2 “Regeneration is what you can change. What you can make different for all the people Context because it is for the better” George Stalley age 9 “The plan is good because we can change the way (the) big boys behave and there are going to be more things for them to do” Rhyanna age 8 “I think it will make the Island better “Things are not very good at the moment because it’s going to be easier to get to because people are building new things and school, more people are going to want jobs some teenagers are writing all over stuff. We and there will be more jobs, the roads are need some hospitals and doctors nearer to going to be changed” us. It will affect my future by more houses Devon Dumont age 9 being built and I would like to live near my mum and dad so I wouldn’t have to go a long way to visit them” Matthew Neal age 9 Context Queenborough Swale Caradon Works site Coal wash wharf Rushenden Neatscourt Marshes Railway A249 Swale Crossing Aerial photo of the masterplan area and context The Place Analysis: The Place The Isle of Sheppey sits within the context of the Thames Gateway and major change in North Kent. It has a strong character resulting from a variety of factors but in particular isolation, history and landscape have been major influences on the place today. Sheppey is located in north Kent with the Thames Estuary to the north, the River Medway to the west and the Swale separating the island from the mainland to the south and west. The island is accessed from the south by road on The Thames Gateway - the A249 and by rail from Sittingbourne. The Kent Context A249 has been upgraded with a new bridge (“Sheppey Crossing”) and dual carriageway crossing to the island. This now provides a fast road link between the M2 and the Island. The Isle of Sheppey has a long history of industry and maritime activity with Queenborough being the oldest town on the Island and Sheerness having one of the UK’s major ports. This activity has been in decline for many years and a combination of poor transport connections and declining employment has resulted in a high degree of deprivation and poor image. This negative aspect can be countered by the positive aspects of a rich history, attractive setting and landscape and a great deal of potential which awaits unlocking. The Isle of Sheppey in context • Queenborough & Rushenden Regeneration • New A249 bridge • Rushenden Relief Road • Swale Ecotourism Study • Learning Hub • Sittingbourne Northern Relief Road • Sittingbourne Town Centre Regeneration The regeneration of Queenborough & Rushenden will set a marker for high quality development and regeneration for the Isle of Sheppey. The Queenborough and Rushenden area. Context - History Queenborough has a rich heritage going back to at least 893 AD when it was the first settlement on the island. The history of the place has continued to inform the masterplan and regeneration of Queenborough & Rushenden. English heritage have completed a significant study of the area and this is now available as a published document. Channel Four’s Time Team has completed an archaeological dig on the castle site and the results have informed the study. The Town Council are developing 1769 proposals to use the old school for community use and this is coupled with aspirations to improve the castle site and to interpret it in a way that reflects its history. Queenborough has been the subject of great change over many centuries. This masterplan Queenborough Castle as it might once have represents a coordinated response to changing appeared times focusing on the potential the place offers for regeneration and development for the future. An understanding and interpretation of the area’s history will give roots to the regeneration project. 1898 1970s The Time Team at Queenborough Castle 20 Context - Land Use Land Use Queenborough, Sheerness, and the Isle of River Medway Sheppey have land uses that are tied primarily to maritime, industrial and agricultural activities, Sheerness with the largest land areas occupied by grazing marsh and by storage associated with the Port of Sheerness (primarily car storage). Industry unrelated to maritime activity has also been central to the economy, though this has been in decline for some years. Other uses include the sewage treatment plant to the south of Rushenden, dredging landfill (also to the south of Rushenden), brownfield land (at the former Caradon Works), and mixed residential areas at Queenborough, Rushenden, Halfway, and Sheerness. Halfway Queenborough The wider context is mainly open agricultural land, often grazed and with a marshland character. This open landscape is very distinctive and is typical of the island. The Swale Rushenden Neatscourt Marshes Water Mudflat Saltmarsh Agricultural land Residential and mixed use Public open space Industrial and distribution Brownfield / derelict land Landfill 2 Context Queenborough and Rushenden today Socioeconomic Indicators Today Queenborough and Rushenden presents There are a variety of recognised indicators a mixed physical and social picture. Physically of relative economic and social prosperity. the historic centre of Queenborough and Key indicators include economic activity, the surrounding landscape of marshes and employment, wages, education, and health. agricultural land contributes to a strongly defined character. Existing industry and the historic The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is traces and remnants of a worked landscape a measure that combines statistics from six contribute to this strong sense of character ‘domains’ of deprivation, being income, although in some cases this is negative where employment, health and disability, education, there are derelict sites or expanses of cleared housing, and access to services. The IMD brownfield land. The impact of a declining identifies the Isle of Sheppey as being the most industrial base and historically poor connectivity deprived part of Swale Borough, which is itself has led to low employment opportunities. In one of the most deprived districts in Kent. The addition some development over the most Queenborough and Rushenden area is ranked recent few decades has not been of the highest the 35th most deprived area out of 8,414 areas quality and perhaps reflected perceptions in the country. This relative level of deprivation of the place as one of low aspirations and according to the IMD is corroborated by the opportunities. Primary Care Trust’s own deprivation profile, which identifies the Queenborough ward as Physical Indicators falling within the 20% most deprived wards in England for child poverty. There are physical manifestations of the changing economic fortunes of the area. One Education achievement is relatively low, with of the most striking is the existence of substantial only 7.3% of the population educated to degree areas of derelict and under-used industrial land level or above, compared to 12% for Swale and between Queenborough and Rushenden. These 19.8% for England and Wales. areas offer no positive use in their current form, and detract from the general environment and For the Rushenden area in particular, it is also amenity of the area. They do however offer a noticeable that the housing profile is unusual. significant opportunity in terms of their potential There is a significant concentration of social re-use for new development. rented housing at Rushenden, which comprises some 43% of the total housing stock, compared Another feature is the extent of land used to an average of 15% across Swale as a whole solely for car storage in connection with the and 14.5% across Kent. The concentration of a port. Whilst the port remains an essential local substantial stock of social housing has clearly business, and a key part of the economy, resulted in an equivalent concentration of its storage requirements are extensive, but persons on lower incomes. generate a relatively low density of employment compared to more intensive business uses. The extensive car storage areas also impact on local amenity. The area has been subject generally to relatively low property values (both commercial and residential) owing largely to its relative isolation in the past, and this can also lead to a lack of investment in existing buildings. 22 Context Queenborough Queenborough’s sense of place derives largely from its long history - in particular its maritime history. A variety of attractive buildings and spaces make strong connections to the Creek and the Swale. The intimate scale of the town and its high density of building make a strong Queenborough High Street Queenborough Creek and welcome contrast to the expanses of surrounding marshland. The recent English Heritage report goes into a great deal of detail about the development of Queenborough and confirms its importance. This is reinforced by the fact that the Creekside area of Queenborough is within a conservation area Historic access to creek boundary. Queenborough Creek is one of its opposite castle most striking assets and is still a working creek. Water plays an important part in the character Shops opposite castle Queenborough Creek and history of Queenborough whether it be sailing and navigation or the control of flooding and drainage. Its location is traditionally favoured by visiting sailors and regeneration and development opportunities will include a positive response to the opportunities that this historic and present use provides. The Queenborough Station adjacent images capture some of the qualities of Queenborough today. Queenborough Church Queenborough Park Queenborough Guildhall Entrance to Queenborough Creek Historic access to creek Well cap on Queenborough Castle Queenborough Creek All tide landing Trafalgar Hotel on Rushenden Road Abbott Pharmaceuticals Queenborough Old School 2 Context Works sites The land between Queenborough and Rushenden contains the remnants of much of the area’s industry. Today it is a mixture of semi derelict and cleared lands with existing employment on old and poor quality sites.