BASILDON BOROUGH COUNCIL URBAN CHARACTERISATION AND DESIGN REVIEW DECEMBER 2015 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Understanding Urban Design in the Context of Planning .............................................................. 1 Purpose and Scope of the Study .................................................................................................... 2 Aim and Objectives of the Study .................................................................................................... 2 Planning Policy Background ........................................................................................................... 3 Current Local Policy Context .......................................................................................................... 7 New Local Plan Requirement ......................................................................................................... 8 Structure of the Study .................................................................................................................... 8 Methodology .................................................................................................................................. 9 BOROUGH WIDE CONTEXT ........................................................................................................... 15 Borough Overview ........................................................................................................................ 15 Historical Influences ..................................................................................................................... 16 Settlement Typologies .................................................................................................................. 22 Topography and Climate .............................................................................................................. 23 Land Use ....................................................................................................................................... 26 Scale and Density ......................................................................................................................... 27 Architecture .................................................................................................................................. 28 Socio-economic Characteristics.................................................................................................... 31 Movement .................................................................................................................................... 32 Open space ................................................................................................................................... 33 Urban Structure ............................................................................................................................ 34 CHARACTER AREAS ....................................................................................................................... 37 Character Area 1: Little Burstead ................................................................................................. 37 Character Area 2: Modern Billericay ............................................................................................ 42 Character Area 3: Great Burstead and South Green .................................................................... 47 Character Area 4: Historic Billericay ............................................................................................. 52 Character Area 5: Ramsden Bellhouse and Crays Hill .................................................................. 57 Character Area 6: Old Wickford ................................................................................................... 61 Character Area 7: Modern Wickford ............................................................................................ 65 Character Area 8: Basildon Enterprise Corridor ........................................................................... 70 Character Area 9: Basildon New Town ......................................................................................... 75 Character Area 10: Langdon Hills ................................................................................................. 88 Character Area 11: Noak Bridge ................................................................................................... 94 Character Area 12: Bowers Gifford .............................................................................................. 99 DESIGN OUTCOMES REVIEW ...................................................................................................... 103 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 103 Morello Quarter ......................................................................................................................... 103 Gloucester Gate .......................................................................................................................... 106 Craylands and Fryerns Regeneration Project ............................................................................. 110 Riverside Place ............................................................................................................................ 117 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................ 120 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 120 Policy Review Outcomes ............................................................................................................ 128 Areas of Special Development Control ...................................................................................... 129 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 131 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: URBAN DESIGN REVIEW - ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS ................................................... 135 APPENDIX 2: APPEAL DECISIONS RELATING TO AREAS OF SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT CONTROL ........ 136 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: Urban Design Review SWOT Analysis ................................................................................... 121 Figure 1: The Haven, Dunton (Once a Plotlands Home, now a Museum)............................................ 18 Figure 2: Basildon Borough Historic Environment Character Areas .................................................... 21 Figure 3: The Initial Settlement Hierarchy ........................................................................................... 23 Figure 4: Basildon Borough Landscape Character Areas ...................................................................... 25 Figure 5: DCLG Land Use Datasets for Basildon ................................................................................... 27 Figure 6: Basildon Borough, Proportions of Housing Types ................................................................. 28 Figure 7: Fryerns - A Typical Early Housing Development .................................................................... 29 Figure 8: Burghstead Lodge in Billericay- A large Georgian House in a Classical 18th Century Style .. 30 Figure 9: Strategic Transport Network surrounding Basildon Borough ............................................... 33 Figure 10: Basildon Borough Urban Character Areas ........................................................................... 36 Figure 11: Aerial View of Little Burstead along Laindon Common Road ............................................. 37 Figure 12: The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Little Burstead .................................................... 38 Figure 13: The Green, Little Burstead .................................................................................................. 39 Figure 14: Architecture reflecting the Eclectic Styles found around Billericay .................................... 43 Figure 15: Barleylands Farm Park and Craft Village ............................................................................. 48 Figure 16: The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead .......................................................... 50 Figure 17: Continuous Linear Form on Billericay High Street .............................................................. 53 Figure 18: The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, High Street, Billericay ................................................ 55 Figure 19: Street View of Church Road, Ramsden Bellhouse ............................................................... 58 Figure 20: Street View of A129, Crays Hill ............................................................................................ 58 Figure 21: Sugden Avenue, Wickford ................................................................................................... 62 Figure 22: Traffic Control Infrastructure on High Street, Wickford ..................................................... 64 Figure 23: Ad-Hoc Street Arrangement disrupting Continuity and Enclosure in Wickford.................. 66