Introduction Thames Industrial Estates Ltd welcomes you to this community consultation event in respect of the proposals for the land at The Thames Industrial Estate, Princess Margaret Road,. Please feel free to peruse the boards and ask any questions from the applicants and design team who are all in attendance today. The objective of this event is to articulate the development proposals for the areas outlined in red on the plan below and for the developer team to gain a better understanding of the needs and aspirations of the local community so that the proposals can be designed to reflect those aspirations so far as possible. It would be helpful for us if you could complete a feedback form before you leave the event today, giving us your thoughts and input on the proposals. This represents an opportunity for you to influence the proposals and an opportunity for us to improve the scheme to optimise design quality and better reflect the local communities wishes. Thank you for taking the time to attend this event. If you wish to, please feel free to mark where you live or work on the plan below. Linford Gobians Park Muckingford Road Station King George VI Coronation Coronation Princess Margaret Road Queen Mary Railway Bata Stanford House School Thames Industrial Estate Site Former Computer Centre Princess Margaret Road Love Lane
History & Site Photographs The Bata estate was established in 1933 by the Czech, Tomas Bata, who came to in 1932 to establish a British branch of the Bata Shoe Company. Bata s buildings and the spaces between them were both modern and visionary. From the 1960s manufacturing began to move overseas and from 1970 British Bata began to decline. In 2006 it finally went out of business. Sadly, much of the Bata vision is also in decline and many of the original communal facilities are gone. All the buildings on the estate and their locations were carefully designed to work as a self-contained social mechanism generating a great community spirit amongst its 3000 employees. Redevelopment of the front of the former factory site that fronts onto the town centre provides an important opportunity to start to revitalise and regenerate the historic core of. The early Bata buildings in 1935 with Building 13 in the foreground and Bata to the rear. Much of the Bata estate housing and the town centre buildings are not yet built. Building 13 is surrounded by soft landscaping. Former Bata shoe shop in converted dwellings on the front of the site, east of the disused computer building. Cutting through the Bata grid. The diagonal pedestrian route in full use in front of Building 13. The Bata Service Station, Building 11b and wider factory across the former gardens in front of Stanford House The site fronting onto Princess Margaret Road with car parking and the Memorial Gardens in the foreground. The Bata estate at its full extent taken circa 1966, before estate buildings and spaces started to be eroded. View of Building 13 today. The strong visual and physical link has largely been lost with the town centre. View south, along the front of the former Bata Shoe factory site, now the Thames Industrial Estate. Statue of Tomas Bata located in front of Buildings 12 and 13 on Princess Margaret Road. The setting of the statue with Building 11b in the rear. The former car parking area located on the front of the Thames Industrial Estate, Princess Margaret Road. A disused floor slab next to the former car park. The disused former computer centre building located within the proposed development site.
Site Analysis The relationship between the proposed development and the historic Bata estate has been a key driver in determining an appropriate form of development on the site. The key design considerations are summarised in the diagrams below: Site Extant Scheme The Bata Grid Much of the Bata estate was planned around a 6.15m grid. The illustration above shows this grid and how buildings and open spaces are located within it. Land Availability Much of the Thames Industrial Estate is used. The open land to the rear/west of the Thames Industrial Estate has planning permission for three industrial units (extant scheme shown above). The former computer site is the only remaining land that is not used. Key Lines Largely defined by the 6.15m grid, the factory buildings adhere to key grid lines. These grid lines have been followed to establish the parameters of new development. Key Axes The proposed development is arranged to address and reinforce existing axes. New dwellings finish the axis between the Town Centre and the factory site (green line). A new pedestrian route is aligned on the Memorial set within the adjacent Memorial Gardens (blue line). Bata Factory Buildings 11b New Open Space Bata Estate Houses Proposed Mews Houses New Open Space New public open space is proposed along Princess Margaret Road. This space is bookended by the existing three storey Building 11b and a new three storey dwelling that defines the corner of the proposed development. Building Form The mews aims to merge key attributes and bridge scale differences between the large factory blocks and the smaller semi-detached Bata estate houses.
The Masterplan The proposals aim to provide 51 high quality homes and new public open space. The proposed residential development will facilitate the repair and upkeep of the historic listed buildings and facilitate public realm improvements along the frontage of the estate along Princess Margaret Road. It is also hoped that these proposals will provide the catalyst for regeneration of the wider area. The proposed houses are designed to reflect the existing Bata Estate dwellings and the existing five storey factory blocks. This is achieved by forming mews houses arranged in terraces that relate to scale of the factory blocks. The new houses have integrated courtyards, terraces and garages. Roads and parking have been carefully designed to minimise the impact of vehicles. The streets within the masterplan have been designed as Home Zones, where the priority is given to pedestrians. A new public open space is proposed on Princess Margaret Road, which will provide a larger and improved setting for the existing statue of Tomas Bata. Landscape improvements are also proposed to the south of Building 13, which will help to screen parked cars and enhance the setting of this important Building. The proposed dwellings are arranged to overlook the new public open space and the Memorial Gardens, which will improve security and help to reduce the likelihood of anti-social behaviour. A new road junction is proposed to the north of the Industrial Estate, opposite Stanford House on Princess Margaret Road. It is proposed that the existing historic entrance to the site will be used to access small businesses and offices in Building 13 and the new homes. Bata Stanford House Gloucester New Junction Village Hall Building 11b School New Public Open Space Statue Memorial Gardens Thames Industrial Estate Building 13 New Parking Princess Margaret Road Square Swale Play Area
Perspective Views, Plans & Elevations Computer generated view of the historic pedestrian route between the town centre and the factory entrance. The new open space is on the right, Building 13 in the centre and the new houses on the left. The new houses viewed from the site entrance, opposite the Memorial Gardens, with a drainage swale in the foreground and Building 24 in the distance. The new houses viewed from Princess Margaret Road, with the drainage swale in the foreground. The central avenue of the residential development with Building 13 in the distance. Streets within the residential development would be shared surfaces where pedestrians and vehicles share the street. Typical Street Elevation Line two Ground First Ground First Ground First Ground Floor Plans Line two
Character The proposals should be of high quality and build on and reflect the architectural language of the existing Bata Estate in. The images below are examples of similar residential developments and spaces to what is proposed for the site. The images illustrate the quality of materials and spaces that the development aims to incorporate. Mews housing with usable integrated garages and roof terraces in Street, Somerset. A successful Home Zone, where pedestrians share the street with vehicles. Pedestrian bridges over small streams and swales. Dwellings with integrated garages and roof terraces at Street, Somerset. Town houses with integrated garages at the Abode development, Cambridge. Abode development, Cambridge A first floor roof terrace. A first floor roof terrace at Newhall, Harlow, Essex. Successful modern mews houses at the Accordia development, Cambridge. A pedestrian street with landscaping at Accordia. An internal courtyard and roof terrace at Accordia. An internal courtyard. A public square with gravel surface and good quality communal street furniture in Street. A traditional European public space shaded by closely planted trees. A well designed drainage swale with established planting at Street, Somerset Public art and focal point. A tree formed from disused Clarks shoe lathes in Street, Somerset.
What Happens Next? Thank you for taking the time to visit us today to view the proposals. We hope you found the event useful. Please feel free to fill out a feedback form and discuss any queries you may have with members of the project team. If you would like to discuss the proposals with us after the event, please feel free to contact Nick Cooper at Iceni Projects by email at ncooper@iceniprojects.com, by telephone on 020 3435 4208 or write to Nick Cooper, Flitcroft House, 114-116 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0JR Following the event, we will be collating your responses and ensuring that these are considered in the design of the proposals moving forward. We are in the process of pulling together the planning application documents and anticipate that an application will be submitted to the Local Planning Authority in late summer / autumn 2013 whereby you will be able to comment on the application further. Aerial View of from the south with a computer generated image of the proposed scheme.