Parkside - St Stephens Place and Former Peter Black`s Site

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Parkside - St Stephens Place and Former Peter Black’s Site
9.9
Parkside - St Stephens Place and Former Peter Black’s Site
KEY
Location
9.9.1
The area is located to the north of County Way and consists of
two development sites one on either side of the river. St Stephens lies to
the north of the river and Peter Black’s to the south adjacent to County
Way.
River Biss
landmark building
potential landmark
Enhance gateway
Access and Permeability
9.9.2
The dual carriageway of County Way limits access to the Peter
Black’s site. The long thin nature of the site and the change in level to the
east also limits access further. St Stephens is well served by Mortimer
Street and Castle Street, which form two of its boundaries.
Public Realm
9.9.5
This character area benefits from a high quality landscape and
open space network within the People’s Park to Biss Meadows.
green space
public space enhancements
Development site
Upgrade existing link as cycle/
pedestrian route
Ensure strong relationship of
buildings wirh river
Potential footpath
Development site
Enhance gateway
9.9.6
The St Stephen’s Place site offers a major opportunity to
positively address the waterfront and redesign the waterside frontage. The
site should also be designed to positively address Castle Street.
9.9.7
The shared cycle/footpath should be located on the northern river
bank through this stretch, in order to directly connect to the People’s Park.
A pedestrian connection is required on the southern bank from Cradle
River Biss
gateway
enhance links
Land Use
9.9.3
The St Stephen’s Place and Peter Black’s development sites
represent important strategic sites for retail led mixed use developments.
Area Specific Opportunities
9.9.4
The St Stephen’s Place and Peter Black’s development sites
provide an important link between the more urban character of the
Waterside area and the adjacent parkland setting and should complement
one another in order to achieve a comprehensive approach to the design
of the river corridor. There is an opportunity to connect the two sites, both
visually and physically, and for the public realm approaches to work in
harmony.
key view
Figure 9.11: St Stephens Place and Former Peter Black’s Site opportunities.
Public Realm Design Guide
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Parkside - St Stephens Place and Former Peter Black’s Site
Bridge to the proposed cycle/footbridge.
9.9.8
The site’s location adjacent to the People’s Park also presents the
opportunity to extend the park character along the river front and provide a
more natural appearance to the river channel.
9.9.9
The Peter Black’s site is constrained in terms of the width of the
site. This limits the potential to provide major public realm improvements
in this area. It is important that the two sites are linked by a connecting
cycle/pedestrian footbridge. This bridge should be the focal point for the
two areas and should be integrated into the new developments through the
provision of new civic spaces on either side of the river.
9.9.10 Previous approaches to the design of St Stephen’s Place site
have proposed a new plaza adjacent to the waterfront. This concept is
promoted in this SPD and links to the town centre reinforced.
9.9.11 This space should be mirrored on the Peter Black’s site by a new
civic space which provides a pedestrian link southwards to the pedestrian
crossing on County Way.
Ecology
9.9.12 It is recognised that there is potential for habitat creation within
the St Stephen’s Place plaza. This space could be designed to allow a
more naturalistic approach to the river channel by regrading the banks and
creating a new green space.
9.9.13 The eastern stretch of river bank on the Peter Black’s site from
the proposed cycle/footbridge is not to be publically accessible. Access is
to be restricted in order to reduce disturbance on existing habitats.
Materials
9.9.14 The materials for this area need to build upon the general
materials palette and also relate to the adjacent People’s Park. In this
respect the use of timber will provide a link between the urban character
of the Waterside development and the parkland character of the People’s
Park and Biss Meadows.
3d image of character area
River Biss
Public Realm Design Guide
9.9.15 Both the St Stephen’s Place Plaza and Peter Black’s Civic Space
are to be constructed from the high quality materials palette. In addition,
to the main palette of materials, there is an opportunity to introduce
timber decking. A suggested palette of materials for the central plaza is as
follows: York stone
 Granite setts and kerbs
 Tegula, or similar tumbled concrete setts
 Silver granite concrete Conservation kerb
 Breedon gravel/bound gravel/hoggin for tree pits and small
infill areas
 Timber decking/timber boardwalk
 Recycled glass paviors
 Resin bound gravel surfacing to footpath on eastern reach
of the river on Peter Black site.
9.9.16 Away from the main civic spaces, there are areas of transition into
the adjacent Cradle Bridge area, the Town Centre and the People’s Park
where the following materials should be used:-  Access roads to the site to be constructed in small unit
concrete paviors
 Reconstituted stone
 Pedestrian crossing on County Way in high quality resinbound gravel and tactile paving;
 Silver grey paving slabs
 York stone sett trim
 Tegula, or similar tumbled concrete setts (brown/grey)
 Silver grey concrete kerbs
 Tar spray and chip gravel finish to riverside path
 Timber decking.
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Parkside - St Stephens Place and Former Peter Black’s Site
Design Checklist
9.9.17 New development in this area should:• create two new public spaces - St Stephen’s Place Plaza
and Peter Black’s Civic Space;
• accommodate a shared footpath/cycle route;
• seek to provide active frontages to both the river, Castle
Street and County Way. Facilitate pedestrian access northsouth to link the two sites to the town centre;
• have buildings fronting on to the Cradle Bridge area define
this gateway area;
• seek to improve pedestrian crossing facilities on County
Way;
• have public spaces which reflect the character of this area
and the transition between the more urban Waterside
character area and the adjacent People’s Park;
• retain and enhance the ecological value of this area
through enhancements to the river edge treatment and the
introduction of marginal planting shelves;
• provide new marginal planting in association with river
channel works;
• provide new street tree planting on County Way and in the
key public spaces;
• follow the materials palette outlined in the previous section;
• seek the opportunity to light Cradle Bridge and the possible
pedestrian/cycle link bridge;
• improve crossing points in the Cradle Bridge area and
emphasise this important town centre gateway.
Figure 9.12: St Stephens Place and Former Peter Black’s Site illustrative public realm proposals.
River Biss
Public Realm Design Guide