Main Street: Deep Lane Junction to Stanborough Cross. Sherford. main street. November 2006

Transcription

1 Sherford Main Street: Deep Lane Junction to Stanborough Cross main street Sherford November 2006

2 FOREWORD Red Tree (2004) LLP has submitted a planning application for Sherford to both South Hams District Council and Plymouth City Council. The application is in two parts as follows Outline for: up to 5,500 new dwellings; up to 67,000 square metres of business and commercial space; up to 16,740 square metres of mixed retail accommodation; community, sports and open space facilities, including a Community Park; three primary schools and one secondary school; one health centre; two community wind turbines; and a Park and Ride interchange at Deep Lane junction. Detail for: the Main Street link between Deep Lane junction and Stanborough Cross. The application comprises the following documents (the document you are currently reading is in bold): Masterplan Book Town Code Transport Assessment Retail Impact Assessment Environmental Statement Environmental Statement Non-Technical Summary Report to Inform an Appropriate Assessment Flood Risk Assessment Section 106 Agreement: Draft Heads of Terms Main Street: Deep Lane Junction to Stanborough Cross CONTENTS MAIN STREET DETAILED DESIGN DOCUMENT 1. The Application - Town Plan - Red Line Plan 2. Design Statement 3. Character Setting 4. Proposed Finishes Drawings 5. Engineering Drawings - Location Plan - Main Street Sections - Detailed Plans 1:500 - Long Sections - Cross-Sections 6. Stage 1 Road Safety Audit 7. Arboricultural Constraints Plan The entire planning application and any supporting documents can be viewed at If you would like to formally comment on the planning application, please contact the determining authorities South Hams District Council and/or Plymouth City Council. If you require any further details, please contact either of the following: Gareth Jones Rebecca Sturge Scott Wilson Red Tree (2004) LLP 3 Foxcombe Court 7 Forest Gate Wyndyke Furlong Pewsham Abingdon Business Park Chippenham Abingdon Wiltshire Oxfordshire SN15 3RS OX14 1DZ K:\D (D102241) SHERFORD\HIGHWAYS\MAIN STREET\SHERFORD MAIN STREET NARRATIVEFINAL DOC

3 THE APPLICATION DRAWINGS Town Plan The Princes Foundation / OPA Location Plan Sheet 1 Scott Wilson D Location Plan Sheet 2 Scott Wilson D

4 N HAZEL DRIVE STANDARHAY CLOSE LB UE AVEN WELL HART Reproduced from the Ordinance Survey map with the permission of the Controller of Her Magestys' Stationery Office. Licence Number Crown Copyright Reserved Key 1 - Secondary School 2 - Primary School 3 - South Hams Area Local Care Centre and Children's Centre 4 - Sports Centre 5 - Youth Centre 6 - High Street 7 - Community Park 8 - Outdoor Sports Facilities - Wildlife and Green corridors 10 - Sherford quarry (disused) 11 - Existing woodlands - Existing farm houses and buildings 13 - Park and Ride interchange 14 - Key Feature Building 15 - King George V playing fields 16 - Community Wind Turbines Project Scale size Drawing title A1 SHERFORD ILLUSTRATIVE TOWN PLAN Drawn Checked DP/IM/TY SG Client Date REDTREE THIS DRAWING MAY BE USED ONLY FOR THE PURPOSE INTENDED AND ONLY WRITTEN DIMENSIONS SHALL BE USED 100 m The Prince's Foundation 1-22 Charlotte Road London, EC2A 3SG Tel: Fax: enquiry@princes-foundation.org Drawing number Rev 038-III/ OPA

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7 MAIN STREET DESIGN STATEMENT

8 During the design process Mr Edward Chorlton, Deputy Chief Executive, Devon County Council reviewed the work and provided input into the approach to shared space. Urban designer Ben Hamilton- Baillie also provided further valuable advice. The design of the public realm has used the publication Streets for All (South West) as reference for materials and street furniture selection and ensures that the design takes account of local character and good practice. The Proposal The Main Street proposal includes details of the road and junctions linking the A38 at Deep Lane with the A37 at Stanborough Cross. This Statement describes the detailed design proposals and provides the justification for them. The function and performance of the route is demonstrated on drawings which show the proposed horizontal and vertical alignments, in addition to materials and surface finishes. Furthermore, details of the proposed urban form and character setting of the Main Street is illustrated in a number of sketches. Whilst these details are not part of the formal proposal they are necessary to place the shape and context of the street within the vision for the overall Sherford Town Plan. The North Plymstock and Sherford AAP s require the proposals to perform a number of functions. These include the following: direct route for traffic linking the A38 at Deep Lane junction to the A37; a through route for a High Quality Public Transport (HQPT) bus service from the Park and Ride, close to the A38, the through Sherford to the A37 and Plymouth City Centre in the West; an access to serve the main development of Sherford and provide activity and vitality to the central hub of the community; provision of network and local links to the National Cycle Network (NCN connections NCN Route 2 at Deep Lane Route 27 on the A37 corridor; to provide an attractive and usable public space through the centre of Sherford. The design of the layout, materials and adjacent space has to take into account all of these requirements. As before, the design inevitably involves the resolution of competing objectives. The inclusive approach adopted, while elongating the process as all implications are tested across multiple disciplines, has delivered a street design which can function both as an attractive liveable space and a safe and efficient transport corridor. The Main Street has other functions. It provides a corridor for utilities and drainage, serving the development on each side. As the Main Street is to be constructed at the commencement of Sherford it effectively acts as an umbilical cord, providing a route for energy, water and communications to serve the whole town. The requirements of this infrastructure demand a permanent street alignment. History has shown that whilst buildings on Britain s High Streets have changed and been rebuilt over years, the alignment of the street tends to be constant over very long periods of time. Nonetheless the space involved must be designed to allow for flexibility and to permit changes in priority for differing uses and functions, in future years. The street layout in the Town Plan is structured as a deformed grid, providing a series of cross roads throughout the length of the Main Street. Some of these cross-road junctions are signalised where key streets are connected to the network. However simple priority junctions form the majority. It is anticipated that cross over traffic flows from these minor arms will be low, nevertheless in order to visibly demonstrate that these side streets are crossing a major route, changes in surface treatments and levels are provided on each minor road approach. Malborough High Street The total length of the Main Street from Deep Lane Junction to Haye Road is 3.6km and it has been segregated into a number of zones, each designed to take account of the changes in character, proposed urban form and the expected demand in traffic levels. The various requirements for HQPT bus priority and on street parking, such important elements, in the early phases, of the economic vitality of Sherford were also key influences on the final design. The proposal shows nine sets of traffic signals on the Main Street between Deep Lane and Haye Road. Red Tree s disposition from an aesthetic perspective is to have none and accepts advice from Ben Hamilton-Baillie that the number proposed could lead to the street being dominated by motorised vehicles starting and stopping at all of these junctions with consequential impacts on noise and pollution levels. So; while this application shows that these signals will be provided, Red Tree proposes to phase the introduction of the lights in the central area between the Southern Avenue junction in the northeast and the Secondary School. This will allow the High Street to operate as a genuine shared space area and afford priority for non-motorised vehicles in early years when traffic flows are lower. Triggers for the introduction of the signals, in terms of traffic flows or HQPT running times, can be identified and agreed with the Highway Authorities to ensure that they will be provided only when absolutely necessary. All of the required infrastructure in terms of cables and ducts will be provided in the initial road construction in order to minimize any disruption caused by their introduction at a later date. The Street It was clear from the initial meetings with Devon County Council that simply submitting a road corridor without any context was not going to provide sufficient information to understand how the scheme works with the future context of built development. A series of Character Areas has therefore been produced by Lavigne Lonsdale (Sheets 1 to ). These illustrate potential urbanism along the corridors and provide useful cameos for future K:\D (D102241) SHERFORD\HIGHWAYS\MAIN STREET\SHERFORD MAIN STREET NARRATIVEFINAL DOC

9 development. The preparation of this material has significantly influenced the Main Street design. This section should be read in conjunction with these drawings. Starting at the northwest corner the design of the junctions and links can be described as follows: Deep Lane Junction to the Park and Ride/A38 West Bound Slip Road Deep Lane in its current form, is a grade separated single overbridge junction with spiral on slips onto the A38 in both the east and west directions. Simple priority junctions are provided at the end of both the off slips and during peak times this can lead to vehicle queues extending back along the slip road to the main carriageway running lanes. This situation has been and remains a major safety concern. The overall proposed improvement for Deep Lane is split into two stages with the first stage forming part of this detailed proposal. This includes the upgrade of the simple priority slip road junctions to traffic signals, providing additional capacity and allowing the traffic flow and queues to be effectively controlled. The stage one proposal also includes the replacement of the spiral west bound on slip with a new on slip road further south and consequential closure of the existing west-bound slip. This slip road also provides access to the Park and Ride site and the strategic early delivery of the High Quality bus system. Deep Lane Junction The length of road linking the westbound off slip road with the new westbound on slip is effectively classified as part of Deep Lane Junction but it also forms the north eastern end of the Main Street. It is formed by a dual carriageway and has a design speed of 30mph. The fact that there is no planned development on each side of this road allows it to act as a transition between the A38 trunk road and the urban network in Sherford. This will be the busiest section of the street in terms of vehicle flows, however pedestrian and cycle movements across the junction will be comparatively low. Nevertheless a combined footway cycleway is provided along this length of street to encourage these modes and facilitate a future segregated link to Langage, north of Deep Lane junction. The junction has a dedicated right turn for vehicles travelling west from the north and no access for the minor road to the east has been allowed at this point. The slip road traffic is one-way west-bound only and allows a left turn across into the Park and Ride. A bus stop is provided adjacent to the Park & Ride to facilitate services running on the A38. Park and Ride/A38 West Bound Slip Road to Northern Avenue This section of Main Street starts to define a more formal approach to the road character before it enters into the built environment. The Main Street continues as a two lane dual-carriageway between junctions and again it is outside the urban area with little pedestrian and cycle movement anticipated. Tree planting in the central reservation and the street edge provide an avenue approach to the urban edge of Sherford. The Northern Avenue junction forms the start of the urban area and the 30mph speed restriction zone commences at this point. Northern Avenue to Southern Avenue Junctions (Lavigne Lonsdale sheet No s 3 and 4) This section defines the built edge of the Town and creates the eastern gateway to Sherford. A formal entrance is proposed to announce arrival within the development. The Main Street continues as a dualcarriageway up to Southern Avenue and bus priority is introduced with the provision of a segregated lane to allow buses direct access to the stop line in both directions. The development on each side of the street does not directly access the Main Street, but is served by two parallel access roads flanking the through route. Given the width of the corridor, building heights will need to be 5 storeys to create a sense of containment. Semi-mature avenue tree planting will also help to reinforce the formal urban environment and to assist in compartmentalising the road corridor and access roads. Again as part of the transition from the high speed A38, this length of road is designed to reduce speeds to 25mph. Changes in level along the edges of the Main Street to create raised pavements, tree planting and central feature lighting columns will also assist in discouraging higher speeds by visually reducing the perceived corridor width. Southern Avenue to Main Street Bridge (Lavigne Lonsdale Sheet No s 5 & 6) Traffic flows on this length are lower due to Northern and Southern premises providing alternative routes, and the two-way carriageway is narrowed to 6.0m with lanes for parallel parking on each side. A hybrid square-about junction located at the neighbourhood centre in the middle of this section slows traffic by deflection and acts as an effective traffic calming feature. The parallel car parking, and tree planting provides significant edge friction along this length of street contributing to further traffic calming. This is strengthened by the trees being planted between parking bays. These trees will be planted in large scale buried pots as a flexible measure to allow for a future conversion of the parking bays to dedicated bus lanes. Once the future function of this parking/bus zone is confirmed, the tree planting will either be planted in-situ or moved to an identified zone in the footway. The bridge creates a gateway into the High Street and defines the entrance into the early phases of development. It provides breathing space in the Town, permitting views up and down the green corridor, acting as a transition point on the street. Key buildings will be required along this section to act as taller focal points along vista lines from the High Street. Parapets on the bridge will narrow the footway and with the provision of edge strips the carriageway is proposed to be reduced to 5.5m to help restrict traffic speeds. Changes in surface material will also create the character of shared space K:\D (D102241) SHERFORD\HIGHWAYS\MAIN STREET\SHERFORD MAIN STREET NARRATIVEFINAL DOC

10 Bridge to Brixton Road (High Street) (Lavigne Lonsdale Sheet No s 7 & 8 ) This section runs the length of the town centre of Sherford. The character of the road corridor passing over the bridge narrows down as the buildings close against the road edge (possibly as a colonnade). This also creates a more pronounced change in spatial character as the corridor widens again into the High Street. The High Street is significantly wider and has features based on the High Street in Marlborough, a successful market town in Wiltshire which has the old London to Bath carriage route (A4) passing through it. The street has two carriageways, segregated by a central parking area, which will convert to, bus only, two way running lanes should traffic flows and activity require the HQPT buses to be segregated through this section. Footways are wider in this section with seating areas focussed along the sunny northern side. Shade will be provided by semi-mature tree planting although the amount of tree planting has been reduced so that the buildings can be the dominant element typical of historic High Streets. Examples of street furniture are provided to show a range of standard fittings although it is intended to explore be-spoke forms of street furniture as part of a detail design process for the initial phases of development. Public art elements will also be subject to further detailed design processes. The junction with Brixton Road is shown to be signalised in order to provide HQPT bus priority. However, it is also designed as shared space with footway and carriage materials blending together to form a uniform area shared by all modes. The design of the bus stop shelters will form part of the first phase detailed design process and will be sensitive to their exposed and therefore significant positioning. The shared space with Brixton Road forms the main Town square and includes the proposed location of the Town Hall and the entrance to the central Primary School. This is a key civic space and the building within it forms a nodal point for views along the Main Street. Brixton Road to Secondary School (Lavigne Lonsdale Sheet No 10) South of Brixton Road the street returns to a two-way road with one running lane in each direction and parallel parking on each side. Traffic calming is provided by a sinuous alignment and activity and edge friction from the parallel car parking. Tree planting also reinforces the perception of restricted space again slowing traffic on this slightly downhill route through more formal and singularly residential development. The section of road in front of Sherford Quarry forms part of one of the wildlife/bat corridors. Semimature tree planting is proposed very close to the carriageway to encourage a closed tree canopy. Elevated wire rope bridges also cross the road at this point and lighting kept to minimum standards in this area will further aid bat flight movements. Additional tree planting around the Quarry will also contribute to buffering the bat kiln roosts from the road. Secondary School (Lavigne Lonsdale Sheet No ) Parking directly on the street is a key ingredient to a successful High Street. Parallel parking is provided on both edges of the street and in order to increase parking numbers in the early years, 60º chevron parking has been introduced into the central area. This parking arrangement results in slow vehicles manoeuvring in and out. In order to reduce conflict with through traffic, a second running lane has been introduced to enable traffic to move around these slower vehicles. Traffic speeds, through the extensive vehicular and pedestrian activity during the course of a day, are effectively controlled to 20mph. The material treatment of the space will also control traffic speeds with granite chip pavvieurs on the roads, 100 x 100mm cobbles for the parking bays and paving flags for the footways to create the effect of a continuous sense of space. This is a key public space and provides a formal setting to the Secondary School and the junction with Southern Avenue. The streets and spaces are shared space to encourage movement of pedestrians across the road. The carriageway directly in front of the proposed secondary school has been segregated for bus and cycle use only. Vehicles will follow a crescent around a tree-lined area of open space. The connection with Southern Avenue is located at the apex of a crescent of buildings. This proposed arrangement allows the buses to bypass this signalised junction reducing delays in their running at the same time as creating a safer environment in front of the school entrance. A linear park is proposed, subject to detailed design, to extend along the Southern Avenue corridor to help lengthen the vista line to and from the school and reinforce the importance of the public buildings. K:\D (D102241) SHERFORD\HIGHWAYS\MAIN STREET\SHERFORD MAIN STREET NARRATIVEFINAL DOC