Program
Session I: Managing and Enhancing our Heritage
Chairman, Sir Brian Follett, President, Stratford Society
10.30 – 10.40 Welcome and Introduction, Cllr Bill Lowe, Town Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon
10.40 – 11.10 Promoting Joined Up Thinking to Protect and Enhance Our Heritage: The Case of Stamford, Robert Stewart, Conservation Officer, South Kesteven District Council
11.10 – 11.30 Discussion
11.30 – 12.00 Improving the Public Realm and the Streetscape of Historic Towns, Colin Davis, Colin Davis Associates
12.00 – 12.30 Discussion
12.30 – 12.40 Steering Committee Recommendations for Stratford-upon-Avon High Street, Ian G. Heggie, Chairman, Stratford Society
12.40 – 13.00 Discussion and Next Steps for the Stratford Streetscape Project, Trevor Askew, Corporate Director, Stratford on Avon District Council
13.00 – 14.00 Buffet Lunch
Session II: Promoting Better Quality Design
Chairman: Brian Wright, Vice Chairman, Stratford-upon-Avon Society
14.00 – 14.30 The Challenge of Rapid Urban Growth, Alison Callaby, Town Centre Team Leader, East Cambridgeshire District Council
14.30 – 15.00 Housing Developments in Historic Settings, Prof Robert Tregay, Senior Partner, LDA Design
15.00 – 15.30 Break for tea/coffee
15.30 – 16.00 Discussion
Session III: Where Do We Go Next?
Chairman, Cllr Stuart Beese, Chairman, Planning & Transport, Stratford on Avon District Council
16.00 – 16.30 Wrap Up and Lessons for the Future, Dave Nash, Corporate Director, Stratford on Avon District Council
16.30 End of Seminar
Top
Summary
Stratford faces the loss of its unique identity
SEVENTY town, district and county councillors and planners, together with representatives of local organisations, attended a seminar on Improving Urban Design organised by the Society at the Shakespeare Centre on 16th June 2005.
The unequivocal message from the four speakers -- all leading designers and planners -- was that Stratford's unique identity would be lost for ever unless councillors and planners took a long-term view and were determined to fight mediocre development.
Professor Robert Tregay of LDA Design, gave examples of the way his company had won the hearts and minds of developers in Winchester, Cambridge, Oakham and Ely. "Historic towns like these and like Stratford are bound to be the focus of growth because of their good communications," he said. "You need to consider more than individual developments. You must have a wider vision. Be aware of scale and siting. Find ways to interact with the countryside. Look at ways of making the gateways to your town attractive -- these are the first impressions of what lies at its heart. But first you need design expertise. You must allocate funds to having in-house planners who understand design or you must take on outside people who can prove to developers that good design sells."
A second important message was put by Robert Stewart, South Kesteven District Council conservation officer, and Alison Callaby, Town Centre team leader at East Cambridgeshire District Council.
They both emphasised the proven success of District Councils working in partnership with local organisations when considering future developments.
"Set up a vision group or partnership which includes an independent architect who brings an unbiased view to the consideration of applications," said Mr Stewart. "Involve your civic society, council officers and members, the town centre manager and other representatives of business and voluntary interests in your town."
In a provocative presentation on improving the streetscape in historic towns, Colin Davis, of Colin Davis Associates, recommended making the streets more user friendly by removing clutter -- including all parked cars and unnecessary railings -- so that buildings can be properly appreciated, using random width and random length concrete slabs instead of uniform blocks, and getting theatre lighting designers from the RSC to floodlight the streets and buildings at night.
"Make your shopfronts relate to the buildings. Instead of a fascia straddling two buildings of disparate widths, design the fronts to emphasise the verticals of the original buildings to maintain their character" he suggested.
A positive and hopeful note was struck by Dave Nash, the District Council's corporate director for environmental services, who commented on the lessons learned from the seminar. "There is an urgent need to develop a long-term vision for Stratford," he said. "There has been a clear challenge to the District Council to re-establish in-house design expertise. It was cut because of expense and we must look at this again. We must also acknowledge the importance of community involvement in the design process and look at establishing informal design panels. We need to go beyond being regulators and become interventionists."
The seminar concluded on a positive note from Cllr Stuart Beese, the District Council's portfolio holder for planning, who said: "I believe many of the points raised will have an extremely beneficial effect on the way we take things forward. I am sure the seeds sown today will bear fruit."
It is up to the Stratford Society to make sure that they do.
End Note: A few weeks after the seminar, the Society’s Chairman received a note from Cllr Stuart Beese, the District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning, advising that the District Council Executive had agreed to employ a full time [urban] design specialist. He added, “I found your recent seminar very useful and I do listen and, hopefully, learn.”
Top
|
