Primary Site A

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Preferred Development for Former Sainsbury's and Backlands (click the image)

 

 

Primary Site A Former Sainsbury's and Backlands

Overview This relatively large land parcels located immediately north of the town centre core. It is a ‘gap site’ which links Grosvenor Road and Church Street, with weak north-south pedestrian linkages connecting these two roads. Vehicles and pedestrians can access the site from Church Street but there is currently no vehicular access from Grosvenor Road. The unoccupied Sainsbury’s building fronts onto Grosvenor Road, with the remaining ‘backlands’ area used as a car park. The library is located immediately adjacent to the site orientated perpendicular to the street and is surrounded by a mix of retail and commercial uses. In bringing forward this area for redevelopment and re-ordering it is fundamentally important to recognise that the individual blocks must not be plotted as discrete units similar to chocolates in a box’ but rather, that the design principles sign-posted in this report be employed to ensure that this restructured quarter’ demonstrates a clear sense of place and identity which successfully meshes into the Ripley context and stitches Grosvenor Road to Church Street with secondary linkage to High Street. The primary aim is to: • reorder the urban structure to strengthen links north-south and eastwest whilst rationalising car parking • promote public realm works which contribute to an ‘arc’ of civic spaces opening up visual connection to the church and; • introduce a mix of development to strengthen this ‘civic hub’ These aspirations can be achieved by: • redeveloping the block form to support a mix of civic, retail and office uses through promotion of a permeable block layout which will make this part of the town centre more understandable • promoting a configuration which will “open up” views towards the church tower and contributing to the ‘arc’ of civic spaces • encouraging floorscape treatments / way making and contemporary lighting which will help reinforce north-south and east-west links and help improve the pedestrian network within the town centre • ensuring that the ‘Library Square’ possesses a distinct identity which is clear from the clues articulated by the new urban fabric which will “contain” the newly created space • ensuring that the architectural form, massing scale is relevant to context yet executed to fulfil 21st century design ambition • consolidating/rationalising the area currently allocated for surface car parking in a way which will ensure the civic space created is principally ordered to encourage enhanced pedestrian movement with car parking discretely located within the ‘enclosed’ courtyard