A Quick Recap…...

Aims of the Project

• A design and development brief for the site.

• Community design aspirations embedded in the eventual solutions for the area

• Community engagement with the design principles of better place making

• Raised awareness of the significance of the regeneration and quality of the town centre environment as a whole and how this will benefit local residential neighbourhoods.

Workshop 1 – 28th Nov

• Site visit and SWOT analysis – what do we have, value, or want to change?

• Workshop – Problems and Propositions

• Examples from elsewhere – retail and other development in town centres.

Strengths:

• TBC are a key landowner.

• The site is in an excellent central location with good access.

• The site is large and could provide a broad range of redevelopment opportunities.

• The variety of parking available in the town centre.

• Alleyways are a special feature of the Tewkesbury urban morphology.

Weaknesses:

• Quality of place is very poor. Though busy at times it feels like a dead space.

• The townscape quality of the backs of existing development that fronts the site is very poor.

• Poor legibility overall. Natural way finding difficult, poor and inaccurate signage, poor highways design.

• Some alleyways frightening due to being isolated, un-overlooked, not linear.

• Efficiency and quality of parking provision is poor.

Opportunities:• Better quality and more diverse parking facilities.

• Better location for the Market – Back of Avon and the High Street being mentioned as possibilities.

• Improved quality of streets and public / civic spaces.

• Screening poor “back of development” with good quality redevelopment.

• Repair and enhance the historic street pattern and movement network.

• Reassess the Town’s needs in the context of the current and future economic situations.

• Explore how the Towns’ medieval attractions could be better utilised / expanded and promoted.

Threats:

• Not getting the right balance between parking / development / public space within the Town Centre.

• Not getting the right mix of development. Possible that too many large retail units could threaten shops on the High Street.

• Not getting the right balance between cars/pedestrians/cyclists etc, in the design of the streets / public spaces.

• The current and future economic climate..

Key Learning Points:

• Realistic and robust economics must be at the core of redevelopment proposals.

• The site must be developed as a mixed use scheme that supports and enhances the existing Town Centre offer – not competes with it.

• The east/west movement routes need drastic improvement.

• Striking the right balance in the town wide parking strategy is hugely important.

• Tewkesbury should not try and compete with Cheltenham or Gloucester, but should promote and enhance its own special identity and offer.