The comprehensive development of the Arvin Meritor Site, Grange Road, Cwmbran Design, Access and Sustainability Statement February 2011 This Design, Access and Sustainability Statement sets out a vision for the future expansion of Cwmbran Town Centre, with the aim of securing its long-term success within the Sub-Region. It explains how the development of the Eastern Strip might contribute to this objective by creating a new Gateway to the north-east of the Town Centre, comprising a mix of new retail, office, hotel and manufacturing uses. It also illustrates how westerly connections to the Town Centre would be provided with new public space and how existing assets such as Llantarnam Grange and the attendant under-utilised Green Corridor along St David’s Road could be imaginatively incorporated. Improved linkages to public transport nodes will also be provided. Implicit within these proposals is a commitment to social, economic and environmental sustainability, as well as public safety and inclusive design. 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.2 METHODOLOGY 1.3 THE BRIEF 2 APPRAISING THE CONTEXT 2.1 ASSESSMENT 2.2 SOCIAL ASSESSMENT & ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2.3 PLANNING POLICY 2.4 INVOLVEMENT 2.5 EVALUATION 3 ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS 3.1 INTRODUCTION 3.2 ADAPTABILITY 3.3 SUSTAINABLE DESIGN SOLUTIONS 3.4 BUILDING MATERIALS 4 THE DESIGN 4.1 USE 4.2 AMOUNT 4.3 LAYOUT AND SCALE 4.4 OPTIONS APPRAISAL 4.5 APPEARANCE 4.6 LANDSCAPE 5 ACCESS 5.1 INTRODUCTION 5.2 MOVEMENT PATTERN 5.3 CAR AND CYCLE PARKING 6 CDM COMPONENT 6.1 GENERAL HAZARDS 6.2 CDM-FEASIBILITY STAGE DESIGN INTENT 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.2 METHODOLOGY 1.3 THE BRIEF 8 CWMBRAN DESIGN, ACCESS & SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Scope of Document This Statement accompanies proposals for the within the context of wider aspirations for the Arvin Meritor site off Grange Road, Cwmbran easterly expansion of the town centre, and together with land owned by the Local the statement seeks to demonstrate how the Authority. DLA Architecture has been instructed proposals can contribute positively towards to provide the architectural, masterplanning, the need to improve connectivity between landscape architecture and design input in the town centre and its peripheries to aid this support of a hybrid Planning Application on expansion. behalf of Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc and Arvin Meritor UK Ltd. This statement has been produced in accordance with the latest national guidance The application takes the form of an overall on good quality, sustainable design and masterplan with detailed approval sought for: preparing Design and Access Statements, including: 1= a new food store with associated car parking, servicing and petrol filling station 1= Design and Access Statements in Wales for Wm Morrisons Plc, ‘Why, What and How’ (DCfW, 2008); 1= two A1/A2/A3 Units, 1= Planning Policy Wales (WAG, 2010) and 1= a new pedestrian bridge link from the Technical Advice Note 12: ‘Design’ (WAG, existing town centre, 2009); 1= a refurbished factory and office facility for 1= ‘Planning and Inclusive Design (Access Arvin Meritor UK Ltd. Statements) Final Interim Guidance’ (WAG, 2007); and 1= Outline approval is sought for offices, an hotel and A3 uses (pub/restaurant) on the 1= ‘Design and Access Statements, How to central section of the site. write, read and use them’ (CABE, 2006 Revised Ed. 2007). The purpose of this statement is to describe the evolving design process and key design and development principles leading to a Design Commission for Wales Planning Policy Wales preferred scheme for the application site. Technical Advice Note Table of Contents 12: DESIGN The proposals have been brought forward Design and Access Statements in Wales Why, What and How October 2008 1 Design and Access Statements in Wales CWMBRAN 9 DRAFT FOR COMMENT JAN 2011 10 CWMBRAN DESIGN, ACCESS & SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT INTRODUCTION 1 1.2 Methodology This statement appraises the site and the surrounding area. It is intended to demonstrate how the proposals have evolved from a series of design analyses, discussions and decisions to ensure that the design principles, objectives and access arrangements of the proposals are responsive, appropriate and distinctive. CWMBRAN 11 DRAFT FOR COMMENT JAN 2011 INTRODUCTION 1 1.3 The Brief The functional brief for the site has been set current proposals seek to reflect the Council’s out by Wm Morrisons Supermarkets plc and aspirations for the area. In particular the Arvin Meritor and has developed through company has had close regard to the emerging detailed discussions during 2009 and 2010 with development plan policies for the area and has Local Authority Officers. sought to align its objectives with the emerging plan. The site owners, ArvinMeritor provide advanced drive-train, mobility and braking solutions for Equally it has been mindful of the need to commercial vehicles worldwide. The Cwmbran put forward a deliverable and economically plant manufactures commercial vehicle viable set of proposals which both meet the braking systems and trailer axles. The site as it wider development aspirations for the area currently stands is no longer fit for purpose – it and provide a sustainable long term future is too large for the current product and process for the company’s retained operations. It portfolio, which drives inefficient fixed costs, has therefore partnered with Wm Morrison and projects a poor image to existing and Supermarkets in the proposals. potential customers. ArvinMeritor is working hard to revitalise its business, to retain existing This section identifies the key design drivers customers and capture new ones. Reducing emerging out of the Masterplanning work for the site’s footprint to the appropriate size will the wider study area, statutory and good- release fixed costs and allow further efficiency practice guidance, along with a range of cross- savings to be released by reorganising cutting issues such as inclusive design, public production flow. Extensive renovations will safety and sustainability. allow ArvinMeritor to both project the ‘World- Class’ image that it requires, but also allow The masterplan study area includes all the energy-efficiency and modern sustainability Eastern Strip land in Arvin Meritor ownership, features to be incorporated. as well as the Green Corridor to the west, St David’s Road, Llantarnam Grange and This footprint reduction activity releases a connections both into the Town Centre and significant proportion of the site for alternative Railway Station to the north. uses. Although a reduction in physical size, the new plant will ensure that the business The vision that informed the development has modern facilities to meet the future of the Masterplan Framework was to create requirements of the company and it’s a seamless easterly extension to Cwmbran customers. Employment in the business Town Centre, comprising new high quality on the site will in fact increase as a result of public spaces and a complementary mix the development. In reviewing its activities of new uses. This extension should act as at Cwmbran the company has been in at as a Gateway into the Town, facilitating regular dialogue with the Council and the improved access to the Railway Station and 12 CWMBRAN DESIGN, ACCESS & SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT offering imaginative proposals for the currently under-utilised Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre, gardens and ‘green corridor’. A series of layout options were developed and discussed with Local Authority Officers and consultants. Key issues included: 1= the location of the Food Store and petrol filling station and its impact on the creation of a high quality Gateway to the town centre, 1= developing a mix of appropriate uses on the site, 1= creation of strong pedestrian linkages into the Town Centre from the Eastern Strip and to the railway station, 1= servicing to the proposed buildings in a manner that would avoid conflict with pedestrian routes and active frontages; 1= maintenance of vehicular traffic along St David’s Road, while endeavouring to create new public spaces in front of Llantarnam Grange and within the central section of the site, 1= maintenance of statutory services along the existing line of Grange Road, 1= method of dealing with on-site flood attenuation, 1= a remediation strategy to deal with issues of land contamination and 1= appropriate ecological and arboricultural strategies. CWMBRAN 13 DRAFT FOR COMMENT JAN 2011 2 APPRAISING THE CONTEXT 2.1 ASSESSMENT 2.2 SOCIAL ASSESSMENT & ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2.3 PLANNING POLICY 2.4 INVOLVEMENT 2.5 EVALUATION APPRAISING THE CONTEXT 2 2.0 The Context 2.0.1 CWMBRAN TOWN CENTRE. Cwmbran means ‘valley of the crow’ and The Corporations’ Chief Architect, J.C.P. West there is evidence that it was inhabited in the (a former pupil of Louis de Soissons at Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age, before the Silures Welwyn Garden City), showed tremendous tribe was subdued by the Romans. In 1179, contemporary ambition. Indeed many of the Hywel, Lord of Caerleon gave land and money architects and engineers employed by the to found the Cistercian Abbey of Llantarnam, Corporation were newly qualified professionals, which was constructed 4km to the south-east which helped to imbue the designs with an of the current Town Centre. optimistic post-war spirit, typical of the 1950’s. During the 1700’s, brick-making, lime kilns, If the town centre architecture is not quite in iron ore, quarrying and coal mining became the spirit of what historian Rayner Banham established industries, with a number of tin would consider New Brutalist, it is certainly works, coke works and iron foundries being built large-scale Modernism. An outline masterplan, in the town. But this heavy industry eventually known as “the little red book”, was produced collapsed during the recession following the by consultants Minoprior and Spenceley, and First World War.