CONSULTATION DRAFT PUBLIC REALM STRATEGY Trenchard Street & Frogmore Street City Design Group Place Directorate
Public Realm Strategy Trenchard Street & Frogmore Street Contents 1. Introduction 2. Understanding Context - The Story so Far - Historic Context - Policy Context - Routes & Movement - Access and function - Streetscape - A Day in the Life 3. Issues and Opportunities 4. Inspiring Placemaking 5. A Vision for Trenchard Quarter 6. Outline Costings 7. Delivery Approach v1.1 Prepared by Bristol City Council s City Design Group with Streets Reimagined, on behalf of the Service Directors for Transport, and Planning and Sustainable Development. City Design Group, 2016 Aerial photography Blom Pictometry, 2012 Crown Copyright and database right 2013, Ordnance Survey 2
1.Introduction What is this document? In May 2014, Bristol City Council received a S106 planning contribution from the redevelopment of the Ice Rink on Trenchard Street. Whilst not a formal planning policy this document sets out a public realm strategy to inform this investment and to bring about positive change to this historic street. To do so, this report puts forward a phased programme of projects. The projects put forward vary in scale, some are less capital intensive, for example those relating to how to make better use of the existing public realm whilst others require more significant investment, for example the reconfiguration of existing highways. It also sets out a number of opportunities that would require additional funding beyond what is currently available. The structure of the document is set out below: Section 1 Understanding the Context This section explains work done on the project so far, and set out the purpose of the public realm strategy and describes the relevant policy context. It introduces the study area and explores the rich history and morphological development of Trenchard Street and neighbouring areas. Informed by this analysis and drawing on survey information it highlights the key routes and movement through the area and how the built form shapes this experience. The outcome of a stakeholder workshop is presented which highlights the user experience of the street, aspirations and important practical requirements. This section concludes by overlaying this analysis together to enhance understanding of how the streets functions, the challenges and opportunities. Section 2 Inspiring Placemaking This section discusses the concept of place-making and goes on to highlight a number of relevant, thought-provoking and exemplary examples from the UK and from around the world. The intention being to generate ideas which may go beyond the conventional and raise the level of ambition for place-making in Trenchard Street. Learning from these examples, this section develops a set of place-making principles to inform the public realm strategy. Section 3 Public Realm Framework This section proposes a public realm framework for the study area which responds to the context analysis undertaken. This is developed both at a strategic level but also at street-level, with a number of specific proposals and mini projects, all of which knit together to support the wider framework. Each of these proposed interventions are illustrated in more detail and the relative merits explained. Section 4 Delivery Approach This section identifies a phased approach to delivery of public improvements set out within the strategy. 3
Understanding the Context 4
The Story so Far Trenchard Street lies within Bristol s historic city centre linking Park Street with Colston Hall and Christmas Steps. The layout of the street has changed through history as the area evolved from a collection of medieval religious precincts in the 11th century to mercantile warehousing and housing in the 18th century. The scale and grain of the area was fundamentally altered in the 1960s with the development of the Bristol Entertainment Centre and the Trenchard Street multi-storey car park. These large scale engineered structures dominate the character and appearance of the street. In 2005, Colston Hall was substantially redeveloped on the site of the adjoining Colston House. In February 2013 local community members and businesses met at The Hatchet to discuss the issues and challenges around Trenchard Street and the possible solutions. A second workshop with the wider community was held in 2014 to help identify key issues and develop early ideas for enhancing the Trenchard Street public realm. Park Street Park Row College Green STRATEGY AREA The Centre Christmas Steps N Redevelopment of the ice rink as student accommodation was completed in 2016. This includes the transformation of the adjacent canyon space as a new public space and entrance to the development. This strategy builds on the previous workshops and recent developments in order to establish a vision for the street, and to define how that vision could be implemented. 5
Historic Context Earliest origins (11th - 12th century) Religious precincts set within a rural landscape. Frog Lane (Frogmore Street) and Trenchard Street provide a significant medieval route linking these religious houses and settlements along the west bank of the river. Dissolution and Civil War (15th - 17th century) The dissolution in 1534 see the religious precincts and properties surrendered and acquired by the Corporation of Bristol. Land to the south of what is now Frogmore Streets is rapidly developed by the Corporation creating tightly packed streets comprising merchant s houses, warehouses and small factories. The legacy of which still characterises the urban form today. Birth of mercantile class (18th century) The Corporation develops former orchard imposing a new street grid lined street network with townhouses at Unity Street / Orchard Street / Orchard Lane with associated mew houses fronting Trenchard street. 6
Historic Context 1871 The Park Street viaduct is constructed, bridging over Frog Lane/Frogmore Street and levelling the valley topography at the bottom of the hill. Industrial Expansion In 1809 The Floating Harbour is engineered, creating a stable water level in the heart of Bristol and enabling larger ships to load more easily. As industrial activity within the central area expands, the mercantile class gradually move to the growing suburbs of Kingsdown and Clifton. 7
Historic Context 1966 The Bristol Entertainment Centre opens. Designed to put Bristol on the map the complex would include, when completed, an icerink, bingo club, a ballroom, discos and a luxurious cinema. With almost a thousand parking spaces, the multi-storey Trenchard Street car park opens to provide convenient parking for users of the new complex. Paul Townsend (Creative Commons) 1973 Colston Tower completed. Synwell (Creative Commons) 8
Historic Context 2015 Former Bristol Ice Rink redeveloped as student housing. Historic pedestrian route to/ from Park Row is enhanced. 2009 Extension to Colston Hall completed Present Day 9
Policy Context National Policy Background At a national level, The Department of Transport s Manual for Streets (2007) & Manual for Streets 2 (2010) are the key design guidance documents for new and existing streets. With streets accounting for around 80% of publicly accessible open space in towns and cities (CABE), these documents emphasise the vital role streets play in creating liveable urban environments that people want to use and spend time in. These documents state that the needs of the most vulnerable street users should be prioritised with pedestrians considered first, followed by cyclists, public transport users and only then private motor vehicles. These guidance documents also stress the need for new designs to be responsive to their local context and urban environment. 10
Policy Context Manual for Streets: Key Principles applying a user hierarchy to the design process with pedestrians at the top, emphasising a collaborative approach to the delivery of streets, recognising the importance of the community function of streets as spaces for social interaction, promoting an inclusive environment that recognises the needs of people of all ages and abilities, reflecting and supporting pedestrian desire lines in networks and detailed designs, creating networks of streets that provide permeability and connectivity to main destinations and a choice of routes, moving away from hierarchies of standard road types based on traffic flows and/ or the number of buildings served, developing street character types on a location specific basis with reference to both the place and movement functions for each street, encouraging innovation with a flexible approach to street layouts and the use of locally distinctive, durable and maintainable materials and street furniture, using quality audit systems that demonstrate how designs will meet key objectives for the local environment, designing to keep vehicle speeds at or below 20mph on most streets, Bristol Policy At a Bristol level, Trenchard Street strategically lies between the city-centre and a number of important connecting streets, including Park Row, Park Street and Colston Street. Therefore, it has significant potential to support a more connected, vital and walkable city-centre as outlined throughout the local policy context: In terms of local planning policy, the Bristol Development Framework Core Strategy envisages a better connected city-centre that is more welcoming and easier to understand and get around. This has the intention of reinforcing the city centre as a location for business, culture and tourism. Specific relevant policies include BCS10 (Transport and Access Improvements), BCS21 (Quality Urban Design), DM28 (Public Realm), BCAP 30 (Pedestrian Routes). Within the Central Area Plan, Trenchard Street falls within the city-centre West End neighbourhood and relates specifically to Policy BCAP SA1: The Approach to Harbourside. Whilst, the focus is on new development, this policy highlights the area s natural and historic assets and the need to deliver improvements to the public realm and pedestrian routes. There is one allocated site within the study area (SA202) which is currently utilised as a car park for Colston Hall. Approximately 0.1ha in size, housing is the suggested use. 11