Feasibility Study for the Industrial Area - Part 1 (PDF 5 MB)

More documents

Recommendations

Info

8. Baseline Key Issues This section summarises the key issues of the report and highlights the potential way forward, which will inform the development of a strategy. 8.1 Property and Development - The area works as a “de facto” cluster of marine/offshore industries, at least in part of the site. More than half the sites are occupied by customers, suppliers and competitors of the sector. - The marine/ offshore sector has global operators, with very stiff competition and an unlimited choice of sites on a global scale. Incentives are normally offered to attract large companies, which generate many direct and indirect jobs. - There is no pro-active marketing of the area, at the international or national level. However, the City Council (landowner of most of the area) have been very active in the past 10-15 years and attracted two major global players to the area and SRB funding for the construction of high quality units. - Very recent speculative units could not be let to companies of the sector and achieved very low rents. - Many companies of the offshore and engineering sector seem to have stable or growing business. There are also pockets of low value occupiers. - There is a good number of sites that are vacant or have leases expiring in the near future. Some of these sites have access, topographical and ground condition constraints. Many, however, have quay access. A comprehensive approach to the improvement and occupation of these sites is necessary. 8.2 Regeneration - The study area is located in predominantly residential Walker, an area included in the government Pathfinder Programme, for which a master plan for regeneration has been recently prepared (Places for People Master Plan). - It is the early days of the implementation of the master plan, with a first set of redeveloped housing near the industrial Walker Riverside being awarded “minded to grant” planning status in December 2004. - Ultimately the master plan will create a much improved neighbourhood, reversing the trend of population loss and general decline. Homes, schools, shops, community facilities and public transport will be improved and will, at least indirectly, positively affect the study area. 8.3 Planning Policy - Regional policies support the development of some specific clusters, including the marine/ offshore/ high value added engineering. Walker Riverside, however, is not included in any of their “prestige” employment sites. - They seek to protect wharves and deep water quays, where there is a realistic prospect of port related activities. - Regional policies stress the importance of developing knowledge based industries and indicate that there is overprovision of general employment land and seek deallocation of industrial sites. - Local policies identify the Walker Riverside for retention of industrial uses (B1, B2, B8) and particularly identify the southern end of the study area for economic development, and the northern section for industrial and commercial improvement. - The environmental potential of the study area is identified by the UDP and Biodiversity Action Plan, which seek to protect and enhance the environmental and wildlife potential of the area. - The (un-adopted) Walker Riverside master Plan (1998) identifies a vision for the area as a cluster of marine/ offshore businesses. 8.4 Transport and Movement - The area has good strategic links to the motorways and city centre. The current freight route to the centre (A186, Walker Road) needs re-evaluation in the light of the Places for People Master Plan. The suitability of Fossway as an alternative freight route could not be confirmed. - Within the study area, the spine Wincomblee Road/ White Street/ Fisher Street could provide a suitable internal distributor road if improvements are carried out at specific inadequate stretches and junctions. - Access to the public quay is convoluted. Access to riverside sites between Malaya Drive and Welbeck Road is particularly difficult and potential infrastructure improvements should be evaluated. - There is no comprehensive parking management in the area, which generate conflicts in certain portion of the study area, particularly where individual sites do not have large yards and parking facilities within their premises. - The study area is relatively well served by public transport (with the exception of the southern part), but bus waiting facilities and information are poor. - Some specific proposals (boulevarding of Walker Road, access to the river for leisure, improved urban setting and pressures on the Station Road businesses) need careful and strategic management. - Proposals for a training facility on site (School of Technology), promoted by Newcastle College and the City Council, and seeking liaison with the local businesses could provide a valuable asset to the area. 44 Colin Buchanan
www.cbuchanan.co.uk 8.5 Urban Design and Environment 8.6 Immediate Improvements - The area’s topography (the Tyne gorge and flat man made riverside plots) generate many differences in level, which on one hand shelter the area from the residential neighbourhood, but on the other make access and legibility particularly difficult. - There are few landmarks and features to help legibility and orientation and signage is inconsistent and of poor quality. - There are distinct character areas, with well defined boundaries: the southern part of the site has a tidy appearance and well cared for environment, while the White Street Area and Bath Street/ Station Road Area have a poor image and little urban qualities: old and dilapidated buildings, confused access, poor environment. Fisher Street is rather dominated by cleared sites and the silent shipyard, although the inland sites are densely built and occupied. - Landscape is limited to Hadrian’s Way and a few road verges. Scrub vegetation has developed in a few abandoned sites. There is no mature planting. Additional and coherent landscape opportunities should be identified. - The landscape, industrial archaeology and cultural heritage of the area have not been built upon or exploited for the promotion of the area. - There are no serious crime problems, and crime rates have sharply fallen in recent years. This is probably due to the progressive installation of CCTV on the premises and the employment of security guards. There are sets of potential improvement packages, which would greatly benefit the area, whatever its strategic role in the future. These are (subject to detailed feasibility and cost assessment) listed below. Functional improvements: - Improved junctions off White Street. - Improved bus waiting facilities within the area and on Walker Road/ Station Road. Introduction of “real time information”, particularly at poorly frequented stops. - Evaluation of potential extension of buses to the southern part of Wincomblee Road, in terms of infrastructure and potential patronage. - Development of comprehensive parking management for the area. - Extension of CCTV to public spaces, and Hadrian’s Way in particular. Image and brand strengthening: - Design and installation of a complete set of bespoke signs. - Repair to all broken and inadequate footways, steps and passages, even to sites awaiting redevelopment. Sacrificial and temporary work may be required. - Development of a programme of improvement of all edges: repairing railings, introducing see-through metal fencing (rather than blank wooden and masonry fencing) and landscape. - Introduction of interpretation panels on the cultural and natural heritage. - Clearance or cosmetic maintenance works to abandoned premises. Walker Riverside Feasibility Study Section 1 - p. 45
Page 1 and 2: Walker Riverside Feasibility Study
Page 3: Section 1: Baseline Audit..........
Page 6 and 7: Fig. 1.1 - Study Area N A&P Tyne Fi
Page 8 and 9: 4 Colin Buchanan
Page 10 and 11: 2. Consultation Meetings As part of
Page 12 and 13: Fig. 2.1 - Business Interviews Summ
Page 14 and 15: 3. Property and Development: Overvi
Page 16 and 17: The key limitation of the area appe
Page 18 and 19: Fig. 3.3 - Building types N Recent
Page 20 and 21: 4. Regeneration Initiatives There a
Page 22 and 23: Fig. 4.1 - Places for People Plan p
Page 24 and 25: 5. Planning Policy Audit This secti
Page 26 and 27: Housing Strategy Housing provision
Page 28 and 29: Fig. 5.1 - UDP policy map Proposed
Page 30 and 31: 5.2.2Local Economic Development Str
Page 32 and 33: 5.2.4 Walker Riverside Masterplan -
Page 34 and 35: 6. Transport and Movement Audit 6.1
Page 36 and 37: The Council’s preferred route to/
Page 38 and 39: each other whilst negotiating the j
Page 40 and 41: 7. Urban Design Audit 7.1 General E
Page 42 and 43: 7.3 Character The industrial Walker
Page 44 and 45: It has a variety of building types,
Page 46 and 47: 42 Colin Buchanan
Page 50 and 51: Fig. 8.1 - Issues N Old and dilapid

Feasibility Study for the Industrial Area - Part 1 (PDF 5 MB)

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?