URBAN DESIGN CONFERENCE 10 September 2005 Workshop 1 Assessment of Quality

URBAN DESIGN CONFERENCE 10 September 2005 Workshop 1 Assessment of Quality Morning Exercise: Strategic and Environmental Planning Officers in attendance Sally Blomfield Philip James Brendon Roberts Marion Wardell Dan Zaslona Jeff Wilson Andrew Wells Iain Bailey Working in the 4 Area Committee groups of; Beddington and Wallington Carshalton and Clockhouse Sutton Cheam and Worcester Park Delegates were given photo boards depicting each area and a plan. Areas/features of good and poor quality were identified and this was separated into character and appearance (‘place’ and ‘personality’). Individual features were also highlighted for praise or criticism. ∗ denotes a point which a number of delegates made. Findings: BEDDINGTON AND WALLINGTON Good Quality – Place • Built Environment Cottages in Byron Avenue / Cowper Avenue Wallington are attractive. Regeneration at Roundshaw has improved the estate from a concrete jungle to family friendly accommodation. Conservation Areas in the Beddington area. Wallington Green Conservation area∗. Residential housing in Wallington is well spaced and there are fewer flats. South Wallington has retained much of its Edwardian character. The Phoenix Centre which is attractive, modern and accessible to people with mobility problems. Trinity Centre attached to Holy Trinity Church, Maldon Road. • Wallington Town Centre Farmers Market is attractive and lively Comprehensive range of Banks and shops There are good public transport connections within Beddington and Wallington, including the Tram, Trains and Buses. • Open Space Beddington Park is a very attractive area.∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ London Wildlife Hospital is an interesting feature and attraction. Buildings in Beddington Park are of heritage quality. Wallington Green has a pleasant traditional character. Open spaces on Roundshaw are a valuable resource. Large area of open MOL to the north of the borough in Beddington, is a national asset as most open space is to the south. Good Quality – Personality • Sainsbury has improved economic vitality • Community activities that take place • Beddington Park has a range of character areas, which suit different moods. • Farmers Market has introduced specialist goods Poor Quality – Place • Built Environment St Helier Estate has been neglected and has lost its original charm. Roundshaw Estate is not well maintained. Roundshaw Shopping Area has a lack of planting. Roundshaw Estate lacks a sense of Place and quality. At least the ‘old’ had a distinctive identity. Housing at Hillcrest Road is grim, cheap and ostentatious. • Wallington Town Centre No active shop fronts onto significant corners.∗∗∗ Public space is poorly maintained. Narrow pavements, which inhibits freedom of movement Large number of empty shops, which creates dead space around the Sainsbury corner. Buildings on slopes present disability access problems and are difficult to rectify eg Wallington library. Traffic problems divide shopping area with busy road.∗ Public realm looks ‘tired’ and needs upgrading. Loss of the land by the library in the Town Centre. Visually, Woodcote Road near the Station, is truly horrendous when viewed from the north.∗ Existing communal space needs to be made more inviting. Shopping areas are fragmented. Spaces around the Library, Magistrates Courts, Buses and Shotfield Clinic could be better utilised. Town Centre Car Parks are in poor positions and not well laid out. Sainsburys supermarket is badly positioned on a significant Town Centre site and represents a lost opportunity to create continuity at the corner with the adjacent shopping area. Driving through Wallington I find nothing to make me stop and look at it. Sainsburys is not an attractive building. Sculpture beside Sainsburys is not very noticeable, it’s too small and not reflected by other environmental art. Sculpture beside Sainsburys does not compensate for the grim design of the building. Non-drivers would not consider visiting Wallington, other than in passing on transport. Well designed spaces are needed to facilitate community activities to take place. Poor Quality – Personality • Aggressive atmosphere prevails in shopping areas with nowhere to stop. • Social infrastructure has not kept pace with the increased population in the area, eg shortage of Doctors’ surgeries and school places.∗ • Wallington has a bad reputation in the press, as an area to go to socially. • Wallington Town Centre deemed a ‘no go area’ after dark. • Well designed spaces would engender community activities. • Roundshaw - A ‘need’ identified for Employment Outreach Services but no-one came to the open days despite high profile publicity campaign. • Beddington Road improvements detract from the old character. • Generally, any space where buildings can be put, someone wants to do so. CARSHALTON AND CLOCKHOUSE Good Quality – Place • Built Environment Bed Zed is attractive and innovative design. Carshalton Ponds and the core of conservation buildings around, including the Woodman, Church and Greyhound Pub∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗. St Philomenas School- Carshalton House. West Street Cottages. Charles Cryer Theatre. Festival Walk and the very old Plane Tree. Carshalton Station as an example of a Victorian Station that needs to be conserved before it’s too late. 27 Park Hill.(flint house) Carshalton Beeches and especially the Pine Walk area, there’s a good level of landscaping. Wrythe Green cottages and especially the Newsagents frontage∗∗∗∗. War Memorial Hospital, which could be under threat from NHS redevelopment. • Open Space Wilderness Island is a gem∗. Carshalton Ponds and Grove Park∗. Ecology Centre. Carshalton Park and the ‘Grotto’ with its historic landscape. Oaks Park. Good Quality – Personality • Built Environment • The parade at Banstead Road Shops is spacious and has a community feel. • Westmead Road commercial area is a busy local community. • Charles Cryer theatre adds to the bustle of village life. • BedZed improves the Wandle Valley and adds an innovative character, national acknowledgement and iconic buildings. • Poets Estate is a peaceful, well kept and presented area∗. • Ecology Centre is a peaceful and tranquil place and a wonderful local amenity. • Beeches Avenue is impressively tree lined. • Open Space Avenue of trees in Carshalton Park and the hog pit pond have potential for outdoor events. Oaks park offers extensive views across green belt. All Saints Churchyard in Carshalton has a wilderness feel and spiritual atmosphere. Grove Park is lovely in all respects and needs to be left alone. Poor Quality – Place • Built Environment Gasometer in Wrythe Lane is ugly.∗ St Helier Hospital is very dominant∗∗∗. Area around St Helier hospital car park is boring and so is the open space opposite/ area around Rosehill and St Helier is poor quality public realm and built development.∗∗ Area around the rear of the Charles Cryer Theatre is looking neglected and run down. Old Mill in Carshalton has the potential to be lovely but is looking derelict and in decline. Mill Green looks neglected and poor. Queen Mary’s hospital site- housing is too standardised and there is too little variation. Poor Quality – Personality • Built Environment • Dislike Beynon Parade, Carshalton. • Carshalton High Street is spoilt by traffic- strategic status of the High Street encourages competition between buses, cars, pedestrians, fumes, noise and safety∗∗∗. • Carshalton High Street shopping frontages. • Impact of new licensing laws will contribute to a threatening environment eg West Street and Erskine Road. • Durand Close, poor townscape and lack of greenery in this vicinity∗. SUTTON Good Quality – Place • Built Environment New development in Grove Road Belmont. Balconies on flats. Open minded ideas and variety in design such as Grange Road and Worcester Road. Examples of innovative design. ‘Arts and Crafts’ style architecture eg The Ridgeway and Mayfield Road. Modern design office blocks in Sutton Town Centre. Glass fronted buildings if appropriately located∗. Red brick quoins in building detailing. Heritage buildings. ‘Landseer’ character area. • Town Centre Range of restaurants and remaining independent shops. Street Art. St Nicholas walkway∗∗∗∗. Asda has contributed positively to the street scene. Civic Offices. Free parking close to shopping areas. Parking facility at Asda. • Open Space Manor Park. Rosehill Park, especially Wild flower meadow. Green spaces close to the shopping areas. Good Quality – Personality • Suburban Arcadia character of Edwardian Sutton, but it’s under threat. • Green streetscape of South Sutton created by a combination of trees, front gardens, and lack of urbanising street furniture- rapidly being lost. • Special areas of designation eg The Gallup through Link Way to Heath Drive. • Areas of nature conservation but some areas no longer supportive. • Short front gardens engender a feeling of community and safety. • Residential areas that feel safe. Poor Quality – Place • Built Environment Balaam House. Egg box development on Sutton Court Road. Poorly designed public sector estates∗∗∗. Collingwood House. Bedrooms sited beneath walkways as at Benhill Estate. Cars blocking views from living room windows – estates generally. Blocks of flats shoe-horned into spaces between houses. Older larger houses being replaced by flats. High density concrete structures with no relief eg Shanklin Development. Lack of imagination and innovation in residential development. Lack of visual integration of new housing development – not creating streets with coherence but a series of independent developments leading to ‘Legoland’

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