The Cattle
Market car park north of the Hilton hotel has been an eyesore for many years
and is perhaps the last major site awaiting development in the city
centre. Over at least the last decade
rumours have come and gone but nothing has happened. Lately, however, local TARA members have
noticed a marked increase in the number of suits brandishing smart phone
cameras and clip boards wandering the area and it emerged recently that for the
past year the council has been in confidential discussions with a number of
development companies over the future of the area.
No details
have been released and no planning application is in sight. It is possible, however, to discern through
the fog from a variety of sources an outline of the city’s hopes, expectations
and intentions. A meeting of local
residents and retailers in early December was given an update by ward
Councillor Manda Rigby who filled in some background and put forward some ideas
of her own, as did Martin Tracy of the Walcot Street traders. TARA itself offered an outline development
brief for the site in September 2013 and many of the principles incorporated
therein are consistent with the city’s recently published Place Making
proposals for the site (SB1) incorporated in the Core Strategy for the city
centre. From these and other sources it
is possible to identify some common ground as well as numerous issues that will
need to be resolved.
Common Ground
In the
absence of funding for a major public institution such as an auditorium or art
gallery the site is likely to see a mix of homes, offices and shops with small
to medium sized shops occupying the Walcot Street frontage. This will help to bridge the long-regretted
gap between Walcot Street and the commercial heart of the city.
Building
height should be limited to three or four floors above Walcot Street ground
level.
The Corn
Market building should be restored and brought back into use.
The river
bank should not be privatized but should offer a publicly accessible space tied
back to Pulteney Bridge by an improved riverside pedestrian link. A new foot/cycle bridge across the river to
St John’s Road should be considered.
Views across
the site to the east from Walcot Street should if possible be protected or
enhanced.
Issues
How should
development be related to the Hilton Hotel?
There has been talk of an extension of the hotel to the north and a
revised road access.
Parking. Options range from continuing to provide a
resource for the city centre as a whole (which would limit the amount of floor
space which could be accommodated on the site) to providing limited parking for
on-site uses only to virtually eliminating all parking. TARA leans towards the middle option.
The future
of the Saturday market. Developers are
unlikely to be attracted to this.
Bats. It is thought that the Grade 2 listed three
level medieval vaults on the river bank are home to a rare species of bat which
may make it impossible to fully incorporate them into a scheme.
Of course
all this may come to nothing particularly in light of local elections due next
May. Nevertheless, TARA has made it
clear to anyone who will listen that it finds the twelve months of discussions behind
closed doors irritating, that local residents are on red alert and expect to be
full involved and consulted in future, certainly long before there is a
planning application.