Tall buildings
Traffic congestion
Maid Marian Way
The Big Wheel
A453/A52 corridors
Streetscape Guidelines
Writing just after our fortieth birthday celebration at the Council House, I am aware of the similarity of issues facing the City now, in 2002, compared with 1962 when the Society was founded, with the proliferation of new high-rise building development and a concern with finding ways of dealing with the escalation of traffic in the city and on its approach roads.
During the past months, members of the Committee have attended a number of meetings and consultation sessions concerned with these and other issues.
Proposals for new tall and monolithic buildings appear regularly at the Urban Design Forum: some are considered appropriate to their proposed siting but by no means all. It is to be hoped that the forthcoming tall buildings design guidelines to be produced by the Urban Design Team will lead to a cohesive as well as sensitive approach to the whole problem. There is also the issue of added storeys to existing buildings, and while this at times is dealt with imaginatively and with respect to the existing building and its neighbours, a number of proposals seen at both the Forum and during our own Plans Sub-Committee meetings do appear to add little to the local streetscape, and have little obvious advantage other than increased income.
The problems of managing the ever-increasing volume of traffic throughout the country, both in cities and on connecting routes, are once again very high profile. Proposals for congestion charges in cities, for example London, and the admission that the M6 and other roads will have to be widened echoes the endeavours of the transport planners to deal with increased traffic volumes in the 1960s. The Society won a famous victory then in its campaign to prevent an urban motorway which would have cut off the eastern half of Nottingham and which would have run through the Lace Market and The Park. Thanks to the tremendous effort of those who spoke up against it we were spared the sort of nightmare, which befell the Birmingham and Coventry city centres.
We have, of course, still to live with the generally unlovely Maid Marian Way, but efforts have been made to make it more user-friendly and news has just come in that the City is planning to use extra Government funding of around £3.5m to improve pedestrian access and crossing facilities by filling in the subways and providing surface pedestrian crossings to make the Castle and the Playhouse more easily accessible.
Members of the Committee have been involved in discussions on the subject of the transport interchange at the Midland Station, where eventually train, tram, bus and private transport are planned to meet. They have also attended presentations on The Big Wheel, the City's strategy for managing all aspects of traffic in the city centre, creating an even more pedestrian-oriented environment for the centre which, in the opinion of some, is a good idea for the daytime city but removing private cars, mini-cabs, etc. from the city in the evening could easily result in a potentially threatening and dangerous lack of human presence in the evening city.
In the wider picture, members have been involved in consultative meetings on the future of the A 453 route from the M l to Clifton: the preferred route is in fact that identified by the Civic Society when the subject was first raised some years ago, and while no route is ideal or entirely avoids disruption to those living on the proposed route, this direct route does seem to offer the best alternative, avoiding trespassing on greenbelt land.
We are also currently involved in the new study on the A52 corridor from West Bridgford to Bingham. While it may be thought that this area falls outside our specific area, in fact it does impact very much on the life of those living in Nottingham, on business development in the area, and in particular on those who work in the city but live along the corridor. Associated with the A52 study is the on-going issue of a fourth Trent crossing, whether this is in fact needed, and if it is felt that it is unavoidable, then where should this new bridge be situated. The Society has maintained that this fourth crossing is not inevitable, and that certainly no further road crossings should be made between Trent Bridge and Colwick Country Park. Any proposed crossing further east should also be viewed with extreme care, bearing in mind the ecological sensitivity of the river and its associated lagoons for example at Netherfield. Clearly the A52 study is not a simple matter of moving commuters from Bingham and Radcliffe, and there will be no quick solution. The Society will be involved throughout the consultation process and will endeavour to ensure that all the issues are taken into full consideration.
The study is 'multi-modal', looking at all aspects of movement along the A52 and its adjoining area, including private and public transport (buses and rail services), cyclists, pedestrian provision and access difficulties, and leisure use such as horse-riding.
Both these major road routes are obviously of great importance to Nottingham, not only to its commuters but also to its prosperity and commercial well-being. Efficient routes, inter-city, motorway and airport connections have all to be created, and it is the Society's aim to ensure that these are created in as environmentally friendly way as possible.
The Society has become involved in a project involving our urban routes. The City Council is embarking on the production of Streetscape Guidelines, which will cover issues such as street layout and street furniture, and also the clearing and avoidance of street clutter. The Society will be help to fund these Guidelines as a partner with the City and will have a consultative voice in the process.
The Streetscape Guidelines project is being taken forward by Ben Webster, one of our new Urban Design Officers, who was appointed earlier this year. Lisa Turner is joining Ben Webster, as a second Urban Design Officer, and lead the team Heather Emery has been appointed as the Urban Design Manager. The Society is delighted that the City has taken the decision to appoint such a team and also that it has involved the urban design skills and experience of Les Sparks as a regular consultant and chair of the monthly Urban Design Forum. We have great hopes that this Urban Design approach will be of great benefit to the city, particularly in this period of development and regeneration.
Hilary Silvester
Vice Chair/Environment Secretary
January 2003
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