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 Preparation for The Design Code begins |
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The Design Code is being prepared by the design team in conjunction with the ongoing stage of consultation feedback from local authority officer and ... |
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| PART 1: Introduction + Assessment |
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The Consultant Team generated proposals for the site from a detailed assessment of the ‘baseline conditions’ in order to gain a clear understanding of site, its condition, its context in the region and the opportunity it presented through its history, location and attributes. The Consultant Team undertook a series of baseline studies to conceive and refine the scheme, including:
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- Site Context;
- Existing Character Areas and Analysis;
- History of Site and Surroundings;
- Urban Grain;
- Land Use;
- Listed Buidings;
- Movement and Permeability;
- Landscape Character;
- Water Bodies and Drainage;
- Key Views;
- Scale and Massing;
- Topography;
- Walk able Network;
- Sustainability Study;
- Legibility;
- Landscape Appraisal;
- UDP Land Designations;
- Site and Surrounding Land Ownerships; and
- Constraints
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The Design and Access Statement, which accompanies this planning application, evaluates in detail the design evolution and character of the proposed development. The Design and Access Statements for both sites were submitted in three parts; Introduction and Assessment; Community Involvement and Design, Access and Conclusions.
The Development Team undertook a comprehensive approach to the site in line with the Design Principles which were set in Part 1 of the Design and Access Statement and looked at delivery and long term management as well as development issues. The proposal has taken full account of the site’s development constraints, contextual location and development opportunity as a mixed use urban extension to Pontefract, which were also considered in Part 1 of the D&A Statement. Part 2 reports on the process of detailed engagement with Council Officers, Members, key Stakeholders, the public through the Environmental Assessment process. (The Environmental Assessment considered all environmental aspects of the development including built heritage and archaeology, ecology and visual impact. This has shown that the proposal is an appropriate response to the site constraints and Design Principles as set out in the accompanying Design and Access Statement). Part 3 of the D&A Statement covers all aspects of the Masterplan and design proposals.
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Local Rail Access
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Public Transport
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A number of Precedent Studies were also explored as part of the baseline assessment, covering:
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- Spatial Typologies;
- Public Spaces;
- Car Parking;
- SUDs, Parks and Open Spaces;
- Residential Units;
- Boundary Treatments;
- Employment Workplaces;
- Retail Units;
- Medical Centres; and
- Community Centres
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The Design and Access Statement Part 1 also set out a series of Design Principles which were established after the baseline assessment and acted as key design drivers for the Masterplan. The principles were developed after the lengthy process of baseline assessment and detailed understanding of the site and its context. This work was informed by the comprehensive process of community engagement that has been undertaken in relation to the pit yard site and the adjacent spoil heap site.
You can view all of the design principles by downloading the below PDF document.
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| PART 2 – COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT |
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In conjunction with the baseline assessment, the Masterplan has been informed by community engagement and close collaboration with Wakefield MDC officers through Partnership meetings.
A full Statement of Community Involvement forms part of the Design and Access Statement
Part 2, identifying in full the nature of the vast array of consultation workshops, meetings, exhibitions and events that have been undertaken and how the scheme has changed to take account of the responses of key stakeholders including Yvette Cooper MP, Wakefield MDC officers, Members and the community.
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| PART 3 – DESIGN, ACCESS AND CONCLUSIONS |
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Development Mix
The proposal for the site promotes a mix of uses, which include employment (offices), residential development, community facilities such as a community centre, medical centre and nursery and ancillary retail and food and drink development along side public open space, including Castle Park.
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The masterplan confirms layout, scale and access proposals and the following table summarises the composition of land uses across the site:
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Use Class
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Use Classes
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Maximum floorspace (sqm/sqft gross)
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Approx Site Area (ha)
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Employment
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B1
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21,853 sqm
(235,138 sqft)
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4.31
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Housing
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C3
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913 units
91,008 sqm
(979,364sqft)
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20.29
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Retail and Food and Drink
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A1 / A3 / A4
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2,474 sqm
(26,620 sqft)
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0.69
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Education and Community
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D1
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1,930 sqm
(20,767 sqft)
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0.36
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Public Open Space
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N/A
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N/A
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1.45
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Suds
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N/A
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N/A
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0.85
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Landscape Areas eg. balancing ponds, watercourses, landscape belts
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N/A
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N/A
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3.12
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Totals
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117,265 sqm
(1,261,771 sqft)
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31.07
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The masterplan comprises 6 Character Areas which are presented in more detail in the Environmental Assessment and the Design and Access Statement, submitted in support of the outline planning application. These character areas are as follows:
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- Prince of Wales Street;
- New Colonels Walk South;
- Tanshelf South;
- Tanshelf North;
- Castle Park and Commercial Centre; and
- New Colonels Walk North.
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Development Mix
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| Character Area 1 – Prince of Wales Street |
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This section of the site includes land currently owned by UK COAL. It is to form the main gateway into the site from its junction with Park Road and provide a logical primary link through the site. It is envisaged that this area will be lively and high density with an active frontage and a maximum height of four storeys creating retail and employment onto the street.
The entrance into the site from Park Road will be a high quality landscape corridor leading to a strong gateway feature that indicates the start of the proposed 20 mph area. Passing through this gateway, there is a public space with a mix of A1, A3 and A4 uses at ground floor level with residential uses on upper floors. Further into the character area, the land use will be a variety of employment uses which front onto the proposed roads. It is considered that this mix of uses will compliment each other.
This character area links with Character Area 5 – Castle Park and Commercial Centre at a key nodal point which will feature a large civic space surrounded by employment uses with A3/A4 uses in key locations.
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| Character Area 2 – New Colonels Walk South |
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This Character Area extends north to south between Character Area 3 (Tanshelf South) and Character Area 1 (Prince of Wales Street). This zone will extend the existing link to the south of the site, known as Colonels Walk. This existing link will be extended into the site and continue in a northerly direction. This Zone will take the form of an animated street with a semi-formal feel.
This zone will include a mix of employment and residential uses and abuts the existing retail park and commercial area that fronts Park Road. It will become a key circulation route, running on a North/South desire line and will allow access from an improved link along Colonels Walk underneath the railway line. It will feature predominantly residential and pepper potted areas of employment to animate key public spaces. It will be medium density with maximum three storey buildings.
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| Character Area 3 – Tanshelf South |
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This area is located along the southern boundary of the site, close to the existing centre of Pontefract. This mixed use area will have a strong community focus due to its strategic location adjacent to Pontefract town centre. The zone will also contain residential development, employment uses and ancillary retail, cafes, restaurants and drinking establishments. It is envisaged to become an area which, via links through Skinner Lane, unites the wider community. It will be high density and will feature a rich mix of uses including Classes A, B, C, D, and a new public square, hereafter referred to as “Tanshelf Square”. Current proposals include a community centre, a nursery, and a medical centre. The site provides extensions to existing links to the south of the site, which will extend northwards and integrate into the proposed development. These provide clear and attractive links with the existing town centre of Pontefract. This zone also links with Castle Park, which runs north west to south east and parallel to the existing railway line.
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| Character Area 4 – Tanshelf North |
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This is the main residential area within the site and is designed to relate closely to the Tanshelf South character area and proposed Tanshelf Square, surrounded by denser, mixed use buffers on all sides. It will feature a mix of houses which will include a mix of tenure. Family friendly home zone type streets will create an intimate residential zone. It is proposed to provide predominantly high quality and medium density residential dwellings with small pockets of employment and ancillary retail, cafes and restaurants. Its northern boundary runs parallel to the Linear Park that runs north west to south east and parallel to the existing railway line.
This zone will consist of a small grain of intimate and informal streets.
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| Character Area 5 – Castle Park and Commercial Centre |
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This Character Area runs along the north eastern boundary of the site in a north-western
to south-eastern direction.
This area lies on a strong desire line and visual link from Pontefract Castle to the south and
Xscape/Freeport to the north. Through the creation of wide, strategic connections it is intended to enable better pedestrian and cycle links from these two points. This area will be mixed use and will feature high density residential units with some B1 within a varied landscaped setting and ancillary food and drink uses. Contrasting character areas created by the landscape design will give this area variety and interest. It forms a green corridor of swales and surface water attenuation areas, designed into a quality landscape setting with areas of playspace, general amenity areas and public art. It also enjoys direct and clear views from the site of Pontefract Castle. It also acts as the interim public open space area for the site while the main POS is being constructed on the spoil heap site.
Castle Park will be intersected by pedestrian and vehicle routes that connect it to the other
Character Areas within the proposed development and the wider area, including Park Road, the existing centre of Pontefract and the spoil heap site to the north of the existing railway.
These intersections will provide attractive, high quality public spaces that will be enclosed by residential development and employment uses.
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| Character Area 6 – New Colonels Walk North |
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New Colonels Walk North is the smallest of the character areas and is a residential area, extending New Colonels Walk South to the northern green belt boundary of the site
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Character Areas
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| Phasing of Development |
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The Development Team recognise the importance of a comprehensive solution to the site which can be delivered and maintained into the future. The construction period is estimated to be approximately 13 years from 2008 to end of 2020. It is estimated that the scheme would be complete in five broad phases. The precise timing of each phase will be influenced by constructional issues and market demand, but is conceived and as set out as follows:
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| Phase 1 (2007-2011) |
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- Remediation mid 2007 to mid 2008.
- Development of approximately 110 residential units, 1,530sqm of community facilities and 1,063sqm of retail/food/drink establishments (mid 2008 to 2011).
- Development of approximately 90 residential units, 16,182sqm of employment and 1,211sqm of retail/food/drink establishments (mid 2008 to mid 2011).
- Development of 88 residential units, 829sqm of employment space, 400sqm of community facilities and 100 sqm of retail/food/drink establishments (mid 2010 to end 2011).
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| Phase 2 (2010 - 2014) |
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- Development of 200 residential units, 4,168sqm of employment and 100sqm of retail/food/drink establishments (mid 2010 to mid 2014).
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| Phase 3 (2013 - 2016) |
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- Development of 129 residential units (mid 2013 to mid 2016).
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| Phase 4 (2016 - 2019) |
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Development of 224 residential units and 647sqm of employment (mid 2016 to end 2019).
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| Phase 5 (2020 to end 2020) |
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- Development of 72 residential units (2020 to end 2020).
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Phasing
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