Place Nowhere

Home , Pinner, Wealdstone

A PLACE O T This drawing is the copyright of Axiom Architects. It is for feasibility purposes only and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. The content is subject to site survey and H&S risk NOWHERE assessment. Do not scale from drawings.

Authors

James Mitchell - Partner [email protected]

Rev Date Description By Chk

AXIOM ARCHITECTS

3 Waterhouse Square 138-142 Holborn London EC1N 2SW Tel. 0207 421 8866 www.axiomarchitects.co.uk

Client Client

Project Project Name 1 Project Name 2 Project Name 3

Drawing Harrow and Wealdstone

Scale Status Date Drawn Checked 1:1 16/03/2020 Drawing No. Revision XXXX-M-03 PAGE TITLE

‘I know a land where the wild flowers grow, near, near at hand by train you go Metroland, Metroland’

Metroland Promotional Poster Metropolitan Railway Country Estates Limited

2 3 INTRODUCTION METROLAND

The suburbs. Not town, not It will explore the qualitative countryside, not urban. This characteristics of the original, call for evidence will explore early suburbs, through to Great infrastructure offers and provided an explosion Over the next few decades and ‘The Nature of Suburbs’, and current examples, and how this great opportunity. of opportunity for home beyond, fields were filled with ‘The Suburban Experience’. idea has been potentially lost. ownership and an escape from endless avenues of mock-Tudor From 1915, the metro-line (now the busy, dirty, urban city. “country” villas: semi-detached It will explore the historical It will explore the relationship metropolitan line) with the dwellings with steep roofs, bay influences of the earliest between the greenbelt, and switch from steam to electric Metro-land was a guide windows and half-timbered examples of suburban life, the demonstrate the influence, went from busy central London produced by the metro gables. influences of Metro-land in good and bad on suburbs. Baker Street to the new line marketing department, the 1930s and the vernacular, extended Harrow, Wealdstone, advertising the dream of living A rural idyll ideal within the combined with the modern The suburban lifestyle could Wembley, Pinner, Northwood in the countryside. It was city limits was created. marketing material selling the potentially be more to the Chilterns and leafy aspirational, showing images of dream. Amersham. the typical English countryside living with poetic, attractive The metro-line owned swathes language. of land throughout Middlesex,

‘Each lover of metroland may have his own favourite wood beech and coppice, all tremulous green loveliness in spring and russet and gold in October’

Metroland Promotional Material Metropolitan Railway Country Estates Limited Metroland Promotional Material Metropolitan Railway Country Estates Limited

4 5 MAP OF THE EXISTING GREENBELT Established in 1938 the Greenbelt surrounds THE GREENBELT London. Outlying suburbs benefit from Focusing on London. The Harrow and Weald, once seen It’s no coincidence that places immediate proximity Green belt was and is seen as the capital suburb went further along the metropolitan to the openland by many as sacrosanct. The from a leafy village to part line such as Rickmansworth, and the protection fundamental philosophy first urban sprawl, losing some Amersham and closer to from expansion and introduced in 1938 was to of its original character and Harrow Pinner benefit from the development. protect the countryside from identity. We explore this in protection of the green belt. sprawling Urbanisation. more detail in our study. Our study explores this in more Attlee first introduced the New Although the greenbelt is detail looking at the nature of Towns Act 1946 to enact the a successful policy, it has these places. designation of green belts. contributed to a divide in Urbanisation was accelerating quality of place, squeezing at pace, with the 50s, 60s density back towards the city providing home ownership and reducing land capacity. and car travel. Over the next Our diagram shows the green Suburban areas are few decades, urbanisation and belt pushing density back constricted by the population density accelerates. towards the centre, putting greenbelt. Town centres pressure on space and scale. are diversifying into out of town retail parks, and sprawling high streets of secondary retail uses turning into extensivve thoroughfares between these ‘urbs’.

As densification increases, house prices PRESSURE FROM GREENBELT PRESSURE FROM GREENBELT rise in central locations, forcing people from the outer city, into the suburbs to avoid long commutes of moving outside the greenbelt. The SUBURB OUTER CITY INNER CITY OUTER CITY SUBURB outer suburbs protected by the Greenbelt can’t

GREENBELT GREENBELT expand and so the ‘in- between’ starts to sprawl to accommodate the demand.

6 7 DREAM SUBURBAN IDENTITY SUBURBAN LEGACY PINNER

URBAN PLANNING URBAN PLANNING

Regular large wide streets, Even now the legacy is intermittent green pockets, evident in the affluent communal amenity, large suburbs at the outskirts equal plots, of London. Streets retain Set with the backdrop character of the country of countryside, close urban. Low rise, green proximity to the ‘country pockets and a centre of village’ and easily retained character and accessible good schools. identity

THE STREET THE STREET Despite the rise in cars, Large plots, green front streets retain their green gardens, street greening, nature and private yet open regular trees, and neatly character.. designed semidetached tudor style dwellings were the characteristics of these idyllic streets. The ideal home for the city commuter to return to.

THE HOME THE HOME

The face of the Metroland: Suburban homes remain Semi-detached Tudor-style idyllic to their traditional homes, vernacular. Green For Harrow, E.S.Reid frontages, and well kept designed 16 types of gardens remain home for the new ‘country gentleman’ to choose from.

8 9 WEALDSTONE LOST IDENTITY METROLAND LEGACY

URBAN PLANNING

In areas streets have A LEAFY sprawled out without the integration of pockets of LEGACY amenity. Repetitive streets are disconnected from any Today, Pinner is considered a ‘heart’ and lose its ‘close to wealthy part of Harrow and the country’ nature. has held the city’s longest annual street fair since 1336.

THE STREET

Transport infrastructure and vehicle usage has changed the streets. Scale has increased and human scale is distorted URBAN SPRAWL as pedestrian and driver compete for being at the top of the hierarchy of users of the ‘high street’. The endless road with no beginning or end. A PLACE TO NOWHERE THE HOME Today, parts of Wealdstone Homes are set within in Harrow are never ending. the smaller plots. Have no beginning, middle Street fronting homes or end, and really struggle to are hardscaped to find their identity. accommodate off-street paving or stores for refuse and cycles.

Brownfield sites re- purposed to blocks of flats and intermittent infill development has changed the typologies.

10 11 URBAN PLANNING: THE STREET

PINNER HIGH STREET PINNER HIGH STREET

GARDENS TREES HARDSCAPED FRONT GARDENS PUBLIC GREEN SPACE

WEALSTONE HIGH STREET WEALSTONE HIGH STREET

GARDENS TREES HARDSCAPED FRONT GARDENS PUBLIC GREEN SPACE

12 13 URBAN PLANNING: HIGHSTREETS

PINNER HIGH STREET PINNER HIGH STREET HIGHSTREET SPRAWL

Here illustrates the nature of the urban sprawl. the contrasting highstreets of pinner and wealdstone capture the essence of how the inner suburban towns are suffering from becoming ‘places to nowhere’

MASSING TARMACED SURFACE TREES PUBLIC GREENING UNDERDEVELOPED LAND where roads like the a409 cut through these suburbs they WEALDSTONE HIGH STREET WEALDSTONE HIGH STREET become lined with secondary retail and extend the high street along roads designed for vehicles rather than people.

Comparatively with places like Pinner, high streets are centred and less expansive

Elsewhere in the suburb local amenities are provided interspersed in the residential streets

MASSING TARMACED SURFACE TREES PUBLIC GREENING UNDERDEVELOPED LAND

14 15 STREETSCALE EXPERIENCE CHANGING SPACES RESIDENTIAL STREETS

IN SMALLER STREETS LARGE REAR LARGE FRONT WIDE STREETS FREQUENT COMMONS INTEGRATED STREET GARDENS PROVIDE GARDENS ALLOW ACCOMMODATE TREES, AND GREENS FACILITATE PARKING ALLOWS PRIVATE AMENITY BOTH GREENING FOOTPATHS AND LARGE COMMUNAL INTERACTION FRONTAGES TO REMAIN SUITABLE FOR AND DRIVEWAYS. FRONTAGES, ALLOWING AND A SENSE OF NATURE GREEN AND SEPARATES FAMILIES DEFENSIBLE SENSE OF OPENNESS THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLES FROM THE SPACE AWAY FROM THE DENSE SUBURBAN STREETS HOMES AND PEDESTRIAN ENCOURAGES CITY OWNERSHIP REAR GARDEN FRONT GARDEN STREET REAR GARDEN FRONT GARDEN PAVEMENT STREET PAVEMENT FRONT GARDEN REAR GARDEN COMMON

PINNER - TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL STREET

SEPARATION OF WITHOUT INFILL DEVELOPMENTS REAR GARDENS BECOME SMALLER ON STREET PARKING THE ROAD AND THE WALLS/HEDGES INCREASE PARKING SMALLER FRONTAGES ARE CONGEST STREETS AND HOME IS DIMINISHED OPPORTUNITY PRESSURES AND VARY HARDSCAPED FOR VEHICLES DOMINATE PUBLIC PRIVATE FOR DEFENSIBLE THE DEMOGRAPHIC STORAGE AND BOUNDARIES SPACE AND PARKING. DISTORTED OWNERSHIP IS LOST REAR GARDEN FRONT GARDEN PAVEMENT STREET PAVEMENT FRONT GARDEN REAR GARDEN REAR GARDEN FRONT GARDEN PAVEMENT STREET PAVEMENT FRONT GARDEN REAR GARDEN

WEALDSTONE - TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL STREET

16 17 STREETSCALE EXPERIENCE HIGHSTREETS

HIGH STREETS REMAIN CAR PARKING IS RESTAURANTS, PUBS WIDE STREETS BUILDINGS RETAIN RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN PROXIMITY TO GREEN ACCOMMODATED TO THE REAR AND BARS OFTEN ACCOMMODATE CHRACTER AND DESIGN ARE CONNECTED TO THE SPACE OF SMALL PARKS OF THE HIGH STREET HAVE OUTDOOR CULTURAL EVENTS AND QUALITY CENTRES OR GREENS SPACE CAN BE TEMPORARILY SCALE IS FOCUSED ON THE PEDESTRIANSED PEDESTRIAN PARK CAR PARKING REAR GARDEN RESTAURANT PAVEMENT STREET INTEGRATED PARKING UA PAVEMENT RETAIL REAR GARDEN REAR GARDEN RESIDENTIAL

PINNER HIGHSTREET

PUBLICLY CHARACTER ROAD SURFACE NO VIEWS OVERALL SCALE HIGHSTREET USES BACKSTREETS INFILL DEVELOPMENT OFFERS ACCESSIBLE LAND AND QUALITY DOMINATES WITH TO OPEN INCREASES AND VARY AS RETAIL BECOME NO RELIEF TO THE STREET OR TO REAR OF HIGH OF BUILDINGS IS HIGH LEVELS OF PARKLAND OR CONNECTIVITY TO USES DIMINISH PRONE TOENHANCEMENT OF ITS SETTING. STRET BECOMES DIMINISHED TRAFFIC AND GREENSPACE NATURE IS LOST LITTER AND OVERALL SCALE INCREASES CRIME SPOT INFREQUENT INSTEAD CRIME PEDESTRIAN EXTENSIVE CROSSING POINTS OFTEN CONGESTED ROADS GARGAES CAR PARKING RETAIL PAVEMENT PARKING PAVEMENT STREET PAVEMENT PARKING PAVEMENT STREET WAREHOUSE PARKING STREET STREET PARKING STREET BROWNFIELD DEVELOPMENT

WEALDSTONE - HIGHSTREET

18 19 URBAN VILLAGE NEW IDENTITY WHAT IS THE ASPIRATION?

URBAN PLANNING

Intermittent nodes

Permeation to allow pocket parks and amenity

REDEFINE THE ADDRESS CONNECTIVITY PROVIDE JOBS AND ‘HEART’ AND ISSUES - NEW INITIATIVES TO EMBED CREATE NODES OF INFRASTRUCTURE RESIDENTS COMMUNITY

THE STREET Reclaim the street for culture and greenspace. Retain old and introduce new placemaking markets

INTRODUCE POCKET REDEFINE PUBLIC / STRATEGIC INFILL AND PARKS AND AMENITY PRIVATE BOUNDARIES OPENING OF LAND BACK TO THE STREETS

THE HOME

Diversifying to quality varied typologies

Planning for mixed communities with multipurpose spaces ACCOMMODATE A PROMOTE OWNERSHIP DIVERSE CHANGING THROUGH DEFENSIBLE DEMOGRAPHIC SPACE

20 21 CONCLUSION FURTHER RESEARCH

In the 1920s and 30s, there was a genuine dream of suburban life. A place which - Suburban Taskforce study trip to Harrow and Wealdstone provided space, garden and privacy, with close links to the countryside away from the busy, noisy city. - Explore towns and other suburbs that suffer from identity

‘Each lover of metroland may have his own favourite wood beech and coppice, all - How have vehicles altered our spatial experience tremulous green loveliness in spring and russet and gold in October’ - Bringing back human scale to high streets 100 years later, it’s clear from our research that parts of suburbs are suffering from an identity crisis. Not village, not countryside, you could argue stuck in ‘no-mans land’ or Suburbia. The worst of both worlds.

With urbanisation and infrastructure pushing outwards, and pressure of the greenbelt forcing the development inwards, land was only ever going to increase, both in scale and value.

The result of this is a neglect in investment to the outer boroughs and suburbs. With such a lack of investment, this cycle only gets worse in relation to quality and identity.

It should be noted, the suggestion is not to pull down the greenbelt, or start building tall buildings in Pinner, but we should at least acknowledge the challenges many suburbs face. There is clearly a fantastic opportunity to transform our suburbs, either existing or new. To really interrogate the notion of ‘what is a nice place?’ A vision for a place which offers pocket green spaces, human scale high streets and interactions.

Perhaps we should be rethinking not just the nature of suburbs, but perhaps the renaming to ‘Urban-village’. SUBURBAN TOWNS

TOWNS SUFFERING FROM LOSS OF IDENTITY

22 23 This drawing is the copyright of Axiom Architects. It is for feasibility purposes only and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. The content is subject to site survey and H&S risk assessment. Do not scale from drawings.