The Site About Henderson Global Investors

Introduction
and welcome
Welcome!
Thank you for attending our
exhibition. We would like to present
to you our vision for the expansion
of Weavers Wharf and the new public
square at Bull Ring, Kidderminster.
1
Please take your time in
looking at the information
provided and feel free to ask
any of our representatives any
questions you may have with
regard to our proposals.
Application Boundary
Application Boundary
Land within Henderson Global Investors ownership
Conservation Areas
Listed Buildings
Site context and ownership
The Site showing Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
About Henderson Global Investors
The Site
Weavers Wharf Retail Park is owned by
Henderson Global Investors, (Henderson) a leading property asset manager with c.
£12.7 billion (as at 31 June 2013) of property
funds under management globally.
The site comprises currently developed
land within and immediately adjacent to
Weavers Wharf Retail Park in Kidderminster
town centre. The site extends to
approximately 3.22 Ha.
They are leading the proposed expansion
of Weavers Wharf and the new public square
at Bull Ring. Henderson has a proven track
record in delivering regeneration in town and
city centres.
The site encompasses Weavers Wharf car park,
the Pizza Hut unit and the access roads, plus
land immediately adjacent to the retail park
comprising buildings between Lower Mill Street
and Weavers Wharf (including the Job Centre
Plus and a number of retail/restaurant/café
uses), Crown House and the Bull Ring and
parts of Crown Lane.
The proposal is supported by Wyre Forest
District Council.
Crown House
Bull Ring
Background
and Context
2
The proposals seek to deliver the Council’s aspirations
for more intensive development at the site, improved
retail and restaurant facilities and delivery of a multifunctional public space in place of the existing Crown
House at Bull Ring. The Council’s aspirations are set
out in recently adopted planning policy.
Planning Policy
Wyre Forest Core Strategy
The adopted Core Strategy identifies
Kidderminster as the strategic centre for
the District and aims to enhance its role as
providing a focus for new housing, retail,
office and leisure developments.
The Strategy confirms the District’s intention
to plan for an additional 25,000 sq m of
retail floorspace between 2006 and 2026. It
recognises that there is great potential for the
regeneration of Kidderminster town centre,
particularly given that the Staffordshire and
Worcestershire Canal and River Stour both
run through the town centre, which provide
a significant opportunity to create new
waterside destinations.
RCH
CHU
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E
STR
BAXTER URC
CHURCH
Baxter Statue
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W
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MI
LL
ST
R
Disabled Parking
EE
T
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BUL
G
RIN
Church
Square
New Cafe
Building
New Vehicle
Junction
Market
Grass Lawn
Car Parking
New Retail Buildings
Water Fountain
ANE
L
RSE
O
H
K
BLAC
New Bridge
M&S
Planning policy extract
Service Yard
River
Early concept plans produced for the council
Kidderminster Central Area
Action Plan
Previous Work by Wyre Forest
District Council
Wyre Forest District Council has prepared
detailed guidance for the development of
the town’s central area in the form of an Area
Action Plan (AAP).
The District Council commissioned concept
architects Taylor Young in 2010 to consider
the key concepts necessary for a successful
public square at Bull Ring.
It focuses new retail development in two
areas in the town centre - the Eastern and
Western Gateways (Policy KCA.GPB1). This
site is allocated as a town centre site in the
Western Gateway, where the following uses
will be acceptable: retail, leisure, hotel, offices,
residential and non-residential institutions (Policy
KCA.WG3). The Western Gateway is also
identified as the focus for tourism and leisure
uses, where major new leisure and multiple-unit
food and drink proposals will be concentrated
towards the waterside environments of the
Western Gateway (Policy KCA.GPB7).
Their work culminated in the production of
concept drawings which outlined the following
key components:
• Retaining access to Church Street for
access and deliveries
• Space for car parking within a shared
surface environment
• Space for restaurants and retail with
outdoor seating
• Space for informal seating/relaxation
• Space that can be used for a market
and other informal events
The Council are promoting the improvement of
the Bull Ring as a new town centre square with a • Trees and areas of lawn to help make
landmark feature, which is envisaged to partially
the space green
comprise a shared space (Policy KCA.TTC1).
•
The
relocation
of
the
Baxter
statue
The potential redevelopment of Crown House
would help to realise the Council’s aspiration for
this new piece of public space.
The Proposals
3
Henderson has developed a proposal which
positively responds to the planning policy
context, which aims to transform the site in to
a fully integrated extension of Kidderminster
town centre.
The proposal includes:
• Demolition of Crown House
• A new anchor retail unit
• 3 restaurants next to the canal
• 4 cafe / retail units over looking the
new square
• Works to open up the River Stour
around Bull Ring
• Landscaping and public realm
enhancements, including a new multipurpose public square at Bull Ring
• A new bridge over the Staffordshire and
Worcestershire Canal
Concept masterplan
The Bull Ring
Weavers Wharf
Two new public spaces will be created
through the demolition of Crown House.
This part of the site will provide a new retail
store to the south of Lower Mill Street, with
the main retail façade fronting the car park.
The eastern space will be a hard paved
piazza suitable for an expanded market or
events, as well as occasional car parking.
The western space will focus on the
de-culverted River Stour and will feature a
terrace and offers space for the relocated
Baxter Statue.
The existing Weavers Wharf car park layout
will be adapted to provide three restaurant
pavilions adjacent to the canal which will
create an attractive waterside environment
that provides a high level of activity throughout
the day and into the evening.
A new canal bridge will be constructed to
connect Weavers Wharf car park with the
Matalan Site. This will provide pedestrian and
vehicular access across the canal, which will
integrate this underused site and parking with
Weavers Wharf. It will also facilitate future
redevelopment opportunities to the west of
the canal.
Design
4
The new buildings proposed within the
development will all be highly visible and play an
important role in underpinning Weavers Wharf as
a retail destination, whilst increasing its attraction
as a leisure destination into the evening.
Artists impression of new restaurants and retail
Appearance
Landscaping Concept
The new buildings around the Bull Ring
are designed primarily to be cafes and
restaurants that will open up to the
pedestrian routes and spaces around the
Bull Ring and opened up River Stour.
A broad, legible tree lined pedestrian route
will traverse the site east to west linking the
Bull Ring to the former Matalan site.
The buildings will be architecturally distinctive
using a range of quality materials encompassing
stone, brick, glass and timber. The glazed
frontages will be designed to open up to take
advantage of good weather. The units along the
canal front are doublefronted initially addressing
Weavers Wharf and are designed to attract
customers across the car park before the
buildings open out on to a sunny south and
west facing terrace encouraging al fresco dining.
The new retail building will further anchor
Weavers Wharf’s retail offer, the inner active
retail elevation will address the major retail
footfalls providing a dramatic and distinctive
retail frontage.
The outer elevation to Lower Mill Street is
equally important but treated entirely differently.
The lower part of the elevation ascends through
to the edge of the Bull Ring as a screening veil
that gradually reveals the retail building within it.
Large trees will be planted around the perimeter
of the Bull Ring to help to define the new public
space along with a grove of smaller trees running
parallel to the river. Climbers and ground cover
shrubs will be used strategically to soften the
concrete culvert walls that define the exposed
section the River Stour. Other planting will help
to screen the service yards and soften the car
parking areas.
Design
5
The River Stour is currently culverted
under Crown House. The demolition of
this building provides an opportunity to
open up the watercourse to restore it to
its natural conditions, which will improve
its ecological value.
Artists impression of Bull Ring
Design concept for Bull Ring
Suggested treatment to areas adjacent to the canal
Sustainability
Heritage
The westernmost part of the site (on the
existing car park) falls within Flood Zone 2
and a small portion immediately adjacent to
the Canal falls within Flood Zone 3.
The site is located in proximity to a range
of built heritage assets including three
Conservation Areas and listed buildings.
The remainder of the site is not at risk of
flooding. The new bridges over the canal and
River Stour will be constructed above flood level
so as not to affect the existing flow of the canal.
The demolition of Crown House will also
reduce flood risk.
The buildings will be designed to exceed
the minimum requirements of the Building
Regulations, taking into account the use of
energy efficiency measures and low and zero
carbon technologies where appropriate.
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
Conservation Area, which includes the canal
itself, the various historic elements of its
associated infrastructure and tow path, are
situated to the west of the application site.
The development will include a new bridge over
the canal which will be designed to respect the
character and appearance of the canal
and its environs.
No.5 Lower Mill Street was the former venue
of the Frank Freeman Dance Club which has
associations with popular music culture from the
mid-late 20th century (as evidenced by a local
Civic Society plaque). However, the building
itself is not of any particular architectural quality
and has been significantly altered over the
years. We are keen to hear your ideas on how
the use of the blue plaque building for popular
music could be commemorated in the
proposed scheme.
Scheme Outcomes 6
and Benefits
The expansion of Weavers Wharf and
the provision of a new public square at
Bull Ring, will deliver a number of social
and economic benefits.
Construction Phase
£
4.6m
2
GVA
circa 11m
Investment in
construction of the
proposed scheme
= 142 jobs created (person years)
= 70 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) construction Jobs p.a.1
indirect /induced FTE jobs during construction
Annual GVA Economic
output uplift locally
= 11 indirect /induced FTE jobs during construction
Operational Phase
£320,000
Business Rates
= 210 gross FTE jobs created
1 Assumes 2 year construction period.
£320,000m business rate
revenue per annum, of which the
Local Authority could retain 50%
4.5m
GVA
Annual GVA Economic
output uplift locally
2 GVA (Gross Value Added) is the measure of the value of all goods and services
produced in an economy. It is a key measure of output.
Other benefits include:
• Achieve better links between Weavers Wharf
and Vicar Street / High Street
• The removal of Crown House
• Provide more interaction with the canal and
River Stour
• Promote a café culture and extend the
night-time economy
We welcome your views and comments
and will take these into account when
developing the scheme further.
We will submit the planning application to Wyre
Forest District Council by the end of 2013.
• Better shopping provision
• Providing new civic amenity space which is
suitable for sitting out, an expanded market
and events, as well as occasional car parking
• Provide a permanent home for the
Baxter statue.
Once the application has been submitted, the
Council will undertake their own consultation
and you will have another opportunity to
comment on our final proposals.
To submit your comments, or for further
information, please email or write to:
[email protected]
Your
comments
Weavers Wharf and Bull Ring
c/o Turley Associates
9 Colmore Row
Birmingham, B3 2BJ