HELENSBURGH PIER HEAD MASTERPLAN REPORT THE HELENSBURGH PARTNERSHIP AUGUST 2009 TURLEYASSOCIATES 2 TURLEYASSOCIATES Contents Executive Summary 01 Background 1 02 The Place 5 03 A Destination 17 04 Site Analysis 27 05 Building Consensus - Stakeholder Engagement 37 06 The Emerging Concepts and Scenarios 41 07 Community Engagement 51 08 Selecting a Preferred Option 55 09 Delivering the Redevelopment of the Pier Head 77 10 Supplementary Planning Guidance 87 TA Ref: HELG1000 Offi ce Address: 80 St Vincent Street Appendices Glasgow G2 5UB Appendix 1: Market Analysis Telephone: 0141 248 9233 Date of Issue: August 2009 Status: Final TURLEYASSOCIATES 3 4 TURLEYASSOCIATES BBackgroundackground Purpose of the report Understanding the brief Structure of report .01 SiteThe viewedEsplanade from west the east.of the Pier Head site The Clock Tower, East Clyde Street Codona’s Amusement Park 2 TURLEYASSOCIATES BACKGROUND Purpose of Report Understanding the Brief .01 1.1 This report, commissioned by The Helensburgh Partnership and Argyll 1.6 The Helensburgh Partnership is charged with attracting private sector and Bute Council, introduces a realistic masterplan solution for the investment and facilitating the regeneration of Helensburgh. The development of Helensburgh Pier Head and Car Park Site. It sets out a Partnership seek a realistic masterplan for the Pier Head site that builds concept and broad design principles to guide redevelopment primarily by upon Helensburgh Town Centre’s role as a destination and gateway to the the private sector. Development of this site meets the objective highlighted Lomond and Trossachs National Park. within the Adopted Argyll and Bute Local Plan, to integrate with and extend the town centre south. 1.7 In response to the brief our objective was to produce a masterplan to excite and inspire the client team, the local community and Argyll and 1.2 Over the years the Pier Head has played its part in the history of Bute Council. Helensburgh and was the historical arrival point to the Town for river traffi c and included the occasional visit by the PS Waverley and MV Balmoral. The fi rst steamboat services were introduced in 1812, bringing 1.8 A robust masterplan for the Pier Head site needed to deliver: passengers from Glasgow to Helensburgh. Today the Pier is under utilised in this regard with only four passenger ferries docking each day during the • an appropriate mix of uses, in particular, a blend of retail, residential summer timetable and only twice daily during the winter timetable. and recreational use, the 3 R’s; 1.3 The former outdoor pool (Lido) attracted many thousands of visitors to the • excellence in design; Town. The open air pool was decommissioned in 1968 following storm • fl exibility that allowed some interpretation at a later stage; and damage. The current swimming pool is today considered an important part of the local community infrastructure that nevertheless requires signifi cant • recommendations on a number of key elements on site; improvement. 1.9 The approach taken has been imaginative, innovative and visionary, 1.4 Currently, the bulk of the site is utilised as a surface car park. Codona’s amusement park occupies a part of this car park area, to the rear of the but always mindful of the implications for delivery, especially given swimming pool. The current uses are not necessarily Pier Head specifi c, the challenging economic circumstances. The ultimate aim of our they could be located elsewhere. This is an important consideration, given commission is to deliver a masterplan that is capable of being adopted that the Pier Head is the sole signifi cant development site in Helensburgh as supplementary planning guidance by Argyll and Bute Council. Through Town Centre and is regarded by Argyll and Bute Council as a regionally on-going discussions with the Council and Helensburgh Partnership, important development site. we have gone through a design process that is well documented and transparent, a requirement of Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) status. 1.5 The Report will be a key reference point for the future development of the site - bringing together a whole range of studies to provide a long-term solution for this very important site. TURLEYASSOCIATES 13 Pier Head site when viewed from the west ThePier ClockHead siteTower, when East viewed Clyde from Street the east 4 TURLEYASSOCIATES What is a masterplan? Structure of Report 1.10 The defi nition of what constitutes a masterplan can vary. In broad terms, a 1.14 The importance of the masterplanning process is refl ected in the structure masterplan comprises three dimensional images and text describing how of this report, clearly mapping the stages of the study. From baseline review an area will be developed. Its scope can range from strategic planning at through stakeholder / community engagement and options appraisals, to a regional scale to small scale groups of buildings. the development of a preferred option for the site, the consultant team has ensured that relevant information, views, opinions and preferences have informed the robust proposals for Helensburgh Pier Head and Car Park 1.11 Most commonly, it is a plan that describes and maps an overall development Site. concept, including present and future land use, urban design and landscaping, built form, infrastructure, circulation and service provision. It is based upon an understanding of place and it is intended to provide a structured approach to creating a clear and consistent framework for development. 1.12 Whereas a development plan sets out the scale and type of development, and the key principles of character for a region, a masterplan is generally employed where there is a greater degree of certainty regarding the development of a specifi c site, and is linked to social and economic analysis and a delivery strategy. Although a masterplan may specify more detailed governing principles such as building heights, spaces, movement, landscape type and predominant uses, it does not necessarily preclude a degree of fl exibility in designs within the plan. 1.13 A masterplan must be based upon a logical design process that responds to site and engages local stakeholders. Chief among these is the local community. The process of developing the master plan, of involving local people and of testing it against their knowledge of the site, is therefore as important as the product itself. In all likelihood the detail of a masterplan will change as a development proposal emerges but if the process is robust, the masterplan vision and key principles will remain of value throughout. TURLEYASSOCIATES 35 TThehe PPlacelace Baseline Studies Townscape .02 Helensburgh PierPier HeadHeaad sitesite Figure 2.1 - Argyll and Bute Council Finalised Draft Local Plan extract 84 TURLEYASSOCIATES THE PLACE .02 Planning Context town. In response, it highlighted a need for up to 7,100sqm of new retail space within the Town Centre. The Colliers report identifi ed the need for a variety of different types of retail development. A mixed use development of 2.1 In July 2008 the Reporters’ fi ndings and recommendations on the Argyll the Pier Head was considered a likely approach to support this objective. and Bute Local Plan inquiry were published. With respect to the Pier Head site, the fi ndings confi rmed a clear relationship between the Pier Head and the future development of the Town Centre. The report supported the Mix of Uses Argyll and Bute Council proposal that the majority of the site lies within Area for Action (AFA) 3/2 Town Centre with the Pier itself within AFA 3/1 2.6 Historically, the Pier Head site has accommodated a mixture of recreational Waterfront. It effectively extended the Town Centre land use policy south, uses. In the early 20th century the site was a gateway to the town as onto the Pier Head site. The Council up-held these fi ndings. people arrived by ferry to visit the “Lido” and the Esplanade. Today, the site still contains a mix of recreational uses including the swimming pool, skate board park, public house and Codona’s amusement park. In recent 2.2 Support was also given to the commissioning of consultants to carry out years there have been planning applications submitted for a range of a study to include a range of viable options as part of a masterplanning recreational uses which include a proposal by Hypostyle Architects for the process. erection of a discovery centre and leisure facility on the site. 2.3 The Reporter’s fi ndings were timeous. The revised policy position identifi ed 2.7 Crucially, the changing policy position in the Local Plan encourages, for a clear requirement to redevelop the site with a mixture of town centre the fi rst time, development as an extension of Helensburgh Town Centre. uses. In short, a balance of retail, commercial, residential and recreational Redevelopment will therefore include a mixture of retail, recreation and uses. The fi ndings also upheld the public inquiry ruling of 2001 - 02, residential uses. This policy change clearly identifi es the Pier Head site as confi rming that the site was unsuitable for a retail supermarket. a potential prime location for the mix of uses contained within the Colliers report. The new policy also identifi es the Pier Head as a prime location for a mix of food, beverage and hotel uses identifi ed on the Jones Lang Retail LaSalle report (February 2008). 2.4 The Pier Head site has been the focus of a number of planning applications over the years. Perhaps most notably, a Safeway proposal to locate a Car Parking supermarket on the site was refused at public inquiry (2001 - 02). The community reaction to the application varied. Some people objected to 2.8 The majority of the Pier Head site is currently occupied by an expanse development on the site while others expressed concerns over the form or of surface car and coach parking.