(2012 04 10) Progress Report-Aldgate Square V2 3
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Committee(s): Date(s): Item no. Planning and Transportation 24 April 2012 Subject: Public Progress Report: Aldgate and Tower Area Strategy Report of: For Information Director of the Built Environment Summary This report seeks to inform Members of the results of the public consultation recently undertaken in relation to the Aldgate and Tower Area Strategy. In order to develop the Aldgate and Tower Area Strategy, intensive workshops were undertaken to capture the views of stakeholders. 430 stakeholders participated in these workshops. The overall response to the workshops was very positive and many participants made useful comments giving shape to the area strategy; adding weight to analysis undertaken by landscape architects and urban designers. Various montages representing the views of stakeholders were produced to illustrate the developing Area Strategy proposals. Following these workshops approximately 1270 questionnaires were posted out to residents and businesses in the area seeking views on the proposals. 42 stakeholders responded to the public consultation, with 88% in support of the Strategy. The level of response was typical for a consultation of this nature; the Cheapside Area Strategy received 34 responses from a distribution of approximately 2000 questionnaires. The Strategy that was consulted upon was based on the views of the local community, the City‟s policies and urban design analysis. The Aldgate and Tower Area Strategy aims to provide a greater sense of community, to improve linkages in the area and provide better quality public spaces, creating spaces to gather, improving biodiversity, reducing the effects of noise and improving air quality. It is intended that the full strategy will be presented to Members for consideration before the summer recess. Recommendations It is recommended that this report be received for information. Main Report Background 1. In 2007 Members of this Committee considered a report suggesting the development of a Supplementary Revenue Project for the development of an area strategy for Aldgate. d:\moderngov\data\published\intranet\c00000143\m00015257\ai00007562\$spumn0ua.doc 2. The initial driver for this proposal was the developer Minerva Limited. Minerva, through the development of their proposals for the St Botolph Building site, had engaged with various local community groups in Aldgate and found huge support for change. 3. Subsequent to this, the City endorsed and recognised this aspiration through the adoption of Core Strategy Policy CS8 in the City‟s Local Development Framework (LDF). This became an adopted document in September 2011. 4. Minerva has continued to provide funding for the development of a strategy for Aldgate. Over time, it has been accepted that a step change in quality can be achieved by removing the Aldgate gyratory and providing a new public open space. 5. Between July 2008 and January 2011, with the articulated bus route 25 on diversion Transport for London‟s (TfL‟s) Bus Priority Team funded an evaluation of a temporary contra-flow facility on Aldgate High Street. The progress of the area strategy was delayed whilst the investigations into the contra-flow were undertaken. However, this provided officers a valuable opportunity to assess the traffic impacts of removing the gyratory, replacing it with two-way traffic on Aldgate High Street and St Botolph Street. 6. Other property developers have been very keen to regenerate the City Fringe in the past. Exemplar, developers with a interests in a site over the Aldgate East Station and adjacent to the Royal Bank of Scotland building, funded the Aldgate Public Realm Strategy in 2008 with the Greater London Authority‟s (GLA‟s) urban design resource team, Design for London. 7. In early 2011, to further engage businesses, City of London‟s City Property Advisory Team (CPAT) commissioned a strategy and brand design consultancy to interview a number of key stakeholders, developers, business and authorities, on their views for change in the area. 8. In the later half of 2011, the stakeholder group coordinated by CPAT continued their involvement in helping to shape the Area Strategy, requiring repeat workshops to meet both the availability of this stakeholder group and to have manageable group sizes at each workshop. 9. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) has also commissioned a number of strategy documents for different aspects of the area including a signing strategy, the Aldgate and City Fringe Regeneration Strategy, and the Aldgate Masterplan. 10. Although the intent behind the approval to undertake the Aldgate Strategy was limited to the gyratory and immediate vicinity, it became clear that the links throughout the area, both for general pedestrian movement, interchange and individual modes of transport, required a larger scale view. Thus, the area was extended and is now referred to as the Aldgate and Tower Area Strategy. 11. In comparison with other areas within the City, Aldgate and Tower has a significant variety of types of stakeholder. The area is recognised in the London Plan as an area of opportunity and it notes that the Portsoken Ward falls within the top 25% deprived areas within Britain. However, the area and its periphery, also boast a significant number of high end hotels and residential block d:\moderngov\data\published\intranet\c00000143\m00015257\ai00007562\$spumn0ua.doc dwellings. Businesses in the area tend to provide support services to the City‟s financial businesses. In this small area there are also a number of clubs and bars which attract night time visitors. Interestingly, the area is noted as an area of opportunity in the London Plan because it includes derelict buildings and cleared sites suitable for redevelopment, and in addition there is potential to build over the Aldgate bus station and underground station. 12. The Aldgate and Tower Area includes residential estates, resident apartment blocks, three Church parishes, businesses, luxury hotels, retail, an extensive public transport provision for interchanging commuters and visitors, and educational facilities. The education ranges from primary to tertiary including the City of London‟s only Primary School, the Sir John Cass Foundation providing scholarships and special education facilities, and the Metropolitan University. Pre Consultation Activity 13. The various stakeholder groups targeted for the early pre-consultation workshops included: . the CPAT coordinated group of business and developer interests, . a similar group coordinated by LBTH, originally set up to consult on LBTH strategies, involving business and community support interests, . the resident associations from Middlesex Street Estate and Mansell Street Guinness Trust Estate, . a group from Transport for London (TfL) representing the needs of different transport modes and TfL‟s property interests in the area, . City of London officers from various departments, . the Sir John Cass Foundation representatives, . the parishioners of St Botolph without Aldgate Church, and . all 250 children from the Sir John Cass Primary School. 14. Workshops with business and authority groups ran smoothly and during normal working hours. 15. Most workshops with residents followed a resident association meeting in the evening. 16. One of the evenings that was spent with Middlesex Street Estate residents was a balmy late summer evening and officers set up outside in the central area of the estate near the main entry point. Residents were able to have a look on their way past and many stayed or returned to engage and provide comments. The approach was effective and successful. 17. The parishioners from St Botolph without Aldgate Church completed the first workshop under the direction of Reverend Burgess, but during the second round of workshops officers visited them on a Sunday following the morning service. d:\moderngov\data\published\intranet\c00000143\m00015257\ai00007562\$spumn0ua.doc 18. The Sir John Cass Primary School was very supportive. Following an introduction at morning assembly officers went back to the class with the oldest pupils and ran through the workshop material as had occurred with other stakeholder groups. This fits with the age group‟s curriculum; which includes having to study town planning. 19. The workshop documents used with all stakeholders utilised a variety of photographs illustrating the different types of elements that might be included in an open space. Stakeholders (including the older pupils) were asked to circle those they were most keen on. The youngest pupils from the Primary School were provided with these photographs as stickers and asked to choose three and match them up to the choices on a board, effectively making a bar graph representing their wishes. The remaining middle year pupils were provided with stickers as well. In addition, they were also provided with an outline of the potential open space and asked to sketch out how they saw the open space looking; making notes to the side. 20. In an update report to this Committee in September 2011, Members agreed to consult the public on draft proposals demonstrating the main themes of the draft Area Strategy. Authority was delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, and the Director of the Built Environment to finalise the draft Aldgate (and now Tower) Area Strategy consultation Document. 21. The Aldgate and Tower Area Strategy covers only a small area of the Aldgate Ward, but much of the Tower Ward and Portsoken Ward. Naming the area to the north of