65 V. Masterplan The city centre has been identified as the priority location for new development, which must reinforce its historic character, its retail, civic and cultural role. Particular focus is given to the two major development sites at Pydar Street and Garras Wharf. Garras Wharf in particular has been identified as a priority by local residents. These sites must however be considered in the context of a comprehensive strategy for the city centre as a whole. The priority must be to maintain and protect the existing businesses within Truro, and then to ensure that new development reinforces the strengths of the city centre. Consideration is therefore first given to defining a strategy for the historic core. The strategy for the city centre must be defined to meet the four key criteria identified in Section II: Reinforcing the city centre; Protecting the long term landscape setting; Providing high quality jobs; and Promoting sustainable communities. Whilst the first criteria is the most obvious, all are integral to creating a robust, long term, sustainable framework for the city centre. In particular all four criteria must inform the development briefs for Pydar Street and Garras Wharf development sites and all other development opportunities in the city centre. The strategy has therefore been prepared in collaboration with Alan Baxter & Associates, who prepared the Conservation Area Management Plan and in consultation with DTZ, who have advised on retail strategy and policy. It has also had regard to the previous findings and recommendations of the Urban Design Strategy.
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The Historic City 67 Vision For The Area Truro city centre will remain Cornwall s premier shopping destination, and its distinctive environment and specialist retailers will enable it to compete more effectively with larger centres further afield. Redevelopment of underutilised sites in the retail core will revitalise the historic streets and the independent retailers that give the city its distinctive character. The setting of the historic buildings will be improved through redevelopment and public realm improvements. The city s rivers and waterfront will be recognised as major attractions. River walks will be created connecting Boscawen Park to Garras Wharf to Victoria Park and the Kenwyn Valley, revealing the iconic views of the cathedral and the viaduct. Mixed-use development at Garras Wharf will create a vibrant waterfront destination for residents and visitors. It will act as a natural extension of the historic core. Morlaix Avenue will provide a new shopwindow to the city and its waterfront. Mixed-use redevelopment of Pydar Street sites will add to the retail and leisure offer of the city centre. New office and residential development will reinforce the civic role of Truro, and support the retailers during the day and the evening. A fast and efficient park & ride service will bring commuters and visitors into the heart of the city. Cycle routes and local bus services will connect the city centre to its residential hinterland. Car parking will be concentrated in safe, modern car parks on the edge of the city centre.
68 Masterplanning Criteria Reinforcing The The retail strategy for the city centre, as outlined in the 2007 draft AAP preferred options, was based on Extending the dumbbell. This identifies Lemon Quay and a redeveloped waterfront (Garras Wharf) as one end of the dumbbell, and the Pydar Street development site as the northern balance. The historic core of the cathedral and Boscawen Street is identified as the centre of the dumbbell. Larger retail units are clustered in Pydar Street and Lemon Quay, and are one of the reasons why these areas have been identified as the key elements in the dumbbell. The dumbbell strategy The relocation of Marks & Spencer has created a destination at the southern end of the city centre, whilst Pydar Street remains the prime retail location in Truro. With the major tourist destination, Truro Cathedral, and Boscawen Street at the centre of the dumbbell, Figure 5.2 (below) identifies most visitors perceptions of the area which defines the heart of the city centre s retail offer. Re-evaluating the dumbbell strategy Both the Retail Strategy and the Urban Design Strategy identified the importance of reinforcing the secondary retail areas. For many residents and visitors these areas, and the specialist and independent shops that can be found there, are the defining retail characteristic of the city centre and a key reason for visiting. Figure 5.3 below includes the key streets and spaces that define these areas.together these areas create a consolidated, and compact, city centre retail area. Fig. 5.1 The dumbbell strategy identifies the key destinations and pedestrian routes. Fig. 5.2 The dumbbell approach creates a linear city centre which could be exacerbated by Pyder Street and the waterfront. Fig. 5.3 Recognising the secondary retail streets creates a more compact city centre.
69 Development Opportunities Pydar Street and Garras Wharf have been identified as the two major opportunity sites in the city centre. In addition there are a number of underutilised sites which have been considered in previous studies, and identified through our own assessment. Some, such as the service area of Moorfield car park, are considered to be short term development priorities. Others, such as Old Bridge Street car park and the Pannier Market, have longer term potential which is more likely to be released once other development opportunities have come forward. Fig 5.4 Pydar Street and Garras Wharf are not natural extensions of the core retail area but their edges can be integrated. These development sites provide a variety of opportunities for extending the retail and leisure offer within the city centre. Although the retail capacity study has identified significant potential for new floorspace, there is concern at the ability of the city centre to accommodate significant development on the Garras Wharf and Pydar Street sites without changes to pedestrian flow patterns across the city. Figure 5.4 shows that new retail development on both these sites would significantly extend the boundary of the city centre. It would also place significantly more reliance on the dumbbell, emphasising the linear nature of the link between the Pydar Street and Lemon Quay, and potentially undermining the vibrancy and viability of the important specialist retail areas as they become more peripheral.
70 Masterplanning Criteria Reinforcing The Truro Retail Appraisals The Truro Retail Offices and Leisure Study was undertaken by Donaldsons (now DTZ) in 2006. It concluded that in order to maintain Truro s sub-regional shopping centre status there was a need for a major new retail development in the city centre and in particular stated: We forecast a need for a substantial new prime retail development or developments in Truro city centre, ideally anchored by a new department store....we consider that the only sites which could potentially accommodate such a development are the Pydar Street site and the combined Garras Wharf and Tesco sites (with or without the adjacent retail warehouses site). However, development of the Pydar Street for this use would bring greater benefits to the city centre in retail terms, and be less likely to have an adverse impact on the city centre. The Garras Wharf and Tesco sites, if they become available for development, would be better used for a mixed use waterfront development of housing, leisure (principally A3/A4 uses) and some small scale festival shopping. We therefore recommend that the Council continues to allocate the Pydar Street site for a major prime retail development (together with other uses as appropriate). The latest retail advice to the Council provides less certainty on the likeihood of Pydar Street site coming forward for major retail development and places greater priority on the organic redevelopment of smaller city centre sites. The analysis of pedestrian flow (opposite) shows strong pedestrian flow in red, and weaker flows in green and blue. Strong pedestrian flow leads directly to increased expenditure and stronger retail areas. The analysis confirms the strength of Pydar Street, and its attractiveness to potential developers, but also the potential vulnerability of other areas which could be undermined by a single major scheme on the edge of the retail core. Lemon Quay is surprisingly vulnerable, and many of the distinctive secondary streets show relatively weak pedestrian flow. Any future retail strategy for the city centre should seek to address these issues, and ensure that activity feeds into these important streets and spaces.
71 Red areas show strong pedestrian flow, and therefore strong retail demand, on Boscawen Street and Pydar Street. Green and blue indicate potentially vulnerable areas which includes Lemon Quay. The retail strategy must therefore support these areas.
72 Masterplanning Criteria Reinforcing The Delivering organic growth There is an opportunity for the city centre development sites to provide a comprehensive but organic approach to enhancing the retail and leisure offer of the city. Public sector landownership within the city, including Garras Wharf and Pydar Street, will help in delivering this comprehensive approach. Lemon Quay (East) The bus station and Pannier market (right) are important uses for the city centre but more efficient use could be made of these centrally located sites. Higher density development could bring more life to the city centre and to Lemon Quay and still provide important space for the indoor market. The area is identified as a priority for redevelopment in the Conservation Area Management Plan. Moorfield Car Park (right) The Moorfield car park is an important car park strategically located close to Victoria Square. Its connections to the retail core are however unattractive and appear unsafe. Improvements to the car park could include new retail space along the frontage and side elevations, replacing underused service areas and providing overlooking of these routes. Residential development on the surface car park area could bring increased vitality to the city centre and reduce pressure on greenfield sites.
73 Individual Stores The Bhs store trades on only one level, has a poor quality frontage on Boscawen Street and St Mary s Street with its service entrance close to the cathedral. Redevelopment could enhance the setting of these historic spaces and buildings and provide additional retail floorspace in the city centre. Old Bridge Street As part of a comprehensive access strategy for the city centre, redevelopment of surface car parks, such as Old Bridge Street, can provide retail and leisure floorspace which connects well to the secondary retail streets, boosting trade for independent retailers. Old Bridge Street has an attractive frontage to the River Allen and could be a distinctive retail and leisure destination, and an attractive place to live, in the city centre.
74 Masterplanning Criteria Reinforcing The Truro Conservation Area The Conservation Area Management Plan has been prepared by Alan Baxter & Associates. It supports the strategy of redeveloping core city centre sites including Moorfield car park, New Bridge Street car park and the east side of Lemon Quay (including the Pannier Market). It also emphasises the need for strong pedestrian connections, and pedestrian flow which will reinforce the key historic streets and spaces. The report expressed concern at the potential impact of the proposed Pydar Street scheme on the rest of the city centre and stated that: The poposed uses for the site should complement and not undermine the retail and service vitality of the historic core and the Conservation Area, and that it should establish greater permeability and new pedestrian routes between the site and the town centre and to the cathedral. The report also recommended that the Conservation Area be extended to include Garras Wharf. It highlighted the negative impact of the Tesco store and associated surface car parking on the setting of the Conservation Area. It also stressed the importance of improved pedestrian crossings to address the barrier created by Morlaix Avenue and the importance of protecting long distance views to the cathedral and to the countryside. The Conservation Area Management Plan identifies key spaces for improvement which include potentially vulnerable secondary retail areas such as the Opes (above right) and Victoria Square (right).
This service space (shown brown on the plan opposite) is an important intersection of opes connecting secondary retail areas. It is identified in the Conservation Area Management Plan as a priority for enhancement.. 75 Victoria Square (shown pink on the plan opposite) is an important public space and has been the subject of recent public realm improvements.
76 Masterplanning Criteria Landscape Setting The view corridor shows the areas within which development must protect the views of both the cathedral and the viaduct. This impacts on almost all of the Garras Wharf site. Protecting the long term landscape setting (river views) The Truro Waterfront is identified in the Landscape Framework as a distinctive character area. The estuary, and the green hills which frame it, provides long views into and out of the city. The connection with Boscawen Park is fundamental to the relationship of the city with the surrounding countryside, and the views of the cathedral and the viaduct from Boscawen Park can be considered an iconic part of Truro s historic character. This is recognised in the Conservation Area Management Plan and is one of the reasons why it is recommended that the Conservation Area be extended to include not just Garras Wharf but the estuary itself. In order to protect these key views it is essential that future redevelopment of both Garras Wharf and the Pydar Street site is subject to detailed development briefs that recognise their character, potential contribution to the Conservation Area and the impact of the height, scale and bulk of development on key views into and out of the Conservation Area.
77 The Garras Wharf site presents a natural opportunity for a riverfront space with long distance views connecting the city with its estuary and its natural surroundings.
78 Masterplanning Criteria Landscape Setting A river walk River walk key (plan opposite) The city centre waterways have been identified as an underutilised asset. Creating a river walk which improves and connects these waterways can create high quality development opportunities, such as New Bridge Street car park and can encourage visitors to move around the secondary shopping areas and see other attractions, such as Victoria Park. The city centre river walk can also form part of the wider green links network, creating linear routes from the city waterfront to the Kenwyn and Allen valleys. The plan opposite presents an initial strategy for enhancing the river walk through the city centre and identifies areas where new routes can be created and existing routes improved. It responds to the priority given to this issue in the public workshops and needs further investigation into the detail of the individual routes proposed. Many areas of the city s rivers are neglected and undisovered.
79 Potential for river walks to be created connecting Boscowen Park to the city centre and on to the wider Truro & Threemilestone Draft countryside. Final Report November 2008
80 Masterplanning Criteria Providing high value jobs The promotion of the retail and tourism sector is a critical element in maintaining the vibrancy of the Truro economy. A key factor in supporting the range of businesses in the city centre is however the scale of office employment. For example, the level of public sector employment immediately north of the city centre is one of the main reasons why Pydar Street continues to operate as a prime retail area. Maintaining, and increasing, the level of office floorspace within the city centre is therefore a priority for the Area Action Plan. The Pydar Street development site should remain a focus for office employment so as not to undermine retail demand in this area. Office development should be incorporated as part of the Garras Wharf redevelopment to strengthen retail demand in Lemon Quay. In the medium term redevelopment of the Newham Industrial Estate could provide further capacity for office based employment and higher value jobs within walking distance of the city centre. Promoting sustainable communities Increasing retail and office floorspace in the city centre will promote sustainable travel modes as there is a large catchment within walking distance and the city centre is the most accessible location by public transport. Increasing the resident population within the city centre will help promote the retail and leisure sectors, make the city more attractive to potential employers, reduce the need to travel into the city, increase the viablity of community facilities and increase activity and safety in the evening. Mixed-use redevelopment of Garras Wharf is important as it lies outside the core retail area. It will be an important evening destination and there will be a need for residential uses as well as office and leisure to maintain vibrancy throughout the day. It will be an attractive place to live and work and can help to create a unique sense of place within the city. Residential uses within the Pydar Street redevelopment and the Moorfield car park redevelopment, as part of mixed-use scheme, can again promote vibrancy in the evening reinforce the existing character of the city.
81 Garras Wharf and Pydar Street are important generators of pedestrian flow into the city retail core. Offices, housing and public parking on these sites help maintain the strength of Pydar Street and Lemon Quay. Garras Wharf in particular is of course an important desintation in its own right.
82 Summary Prioritising the city centre The city centre is the most accessible location by public transport and for pedestrians. It is therefore the most sustainable location for new commercial floorspace. The development sites within the city centre provide significant opportunities to reinforce the vibrancy of the city centre retail and leisure offer. The success of the city centre has however been founded on its distinctive historic character. Any redevelopment that does not respect and enhance this character will undermine the longer term health of the city, and would therefore be contrary to the main masterplanning criteria. All the development sites provide the opportunity for mixed-use schemes, incorporating residential and / or office uses. They will therefore contribute to creating high value jobs in the city centre and promoting sustainable communities. Promoting development within the city core reduces the need for greenfield expansion and therefore helps protect the landscape setting of the city. The key area for detailed investigation is the potential impact of development on the Truro Waterfront landscape, and views of the cathedral and viaduct. In order to deliver these objectives an Organic Vision for the city centre is required, which then informs the scale and nature of development at Garras Wharf and Pydar Street. An Organic Vision Redeveloping the opportunity sites within the historic core can reinforce the existing retail streets, and in particular the historic streets and secondary retail areas. Redeveloping the edges of the Pydar Street and Garras Wharf development sites for retail maintains their current role and does not radically alter the shape or form of the retail core. This requires a comprehensive approach to be taken to all development sites within the city centre. It also requires a mixed-use approach to be taken, but this is consistent with the existing built form and is therefore more in keeping with the historic character of the city By considering the Pydar Street site alongside other development sites in the city centre a comprehensive approach to funding and delivery. In particular the scale of public sector landownership allows for potential cross-subsidy if a developer is appointed to deal with a range of sites rather than a single development site. This encourages the developer to consider the health of the whole city, not just to maximise the viability of a single development. Consideration should therefore be given to a comprehensive funding and delivery approach for Pydar Street, Garras Wharf, Moorfield car park, New Bridge Street car park and the Bus Station/Pannier Market sites. This revised strategy, focusing on the existing retail area, was supported by the consultant team and by the public consultation workshop in January 2008. The public workshops also reinforced the clear message that the priority was to enhance the waterfront and Garras Wharf.
Improved public car park Housing fronting the river Organic Vision for Truro Offices fronting St Clement Street NCP car park demolished to create new connection to cathedral, city centre and river Improvements to BhS store Setting of cathedral enhanced Public realm improvements to opes and spaces Riverfront walks opened up Improvements to Moorfield car park with retail frontage Redevelopment of bus station and Pannier Market New housing scheme Surface level crossing of Morlaix Avenue City centre foodstore Improved edge to Marks & Spencer fronting the street Bridge to eastern riverfront and Boscawen Park MIx of offices and housing Waterfront hotel Cafes and restaurants facing south along the estuary New waterfront destination
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Garras Wharf 85 Vision Garras Wharf will be a waterfront destination and will reconnect the waterfront to the city centre. New public spaces, visitor attractions and waterfront walks will raise awareness of the natural environment and Special Area of Conservation and promote bird watching and environmental tourism. Improved retail uses will provide a shop window to Morlaix Avenue. A mix of residential and employment uses with create a vibrant atmosphere in the day and the evening, with new leisure uses focused on the southfacing waterfront, and new cultural attractions adding to the tourist offer of the city centre. Enhanced crossings of Morlaix Avenue will create a natural extension of the city centre. Long views of the estuary and of the cathedral will bring residents and visitors to enjoy and explore the waterfront. A new bridge will improve connections to other areas of the waterfront. The new scale of development will reflect the character and scale of the city centre. Smaller permeable blocks will create a more intimate environment with a variety of streets and public spaces enhancing the character of the Conservation Area. Parking will be retained but will not dominate the site.
86 Design Principles Treating Morlaix Avenue Morlaix Avenue is a significant barrier to pedestrian and cycle movement, and separates the city centre from its waterfront. Tackling this, and introducing surface crossings, was highlighted as a priority by local residents and by the Conservation Area Management Plan. The barrier created by Morlaix Avenue. For pedestrians, there should be a natural flow from the core retail area of Lemon Quay to support the proposed waterfront destination at Garras Wharf. Similarly, there should be a natural movement from the public car parking which it is proposed will remain in Garras Wharf (albeit not as surface car parking) to support the retail businesses in Lemon Quay and the city centre. The pedestrian subway prevents this, and obscures what should be a long, direct, view from the city centre to its waterfront. Morlaix Avenue should be a key gateway to the city centre for motorists, particularly those passing through to Falmouth and beyond. Improving the quality of the street, slowing the traffic and opening up views to the water and the historic city would encourage visitors to break their journey or return to the city at a later date.
87 The opportunity exists to create an at-grade crossing of Morlaix Avenue from Lemon Quay to Garras Wharf. The waterfront destination would then act as an extension of the historic core, and encourage residents and visitors to spend longer in the city centre. In principle discussions with the County Council have suggested that the at-grade crossing and the introduction of a signal controlled crossing, could be introduced without unacceptable impact on traffic flows. Detailed modelling would be required in conjunction with future proposals for Garras Wharf. The replacement of the western roundabout with a signal controlled junction could help pedestrians seeking to cross in this area. It would also help create a circuit along Fairmantle Street, which is also in need of improvement. This circuit would encourage pedestrians to return to the city centre via Lemon Street, thus reinforcing the vitality of this important historic street. Surface crossings can break barriers and increase pedestrian flow (Sheffield city centre).
88 Improving the waterfront The site is currently dominated by the Tesco foodstore, Staples/Currys retail warehouse and large areas of surface car parking. Whilst these do not create a vibrant or attractive waterfront environment, the foodstore and parking in particular are important uses that help to anchor the southern end of the city centre and bring footfall into Lemon Quay. New development needs to protect long distance views of the city along the estuary and protect the layers of Truro provided by the waterfront, the viaduct and Cathedral and the green hills behind. Development generally therefore needs to be restricted to 3-4 storeys across the site. Within this framework, development should also create a bold new frontage to the estuary, and create a strong sense of enclosure to the waterfront and the new public spaces which should be created. The opportunity exists for landmark, pavilion buildings at the eastern and western ends of the site to mark where the city meets the water without impacting on important views. These would provide opportunities for new cultural or leisure attractions for the city s residents and visitors. A new waterfront hotel would enhance the offer within the city centre. A modern and lively quayside should also mark the point at which the historic city meets the waterfront. Careful and imaginative use of high quality landscaping and lightweight timber decking could create a distinctive place for locals and visitors to explore, and enhance the sense of connection with the water and the natural environment. Floating or cantilevered decks can incorporate restaurants and leisure facilities and bring people closer to the water and to the boats. Development on Garras Wharf must protect views of the cathedral and viaduct but can still create an interesting skyline.
89 Garras Wharf has the potential to create an exciting waterfront space connecting city to the estuary.
90 Retaining a foodstore Tesco has proposed a significantly larger store to address the problems of overtrading. Initial proposals have been put forward for the relocation of Tesco to Higher Newham as part of a wider development of this part of the city and for redevelopment on its existing site. The Council would not wish to lose a major foodstore from within the city centre, and the preferred approach is to retain a foodstore on this site. There are however potential benefits in terms of scale and character of the waterfront if an alternative city centre location could be found for food retail development. The development principles for Garras Wharf must therefore allow for redevelopment with or without a major foodstore, but should define clearly the acceptable size of a foodstore that is compatible with these principles. Two options were drawn up to test the capacity of Garras Wharf to accommodate a store of the size being sought, providing 80,00sqft over two levels. In both options the existing roundabout on Morlaix Avenue is replaced by a cross roads, which gives more development capacity within the site and makes it easier for pedestrians to cross the street. In both options the waterfront has a leisure and visitor focus Option 1 shows the Tesco store in its exsting position. Discussions with Tesco indicate that they could continue trading from within the Staples store which would then become available for redevelopment. This approach creates a large retail anchor further into the site and gives the potential for additional retail units to be provided between the foodstore and Lemon Quay. The scale of the store, and the size of service yard required, creates a single large development block across the site. This lack of permeability would be unacceptable on the waterfront. Option 2 shows a slightly smaller store, but relocated to front Morlaix Avenue. This brings the anchor store closer to Lemon Quay but the main advantage is the ability to create an additional street breaking up the developmnent block. The scale of the development blocks created is still however unacceptable for this key site. The conclusion therefore is that whilst it is preferable to retain a foodstore on Garras Wharf, and essential to retain one within the city centre, the scale of foostore needs to be appropriate to the scale and historic character of the city centre. These options show that a very large foodstore, and its servicing requirements, is incompatible with the desire to create smaller development blocks and a finer grain of streets and spaces as Garras Wharf becomes an extension of the city centre.
91 Design Principles for Garras Wharf The retail analysis, Conservation Area Appraisal and Masterplan, public consultation and urban design appraisals agree that the waterfront is a special place for Truro, and an underutilised and undervalued asset. Redevelopment is essential but delivery is likely to be complicated. The priority is to secure the right form, scale and mix of uses for the city, its residents and its visitors and this will require detailed design work and negotiations with the County Council and with existing landowners and occupiers. The key principles which should underpin any future redevelopment of Garras Wharf include: Providing a waterfront destination which is accessible to visitors and residents Creating a mix of uses, including leisure, retail, residential, offices and car parking Creating a permeable layout with a variety of streets which connect to the city centre and the riverbanks Ensuring active frontages and overlooking of main pedestrian routes Creating the scale and character appropriate to the city centre Conservation Area Providing public access to the waterfront with a series of spaces drawing visitors along the route Improving soft landscaping Protecting key views of the cathedral and the viaduct, with heights generally limited to three storeys Ensuring Morlaix Avenue provides a natural, at-grade, crossing for pedestrians Ensuring car parking and servicing does not dominate the site Creating visual connections between the site, the city centre and the waterfront Providing overlooking of public routes and spaces Ensuring issues of flood protection are addressed Protecting the Special Area of Conservation and seeking opportunities to enhance it and the visitor experience Protecting the wharf developments from the impacts of climate change. The design principles illustrate that it is still possible to deliver a large city centre foodstore, trading on two levels. A development brief for this site should be prepared, and discussions held with Tesco as landowner and retailer, regarding the delivery, and detailed design, of such a scheme.
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Pydar Street 93. Vision The visual impact of the NCP car parks and existing blank frontages on St Clement Street should be addressed. The Pydar Street site will anchor the north of the city centre as an important office, residential, parking and retail location. It will provide high quality employment in the city centre. It will provide a desirable city centre residential location for young people, close to facilities and with a riverfront aspect. It will be an iconic arrival point in the city for visitors, providing views of the viaduct and an attractive river walk to the cathedral. The NCP car park will be removed and the setting of the cathedral enhanced. New retail and leisure facilities will function as a natural extension of the city centre and have a window onto St Clement s Street. The Pydar Street site provides office employment, retail and leisure facilities and public car parking that are important functions to retain in this part of the city. The retail analysis, Conservation Area appraisal, public consultation and urban design appraisals agree that the Pydar Street site is a critical part of the city centre strategy. Redevelopment is essential but as with Garras Wharf, delivery has proved to be complicated The Pydar Street site must provide for the retention of office employment and public parking on the site. This is critical to the long term vitality of Pydar Street retailers and the city centre as a whole. There is a danger that a unitary council could see a move of Council employees out of the city centre. This would undermine the civic role of the Truro and would also make it more difficult to secure anchor tenants undermining the viability of a mixed-use scheme. Housing development should be incoprorated as part of a mixed-use scheme and should exploit the potential of the river frontage. This is an underutilised asset within the city centre and has the potential to create a unique sense of place for city centre residents. Redevelopment must improve public perception of the city from the street. Redevelopment should seek to ensure that the blank elevations currently presented to St. Clements Street are removed in the longer term. Access to the cathedral should be improved. The city rivers provide an alternative setting for new development.
94 Design Principles A number of options have previously been considered for the Pydar Street redevelopment. The scheme shown below was prepared for the Truro Urban Design Strategy in 2003. As with many proposals it incorporates a department store and seeks to create an internal link within the scheme. It also seeks to realign St Clement Street. From a construction and viability perspective, these elements mean that the scheme must be delivered comprehensively. Substantial work has been undertaken on development proposals for the Pydar Street site by Simons Developments, although no definitive scheme has been provided and no application submitted. Through consultation, concerns have been expressed at the scale and the deliverability of the proposals, as well as the ability of the scheme to integrate with the existing street pattern and hence its potential impact on secondary retail streets. Above is an extract from the Urban Design Strategy illustrating earlier retail-led proposals for the Pydar Street site. Below are two alternative approaches to securing a mixed-use, office and residential led, approach As part of the design process, consideration has been given to a scheme that can be phased, and which can also form part of a wider series of retail improvements across the city centre. The schemes therefore folllow the principle of mixed use established in the Urban Design Strategy but does not seek to incorporate a department store. The scale of associated retail provision and parking provision is therefore reduced, and the scale of office and residential development can be increased. Public car parking should still be retained within the site. There will be a net loss of parking spaces if the NCP car park, and smaller surface car parks are developed. Pydar Street is an important arrival point, and has the potential to increase capacity of its existing decked car park at relatively low cost. Redevelopment must allow for the long term demolition of the NCP car park. Whilst this has proved too costly to deliver within the previous schemes, it is essential for opening up access to the cathedral and improving its setting. As the car park ages, maintenance costs will increase and the viability of demolition will improve. Any masterplan and subsequent scheme must therefore allow sufficient flexibility for this to be delivered, even if it is not an early phase of the scheme.
95 Design Principles for Pydar Street The priority is to secure the right form, scale and mix of uses and to create the right connections which will reinforce the retail, cultural and civic role of the city centre. The key principles which should underpin any future redevelopment of the Pydar Street site include: Creating a mix of uses, including leisure, retail, residential, offices and car parking which reinforces the city centre Creating connections which improve accessibility to the cathedral and the city centre Creating the scale and character appropriate to the city centre Conservation Area Removing the NCP car park and improving the setting of the cathedral Protecting key views of the cathedral and the viaduct Providing active ground floor frontages, retail/leisure/office, to St Clement Street Creating a green space with better access to the river Ensuring issues of flood protection are addressed Improving the existing decked car park. The redevelopment of the NCP car park can be brought forward at a later date. The connection to the existing car park opens up views of the cathedral to visitors from the car park by bringing them in via the riverfront. The crossing point of St Clement Street allows for views in both directions. Improving the north facing frontage to St Clement Street, which is a service area for existing retail areas, will be difficult to achieve but should be a long term objective for future redevelopment.