requires crossing of the bypass.

The site offers excellent opportunities for new development that responds to the path of the sun. new buildings and open spaces could be designed to maximise solar gain, assisted by the slope of the site - higher to the north, lower to the south.

This slope influences surface water drainage patterns, and also enhances the best views from the site, which are in a southerly / south-westerly direction.

Site B is directly adjacent to a variety of existing uses: residential properties to the north and the east, agricultural land beyond the bypass to the west, allotments and sports facilities to the south (and the Hithercroft industrial / employment uses

a short distance away to the south-east). Fir Tree School is located a short distance from the eastern boundary of the site. A new foodstore is proposed to the south-east on Hithercroft Road.

SITE AnAlySIS

Key

Site

Long range views

Gentle upward slope

Sunpath and solar gain

Surface water drainagedirection of flow

Key

Site

Sports / recreation

Industry / employment

Schools

predominantly residential

Other uses

Agriculture

Allotments

proposed Foodstore/petrol filling station

Key

Site

key existing pedestrian routes

key existing vehicular routes


The diagram above summarises the physical and boundary characteristics of the application site that have most directly informed the proposed layout of development: its topography and orientation, its existing landscape features, the sensitive boundaries to the north and east, and the issue of noise arising from traffic on the bypass.

The alignment of an existing rising main to the south of the site is shown, a constraint on any development in this area. Also highlighted is the edge of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, and a notional zone of separation that maintains it as a clearly separate settlement from Wallingford.

The main existing routes that have informed the proposed layout are highlighted above: the existing bypass (A4130) adjacent to the western boundary of the site (1) from which primary vehicular access must be achieved, the pedestrian route across the northern part of the site (2), the

pedestrian route which passes along the far side of its southern boundary (3), and the route along Queen’s Avenue which provides another point of pedestrian public access (4). These routes will assist in ensuring integration of the proposed development with the town of Wallingford.

The proposed form of development has been strongly influenced by opportunities for routes into and across the site, which connect into the wider existing movement framework. A new vehicular access (1) is proposed from a point on the bypass approximately equidistant between the two nearest roundabouts, and a new public transport route (2) leads from this, up to a point

close to Queen’s Avenue, and then north-westwards through the site to a new junction on Wantage Road. As a ‘spine’ to the development, a north-south route (3) is proposed. This would link to existing pedestrian routes to the town centre (4), with a potential future connection southwards (5) towards the sports park.

PROPOSED MASTERPlAn: DESIGn PRInCIPlES

exIStING chARActeRIStIcS exIStING ROuteS AND cONNectIONS pROpOSeD ROuteS AND cONNectIONS


To the west of the site a generous swathe of green space is proposed. This will serve multiple purposes: additional screen planting to that which already exists along the bypass and in areas where it will need to be replaced, wider spaces for informal recreation and play, areas for community orchard planting, and routes / locations for SudS measures. It demonstrates our approach whereby the edge of the development does not simply reflect the line of the A4130, but

that it forms an articulated edge to the town defined by landscaped spaces of varying form and purpose. The southern edge of the site is also proposed as a green buffer. Both areas accommodate surface water drainage routes and basins, connecting to a SuDS framework working with the topography across the site. The existing northern pedestrian route and the proposed north-south route through the site are highlighted as green corridors.

The diagram above layers the existing/proposed routes and access with the proposed green and blue infrastructure - and then highlights the zones formed by the resultant framework within which development is proposed. These are considered to be areas within which built development could appropriately be realised. Also highlighted are the proposed location for the primary school (1)adjacent to the heart of the development

framework (2) and the focal point at the core of the development around which a cluster of buildings could be arranged (3). This focal point is on the main access and public transport route into the site, on the main north-south green corridor through its centre, and is directly linked to the pedestrian routes that lead from the north, north-east and south-east of the application site.

Having established this conceptual framework for development, a masterplan structure was developed within the parameters it defines. The development zones establish areas in which built form can appropriately be located, and the main routes and spaces past and adjacent to these zones establish primary frontages to this built form.

PROPOSED MASTERPlAn: DESIGn PRInCIPlES

pROpOSeD GReeN AND BLue INFRAStRuctuRe pROpOSeD DeveLOpMeNt ZONeS AND FOcAL pOINt cONceptuAL MASteRpLAN FRAMeWORk


PARAMETER PlAnS

AcceSS ROAD BuILDING heIGhtS LAND uSe

keY

32.37 ha (Application boundary)

29.50 ha (Total site area)

Up to 1 storey (8m max. ridge height)



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Primary access road (max. deviation of 8m)

Bus route and emergency vehicles only(max. deviation of 8m)

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2.20 ha (Primary School)

1.15 ha C3 (Extra Care)

7.77 ha ( includes SuDS, allotments, square, children’s play, sports pitches)

0.98 ha (Primary access road)

Residential

2.49 ha (Includes min. of 0.34 ha of open space*)




1.23 ha

2.45 ha

Total residenatial 17.40 haIncorporating children’s play, SuDS and incidental open space

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pAuLS MALt, WALLINGFORD

Mixed-tenure residential development

The redevelopment of Pauls Malt arose from the regeneration of a brownfield industrial site close to the centre of Wallingford. The current use has ceased and the site was allocated for housing provision. Through extensive local neighbourhood, planning and district council consultation, along with an open planning consultation event, we prepared a scheme providing 149 dwellings on the residential part of the site with an overall density of 41 dwellings per hectare.

The scheme offers a mix of housing type, size and tenure across the site, based around a series of squares, mews courts and a new village green integrating with the local cycle and pedestrian network Part of the site was taken up by the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway Preservation Society with an area allocated for a potential commuter link between Cholsey and Wallingford.

FAIR MILe hOSpItAL, SOuth OxFORDShIRe

Mixed-Use, Mixed-Tenure Residential Development on Brownfield land

Fairmile Hospital opened in 1870 on the edge of the River Thames. It was acquired by the Homes and Communities Agency as part of the transfer of 96 nHS hospital sites in 2005.

The Fairmile Hospital site comprises of a number of high quality, Grade II listed buildings as well as an Area of Outstanding natural Beauty (AOnB), Gardens of Special Historic Interest, and grounds on the Register of Parks.

The HCA selected linden Homes for the site’s new build development and Thomas Homes for the conversion and refurbishment of existing buildings. John Thompson & Partners were appointed as their masterplanners.

QueeN eLIZABeth pARk, GuILDFORDHigh density, mixed-use residential development

John Thompson & Partners’ award-winning mixed-use development on the former Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Guildford has been carried out on behalf of laing and linden Homes. The project began with a community planning exercise that gave local residents and other stakeholders an opportunity to express their concerns and aspirations for the development. The masterplan responds to the existing trees and natural features of the site and integrates the new housing with the established residential neighbourhoods that surround the site.

More than 525 new homes including private, affordable, rented, and shared equity properties have been arranged into a series of distinct character areas, along with other mixed uses. A new village green gives the development a clear focus, and a network of green routes within the parkland has been provided for pedestrians and cyclists.

Awards: › Building For life Awards 2004 Gold Standard Award Winner

› Housing Design Awards 2004 Highly Commended

› your new Home 2004 Best Development for Family living

› Evening Standard Awards 2003 Best Three Bedroom House Best Home of the year

the vILLAGe At cAteRhAM, SuRReYMixed-use Development on Brownfield land

John Thompson & Partners’ award-winning, mixed-use project for linden Homes is one of the first examples of a private developer using consensus-led masterplanning to create a new sustainable community.

over 1000 local people were involved in the initial vision-building exercise held on the site, a former army barracks with several Grade II listed buildings. The scheme as built is an economically-integrated, mixed-use neighbourhood that includes residential accommodation, a supermarket, offices, a veterinary hospital, a doctor’s surgery, an indoor skateboard and BMx centre, as well as new landscaping and open space.

Of the 366 new homes created, 28% are affordable units provided by The Guinness Trust, and distributed within each phase of the development alongside those for private sale. A Community development Trust is managing leisure and business facilities on the site and using its assets to create jobs for local people.

Awards:› Building Awards 2006 Major Housing Project of the year

› Building for life Award 2005 Gold Standard Award

› The deputy Prime Minister’s Award for Sustainable Communities 2003 Commended Finalist

› The European Urban and Regional Planning Awards 2002 Best Conversion (Joint winner)

› RTPI national Awards for Planning Achievement 2000 Planning for the Whole Community Award

› BURA Community Award 2000 Caterham Barracks Community Trust

St eDWARD hOMeS

developer

pRupIM

Real Estate Investment and owner of Site B

JOhN thOMpSON & pARtNeRS

Architects and Masterplanners

ROGeR MILeS pLANNING LtD

Planning Consultants

hORStONBRIDGe LtD

development Management

t.e.p

Landscape Architects

ODYSSeY cONSuLtING

Highways, Transport and Infrastructure Consultants

hALcROW YOLLeS

Sustainability Consultants

JOHn THOMPSOn & PARTnERS - PROJECTS THE PROJECT TEAM

SITE B, WALLINGFORD

Documents

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