Village Enhancement Scheme Barton under Needwood

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1 Barton Village Enhancement Scheme Village Enhancement Scheme Barton under Needwood Executive summary May 2014 Village enhancement scheme: executive summary 1

2 Barton Village Enhancement Scheme Executive summary Project overview The residents of Barton-under-Needwood are proud of their village and want to see its heritage preserved and environment enhanced. Recognising this desire, Barton Parish Council has been considering how this might be achieved over the last three years. It has looked at what has been achieved elsewhere and sought to gauge local opinion. Recognising the interest in doing something, rather than just talking about it, the Parish Council agreed to seek professional consultancy assistance to help it take the next step towards realising its vision: The quality of Barton s public realm should reflect that of its built environment. The design should respect and enhance the special character of the village and create a bespoke, high quality and memorable streetscape that includes new public space, provides safe and convenient movement for pedestrians and cyclists and encourages use of the village s amenities. A number of consultants were invited to tender to work with the Parish Council and urban design and heritage experts Node were appointed to help understand the main issues and consider measures that might be adopted to address these issues and deliver the vision. highly engaged steering group, consisting of local people, Parish Council members and officer representatives of Staffordshire County Council (the highway authority) and East Staffordshire Borough Council (the planning and conservation authority). The scope of the project was to look at the full length of the B5016 Station Road / Main Street through the village. By collecting evidence, analysing data and consulting residents and stakeholders, very thorough consideration has been given to the issues, problems and opportunities in order to design and agree measures that are well supported and will bring significant enhancement to the village. As well as considering existing data, the steering group and NODE have carried out detailed primary research, including discussions with businesses and community groups, pedestrian audits, car parking surveys and signage audits, which have provided new insights into the life and work of the village. The steering group worked tirelessly to get the best possible value from the consultancy project, keeping the village informed of developments, helping to facilitate consultation and staffing the exhibition of proposals. Workshops to uncover and explore people s views and perceptions found that the main issues that should be addressed were: Speed of traffic Volume of traffic, particularly HGVs Congestion, particularly at school start and finish times Poor quality of certain aspects of the village street scene, such as the gateway features Street clutter Inadequate and uneven footways Lack of permanent event space Village enhancement scheme: executive summary 2 The project involved working collaboratively with the community, engaging with residents and other interest groups every step of the way. Overseeing and assisting in the project was a Station Road / Main Street is the main route in, out and through the village. With over 8000 vehicles using it each weekday, a balance is required to meet the needs of motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and bus users. 9 of the 10 discussion groups at the public workshops wanted to see reasonably significant

3 Barton Village Enhancement Scheme Executive summary changes occur (defined as moderate plus). Consequently, NODE developed a series of physical measures that could either be introduced individually or as a comprehensive package. Options were described as either moderate or moderate plus and showcased at a public exhibition for villagers to decide which they preferred. 521 written responses were made from those visiting the exhibition, representing 12% of the village s electoral roll. Again, the opportunity to Village enhancement scheme: executive summary 3 check priorities revealed the following to be the main concerns: Reducing the volume of HGVs Slowing traffic speed Improving safety Protecting the heritage of the village Improving parking Greater priority for pedestrians and cyclists Summary of findings There is a clear mandate for change and, following the exhibition, the proposals were refined and documented in the full report. At an estimated cost of over 1.5 million, they include: Attractive gateways Areas of shared space incorporating courtesy crossings for pedestrians New and consistent surface treatments that complement the historic character of the village 20 mph zone Changed priorities at certain junctions Widened footways Removal of street clutter, signage and lines Measures to encourage walking and cycling New street lighting and street furniture Planting and soft landscaping A selection of images from the masterplan which illustrate these principles are provided in figures 1-7 on the following pages. 38% of respondents thought the priority was to address issues in the centre of the village. A further 21% considered the area around the Infant School to be a priority. A huge majority (84%) thought the village would benefit from the introduction of a 20mph zone, and 67% wanted to see space provided for village events. In respect of suggested measures, 88% wanted to see improvements of some sort around the Infant School (60% wanted to see moderate plus interventions). And in the centre of the village, 83% wanted change (58% choosing moderate plus). Overall, the desire was to see a comprehensive package of measures rather than a piecemeal approach. Village enhancement scheme: executive summary 4 Next steps The engagement, consultation and design work provide a springboard to go forward. Knowing that there is significant backing to create a Better

4 Barton, the Parish Council has a mandate to continue the work and head towards implementation, drawing on the continued support of Staffordshire County Council and East Staffordshire Borough Council. Sources of funding and in-kind support will need to be found to turn the vision into a reality. The Parish Council knows this won t happen overnight. However, the amazing progress to date shows what can be achieved. From this the Parish Council should be encouraged as it takes the next steps towards detailed design and realising its ambitions for the village.

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9 For further information contact: Node Urban Design Ltd Innovation Court 121 Edmund Street Birmingham B3 2HJ T: W: Creating a sense of place

10 Barton under Needwood village enhancement scheme: executive summary 7 Urban Design Landscape Heritage