Opportunities & Constraints |
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Prior to putting together the proposed Masterplan for the Station Hill site, Hopkins Homes carefully considered the range of opportunities and constraints that the site offered for development in compliance with the Borough Council’s Approved Concept Statement. These are detailed below and illustrated on the Opportunities & Constraints Plan that is available for download.
Opportunities
- Listed station building – setting and space in front of the station can be improved to form a “Station Square”
- Good rail links – maximise pedestrian links to the station for both residents of the new proposed development and also improving routes for adjoining residents to encourage use of the station
- Good public transport – new pedestrian links to Station Hill and the bus service to encourage local travel by means other than car
- Utilise existing access points – to minimize the impacts on the surrounding highways network
- Burlinghams Mill – retain and develop to keep a local landmark in active use and secure its future contribution to the townscape
- New high quality residential frontage to complement the Mill when viewed from the town centre
- Well linked to the town centre – ensure people can walk into the town centre to utilize and support the facilities
- Established community in adjacent residential development – opportunity for new neighbourhood to knit into existing social fabric
- Good provision of open and amenity space for future resident – both on site and to support redevelopment of the derelict open space to the south
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Constraints
- Noise from Station Hill and the railway line – mitigation by building design and placement along with window specification
- Proximity to listed Station buildings and improvement of setting
- Setting of The Mill and retention/framing of views
- Retention of the key views to and from the Station towers towards St Johns Church spire in the town centre
- Topography – links to adjoining site to the south given height difference
- Visual impact of the car showroom and ability to have quality frontage
- Interface with derelict recreation space
- Traffic impacts on existing junctions off Station Hill
- Flood zone in the south east corner of the site – ground floor uses need to be appropriately mitigated
- Rear of adjacent properties on Bull Rush Crescent – need to avoid overlooking
- Topography – use of the elevated position to complement the Mill’s visual dominance and respond to slopes to integrate with adjoining areas
- Financial viability – including the cost of relocating sidings and remediation of contamination
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