EXPLORING COMMUNITY THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

Introduction

Twenty-three years ago Barton Willmore was appointed by the Portishead Quays consortium, comprising Crest Nicholson and Persimmon Homes, to work with North Council to regenerate The Ashlands, one of the largest brownfield sites in the South West, with the intention of delivering a thriving new community that would revive Portishead’s industrial heartland.

The main road that runs through the new community in Portishead is called Phoenix Way and for good reason – the 1,650 dwellings are built on top of an immense pile of ash, the waste from two former power stations nearby. This new community has literally risen from the ashes as part of a wider regeneration of the industrial docks in Portishead and now comprises 4,300 new homes, marina, district centre, employment, shops, restaurants and cafe’s as well as a 40 hectare nature reserve, play areas and open spaces. As Town Planners, Urban Designers, Masterplanners, Landscape Designers and Architects in the design and delivery of this scheme since its inception, Barton Willmore worked closely with Persimmon Homes, Crest Nicholson and other developers including: Taylor Wimpey, Charles Church, Barratt Homes, Pegasus Life and Knightstone Housing to deliver the project.

Our guidebook has been produced to highlight the success of this dramatic transformation of a challenging brownfield site into the exciting new community you see today. It aims to walk you through the vision that was developed 23 years ago and is now being lived and breathed by thousands of people.

We hope you enjoy the journey…

Simon Prescott Planning Partner, Barton Willmore th e In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson’s Imperial Gazetteer of and Wales described Portishead like this:

“PORTISHEAD, or Portshead popularly Posseta village and a parish in Bedminster district, Somerset. The village stands on the Severn’s estuary, under wooded hills, at the end of Wans dyke, and at the terminus of the Bristol and , opposite King’s Road, 3¼ miles W S W of the mouth of the river , and 9 W by N of Bristol; is supposed to have been anciently the harbour of Portbury; is now a watering-place, with a gay assemblage of villas; commands a charming view over the Severn’s estuary to the coast and mountains of Wales; and has a post-off ice under Clevedon, a railway-station, a handsome hotel, and marine baths. th e A S " H p o L A N D S PORTIS r t HE A a t t h e h e a d o f t h e r i AD B R v e r I E F H I S T O R Y . . . "

A steamer plies daily, in summer, to Bristol: and magnifi cent plans have been entertained for forming a series of docks, on a scale suitable for ocean steamers. The parish contains also the hamlet of North-Weston; and comprises 2,093 acres of land, and 295 of water. Real property, £7, 771. Pop.in 1851, 1,084; in 1861, 1, 201. Houses, 250. A fort was formerly at P. Point; was taken from the royalists, in 1645, by Fairfax; and has left some remains. Ancient camp was in the parish, 1, 200 feet by 600; and also has left some remains. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Bath and Wells. Value, £729. Patron, the Rev. F. Norman. The church is early English; and consists of nave, aisle, and chancel, with a fi ne tower. There are chapels for Independents, Quakers, and Wesleyans, a national school, and charities £5.”

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Portishead in | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time. THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

History

The town of Portishead has a The closure of the power long history as a fishing port stations and associated dockside industry left a and for the past 200 years as challenging but exciting a dock. Two coal-fed Power opportunity. Across its 67 Stations were built next to hectares, 48 hectares were the dock in 1926 and 1949 heavily contaminated, having been subject and these were closed in the to landfill of ash and 1970s and 1980s at which clinker by-products time all industrial activities from the power stations. Focussed around the at the dock ceased. docks however, extensive waterside development opportunities, plus a great, well connected location made this a prime site for the south west.

THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

History

Nigel Jones-Gerrard, Technical Director at Persimmon; “There will always be pessimistic and optimistic views on what unknown challenges a site might present but here we had a unique site and a unique opportunity, which provided us with a clear direction. Having said that, the combination of former uses and their activities did leave a unique cocktail of contaminants and other constraints in the ground that were a real challenge and there was a long list of underground constraints including shafts and tunnels, utilities, oil, asbestos and phosphorous.” In 1990 drums of stored the necessary infrastructure. phosphorus caught fire in one Persimmon did not receive of the industrial buildings any financial assistance from which resulted in a massive outside agencies but instead phosphorous cloud covering benefitted from a good working over 15 miles. This potential partnership with the Local danger of heavy industry located Authority (North Somerset next to a residential area was Council) which enabled the the real catalyst to regenerating release of adjacent greenfield the site. land for development, and thereby provided the This type of development necessary cash flow to fund the requires a large amount of remediation and preparation of upfront cost to buy the land, the brownfield element. undertake the necessary remediation works and build THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

The Place

Our vision was to create a community with a distinctive character and sense of place.

Paul Davis, Strategic Land Director, Persimmon: “The overall objective has been one of achieving quality and distinctiveness. The vision evolved over time and it is the unique combination of elements such as the dockside and the proximity to the Severn Estuary which have provided inspiration for the distinctive character areas. I believe this evolution was key to the successful delivery of a high quality scheme, enabling us to respond and adapt over the long time period.”

The design approach and vision for Portishead Docks was developed in the mid to late 1990s. It reflected a move at that time to a more design- focussed approach to new residential communities. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) was established in 1999, and by 2000 had published two important documents: ‘By Design – Urban Design in the Planning System’ and ‘Urban Design Compendium,’ clearly showing a step- change in the design approach to new developments.

At Portishead Docks and The Ashlands we fully embraced this new agenda and the development as one of the first in the country to be designed to this standard. The approach focused on achieving good urban design and placemaking, through the delivery of high quality streets, spaces and places throughout the entire development.

The successful delivery of this vision was the responsibility of a number of key players including the Portishead Quays Consortium and North Somerset Council. THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD o u r our vision...... to create a distinctive character and sense of place

th e THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

Explore the place

This walkable guide aims to provide context to the urban form of this substantial site. The icons opposite are used to highlight the unique and interesting features that are part of the individual areas. We hope you enjoy the journey…

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Illustrative Map

Our illustrative map enables you to navigate your way around the site, picking out each area’s unique features. Look out for the area map on each page!

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L O O K O U T The F O R T H E A R E oval A M A P O VILLAGE GREEN N E A C H Old Sea Bank Terraces P The Avenue NATURE A G RESERVE E T O The gateway PRIMARY SCHOOL E X P L O BUS ROUTE ..... R E

P A R T TRAIN STATION CY S O F The Rural Edge & Country Lane CL . . . E PA t TH T h O BRI e STOL A S H L A N D S , PORTISH EAD THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

The Avenue

A formal avenue links the The homes lining The Avenue entrance gateway. The Avenue is consist of short terraces (two – wide - over 30 metres - allowing three storeys) which are strong for large front gardens set enough architecturally to behind the tree-lined route, enclose the street space. creating a garden suburb From The Avenue the main character. The width also allows route passes between crescent for both on-street parking, shaped buildings which act as a separate footpaths and the gateway on to The Village Green. cycleway.

N D T I T I O N A R H Y T H MThe O E P E F T R E E R A R C H I T E C ovalT E S T H U R E A N D C R E A T E S M VILLAGE GREEN The Avenue O V E M E N T A N D U N I The gateway T Y A R C H I T E C T U R E C R E A T E S M O V E M E N T A N D U N I T Y

THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

The Gateway

A pair of three storey apartment buildings provide an entrance gateway to The Village Green beyond. Their crescent- shaped plan, alignment of key buildings and landscaping provides a formality, which contrasts with the informal nature of The Village Green beyond.

A T T H E C A R T E N T L I R A U B S T I N G A N D A N P R E T T C L T E R E U N A F I C O I T F T N I T U A V H A S E E E E F G B T O A T E A C E W T H E A A Y R L C P O The gateway I N T

THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

The Village Green

The Village Green is deliberately more informal and relaxed and is in keeping with the tradition of English village greens. The contoured green spaces define and dominate the character of The Village Green.

A mixture of linked and detached mainly two storey terraced homes enclose the series of greens. Small front gardens defined by low walls and fences front directly on to the green spaces.

I T H I T W D S T S U N S R O R A U R T S O N T C A T H A T H E A T R E A A C E S P T H N F E E O G R Y I T L A L A R M M O R F O VILLAGE GREEN F E N H I T

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The Village Common

A simple rectangular space enlivened by a colourful engaging play area and contoured, landscaped banks, create a village common in the heart of the site. D R A W S

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THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

The Village Square

The Village Square lies on the main route through the site and just 200 meters from the edge of the marina. The small urban square provides small retail units and an extra care facility incorporating a hairdressers and other community facilities. The square is framed by houses, flats and live/work units. The public art and landscaping create an exciting and lively urban square.

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THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

The Seafront Development

To maximise the opportunity at this prime location, development at the seafront begins to intensify, providing some of the site’s tallest buildings. These rise to seven storeys, dropping to three storeys on the edges, opening on to the adjacent nature reserve.

Curved terraces of apartments and houses give superb views out over the estuary, echoing the traditional British seaside architectural language of Georgian and Victorian times, while a new ‘lighthouse’ echoes that in the fishing village of Port Marine.

E A U T I F U L L I G A B H T H O U S E S S I T T R S ry Point lighth I K A M tte ous I N O Ba e G N G A S T N D A C C O M O N T P O The Seafront Development E M S I T P O I O N R A R O Y B F U I L D I N G S E A U T I F U L L I G A B H T H O U S E S S I T T R S I K A M I O N G N G A S T N D A C C O M O N T P O E M S I T P O I O N R A R O Y B F U I L D I N G S

THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

ery Point lightho Batt use Old Sea Bank Terraces The Seafront Development The Old Sea Bank is virtually the only historical feature in the area, offering an interesting topographical phenomenon covered with rich vegetation which has developed over many years. With the top of the bank some six metres higher than the green fields below, it offers superb views southwards over the landscape as far as the Tickenham Ridge. This sense of place has been reinforced by a series of gently curved terraces, echoing the curve of the sea bank and maximsing The COMMON the views.

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ery Point lightho Batt use THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD The Seafront Development

The Rural Edge & Country Lane EATING AND DRINKING VILLAGE CENTRE The COMMON Here we find the lowest density area on The Ashlands development. A relatively small number of larger dwellings create the scale and massing to reflect the character of the surrounding villages, whilst their larger rear gardens allow adjoining landscape to be drawn into the development.

The Country Lane is an essential design element, The ovalcreating an informal meandering loop through the development,VILLAGE touching GREEN all parts of it including the Rural Edge. Old Sea Bank Terraces NATURE The Avenue RESERVE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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A CY The Rural Edge & Country Lane CLE A PA S C E N T R A L G R TH T E E N H E A R T I N O BR H T H E M ISTOL O S T L R U R A A L A N , PORTI R E A D S S O H F E T H E AD S I T E A C E N T R A L G R E E N H E A R T I N T H E M O S T R U R A L A R E A O F T H E S I T E

THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

Dockside

Fronting the newly created marina, a variety of contemporary apartments form the Dockside development. Building massing and a selection of materials have been used to create a harmonious dockside character.

The apartments are set back and raised slightly above the dockside public realm for privacy. Most of the apartments directly front the marina or have N views over adjoining landscaped spaces with mixed use development below. Shops, bars, restaurants E and offices are all accommodated on the ground floor.

S T E R E T U I F ry Point lCighth T L atte T E ouLse H B I F U G DOCKSIDE C H I N I R U T A A The SeafrontN G Development O F B E L I X A T I U S M T H B C I I W N D MARINA C T S A E E A L U S N E C I D A R A N A N M EATING AND DRINKING VILLAGE CENTRE The COMMON

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Public Art

The public art is an integral part of The Ashlands development and makes a significant contribution to the sense of place and community.

The comprehensive public art strategy was inspired by the history of the site and the 27 pieces are arranged in a trail within the community, located in key spaces and focal points. They include giant horse shoe nails (referencing the factory that used to be on the site) which are used as play equipment by local children and an ‘Arch of Angels’ reflecting the five radio towers that were on the site.

You can learn more by visiting www.publicartportishead.co.uk

THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

Place-Making

Building a place, creating a community…what makes Portishead special is its residents. A few of the residents have their say on why they chose to make The Ashlands their home. t h e c & o m m n i t y t u h e p l e o f t h e a s h l e o p a n d s t h e c & o m m n i t y t u h e p l e o f t h e a s h l e o p a n d s t h e p a r k e r f a m i l y t THE ASHLANDS IS A GREAT h PLACE TO LIVE FOR YOUNG e PEOPLE, FAMILIES AND THE OLDER GENERATION AND HAS p a A GREAT MIXED COMMUNITY. r y EVERYDAY FACILITIES SUCH k e r f a m i l AS A SCHOOL, POST OFFICE AND CONVENIENCE SHOP ARE ALL PROVIDED WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS PUBS AND CAFES ON THE MARINA. THERE IS A NETWORK OF OPEN AND GREEN SPACES WITH SOME FANTASTIC AND UNIQUE PIECES OF PUBLIC ART. THE CYCLING AND WALKING ROUTES ALL LOOP ROUND THE SITE AND PROVIDE SOME GREAT CYCLING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE KIDS. THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, WHICH IS INSPIRED BY THE SEASIDE LOCATION, GIVES THE PLACE A DISTINCTIVE IDENTITY. RIGBY THE GUINEA PIG LOVES IT HERE TOO! n o a j I AM VERY COMFORTABLE IN n MY SPACIOUS, MODERN FLAT IN a WAVERLEY COURT - WHERE HELP IS o ALWAYS AVAILABLE IF NEEDED. j MY CEILING-TO-FLOOR WINDOW HELPS MY POT PLANTS TO FLOURISH AND GIVES ME THE PLEASURE OF WATCHING THE CHILDREN SCOOTER TO SCHOOL.

WE ARE SURROUNDED BY A VARIETY OF PORTISHEAD'S ATTRACTIONS - A CHOICE OF SHOPS NEARBY, THE HIGH STREET, THE MARINA, THE NATURE RESERVE, PORTISHEAD IN BLOOM, STYLISH CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS, FASCINATING SCULPTURES, THE RAFT RACE (A YEARLY EVENT UNIQUE TO PORTISHEAD) AND A POST OFFICE JUST ACROSS THE ROAD IN THE VILLAGE QUARTER. M s A T T & l o u i I HAVE LIVED IN MY APARTMENT, WHICH IS CLOSE TO THE MARINA, FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS. THE LOCATION AND AREA ARE GREAT, WITH THE HIGH STREET AND SHOPS ONLY A COUPLE OF MINUTES’ WALK AWAY, WHICH IS REALLY HANDY FOR ME AS I WORK FROM M s HOME. I REGULARLY MAKE A u i THE MOST OF THE LOCAL BARS T T & l o AND RESTAURANTS AROUND THE MARINA WITH FRIENDS AS IT HAS A GREAT ATMOSPHERE AND LOTS GOING ON. MY DOG LOUIS LOVES WALKS AROUND THE NATURE RESERVE TOO! o n & R J a n e t WE HAVE LIVED IN PORTISHEAD FOR THE BEST PART OF 40 YEARS AND RECENTLY MOVED FROM UP ON THE HILL TO THE MARINA DEVELOPMENT.

HAVING SO MANY FACILITIES ON OUR DOORSTEP AND BEING ABLE TO WALK TO THE SHOPS, LIBRARY, SPORTS CENTRE ETC. IS A REAL BONUS. WE LOVE TAKING EVENING STROLLS AROUND THE MARINA AND GRABBING A BITE TO EAT IN ONE OF THE CAFES AND RESTAURANTS ON THE WATERFRONT!

WE HAVE WATCHED THE TOWN GROW OVER THE YEARS AND HAVE BEEN REALLY IMPRESSED HOW THE NEW HAS BEEN INTEGRATED WITH THE OLD. WE FEEL THE DEVELOPMENT HAS WELCOMED BOTH LOCAL RESIDENTS WANTING A CHANGE AND PEOPLE WHO ARE MOVING INTO PORTISHEAD FROM OTHER AREAS.

WITH EXCELLENT TRANSPORT LINKS TO BRISTOL AND n TALK OF THE TRAIN STATION o PROGRESSING, WE CAN SEE R PORTISHEAD BECOMING AN EVEN & MORE ATTRACTIVE OPTION FOR J a n e t PEOPLE OF ALL AGES TO LIVE. t h e H A S E L D I N E f a m i l y THE ASHLANDS IS A GREAT PLACE TO RAISE A FAMILY AND WE LOVE BEING ABLE TO CYCLE AND WALK SAFELY ON THE MANY PATHS THAT CONNECT THE DEVELOPMENT WITH THE NATURE RESERVE, MARINA AND HIGH STREET OF PORTISHEAD. THE BOYS ESPECIALLY LIKE EXPLORING THE NATURE RESERVE'S MANY PATHS LOOKING FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE WAY AND RECENTLY WENT t h ON A TOAD PATROL MISSION WITH e H A THEIR LOCAL BEAVER PACK! S E I HAVE LIVED IN PORTISHEAD L FOR OVER 40 YEARS AND D FEEL THAT THE ASHLANDS I N HAS REALLY BROUGHT TO LIFE E AN AREA OF LAND THAT WAS f DERELICT FOR MANY YEARS, a m INTEGRATING THE OLD AND NEW i l y PARTS OF PORTISHEAD. WITH SMALL BUSINESSES AND SHOPS OPENING ON THE MARINA, WE HAVE MANY FACILITIES ON OUR DOORSTEP AND LIKE TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES WHENEVER POSSIBLE.

THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

A view from those involved

John Tranter Architectural Director at Barton Willmore (Now Retired) To design a development of 1,650 homes where individual residents would experience a clear sense of place was very tricky. This was initially achieved through a very strong masterplan which gave a clear logic to the layout, in terms of hierarchy of circulation, definition of character areas, and maximising the unique qualities of this site.

This comprehensive masterplan, along with exceptional ongoing liaison between North Somerset planners, the consortium and its designers enabled these initial objectives to be retained and in some cases enhanced, through the implementation stage of the project.

The Ashlands, or Village Quarter as its residents now refer to it, has a distinct character derived from the successful translation of the original design aspirations through to reality, over a period of 15 years, demonstrating what can be achieved through cooperation and commitment. Paul Davies, Kedrick Davies, Strategic Land Director at Urban Designer for North Persimmon Somerset Council (1998 – 2008)

It is the unique combination of The scheme was a hugely ingredients that have made this challenging, but rewarding an attractive place to live – the project to work on. The seaside location; the marina; Ashlands was far more the public art trail; the 40 challenging than the Port hectare nature reserve, as well Marine site. With Port Marine, as the new amenities that have we had the Marina to work been provided which include a with, but The Ashlands site was Waitrose, new restaurants, bars a huge area, a flat wasteland and cafes, new quality parks with no identity. Working with and play areas. The new marina various developers, we had to facilities are all connected by overcome a variety of obstacles a network of safe and vibrant such as creating a distinctive routes that make this a very and legible environment in attractive place for a wide range order to help control and of people. The wide range of assist the design team. The dwelling types which include planning process was proactive hundreds of apartments around and encouraged innovative the marina as well as larger solutions. Allowing time for family homes, provides for design was essential to the a vibrant mixed community. success of the scheme, as design There are also a number of is an evolutionary process and celebrities that live within the the scheme needed to provide a development including actor base and a mechanism for that Johnny Briggs and comedian to happen. Eddie Large. N

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S Avril Chadwick THEESTUARY Design Director at Barton Willmore ery Point lightho I believe the success of The Ashlands as a great place to live flows from the Batt use close working relationship of the team, together with the common goal to DOCKSIDE create a great place; and what a great place it is! The Seafront Development

Underlying the team’s close working relationship was the commitment to design. The character areas - the specific spaces and places where design MARINA would be concentrated was the main reason for the project’s success. The character areas did not sprawl across vast acres of land, but were local and focused spaces that would be linked together by the main circulation EATING AND DRINKING VILLAGE CENTRE routes. The architectural response was concentrated in these areas and The COMMON development outside these spaces was unassertive in scale, character and materials. Now the development is complete this approach has created a real sense of place and orientation for residents and visitors.

With the common goal of creating a great place, the process was simple. A regular series of design workshops were held on site, the outcomes The of which fed directly into a series of design statements to explain each oval character area. The design statements were brief documents, largely VILLAGE GREEN supported by artists’ impressions and street scenes of the key character Old Sea Bank Terraces elements. Where the reserved matters submissions reflected these The Avenue NATURE documents, approval was secured relatively quickly. North Somerset RESERVE Council working with Kedrick Davies (Urban Designer appointed by the The gateway PRIMARY SCHOOL council to oversee the design process) were able to see the potential of the BUS ROUTE ..... site and pushed the design agenda, but appreciated the realities for the

developer and the limitations of achieving this level of bespoke design TRAIN STATION C for all 1,650 houses. As the site developed, it was clear that the principles YC The Rural Edge & Country Lane LE P developed at the design workshops had been successfully translated into t AT H TO the built form. h BRI e STOL There are parts of the development where we can learn lessons. However A The Ashlands community, with its colour, character and sense of identity S S , POR has created a place where people love to live. H L A N D TISH EAD N

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TRAIN STATION CY The Rural Edge & Country Lane CL E PA t TH T h O BRI e STOL A S H L A N D S , PORTISH EAD t he

EXPLORING COMMUNITY THE ASHLANDS * PORTISHEAD

101 Victoria Street Bristol BS1 6PU T/ +44 (0)117 929 9677

@bartonwillmore www.bartonwillmore.co.uk