appendix - n-somerset.gov.uk wes… · station activity 1: identifying assets and issues identify...

A P P E N D I X

Stakeholder input

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - buildings and spaces rated by stakeholder workshop groups

During Phase 1 of the process, two workshops (1 and 2) were held for local stakeholders to comment on the existing boundaries for the original conservation areas and to identify any new areas for designation. Attendees were enthusiastic about the potential for designating a new area around the High Street, and were positive about the idea to merge areas to create a single conservation area for Weston.

The "Good, Bad, Ugly" workshop (3) has been central in informing the character area appraisals. Some of the headline findings from this workshop include:

• The seafront buildings and structures were recognised by all workshop groups as important positive assets, and that some need improvement.

• Parks and open spaces are considered a positive characteristic across the conservation area. Weston Wood / Worlebury Hill was also highlighted as an important asset, including the historic Hill Fort.

• The area around Tesco and Alexandra Parade was considered ‘ugly’ by many groups and is real need of improvement.

• Workshop groups emphasised the varied character contributions along the High Street, and the importance of addressing vacant or poor quality sections.

The appraisal process was a key opportunity for local stakeholders to inform the issues and opportunities identified across the conservation area. The draft appraisal - both the overarching introduction and the appraisals of each of the character areas - provided the basis for consultation and an important opportunity for stakeholders to steer the future management plans.

© Crown copyright and database rights 2018 Ordnance Survey 100023397. You are not permitted to copy, sub-license, distribute or sell any of this data to third parties in any form

WESTON-SUPER-MARE CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISALSGood, bad and ugly workshop - issues and opportunities Tuesday 17th July 2018, Weston Museum

WESTON CONSERVATION AREACHARACTER AREAS

SEA FRONTA. Marine ParadeB. KnightstoneC. Birnbeck Road

TOWN CENTRED. Civic QuarterE. High StreetF. Orchard MeadowsG. The Boulevard

HILLSIDEH. South Road / Cecil RoadI. The Shrubberies / Atlantic RoadJ. Glebe Road and Grove ParkK. Grove and MontpelierL. Milton Cemetery

WALLISCOTEM. Golf CourseN. Uphill Road NorthO. WhitecrossP. Ellenborough

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Station

Activity 1: Identifying assets and issues

Identify the assets and issues by placing stickers on the map:

Good - positive elements, things that you like, things that make the area special

Bad - little niggles

Ugly - eyesores, very poor elements

Discuss, annotate, draw! Place your photos on the map if possible, or use them to aid your discussion.

Good - positive elements that make the area specialBad - less positive contributions, room for improvementUgly - poor elements which need to be addressed







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Workshop with councillors and key

stakeholders to review boundaries

Workshop to test ‘single CA’ idea

The Good-Bad-Ugly workshop

1 2 3

PHASE 1

JANUARY 2018 MAY JULY

PHASE 2

Site visit highlighting key areas of

concern

Boundary walk to test boundaries

Draft report - boundary

review

Information review

Site visits and boundary

work

Review of information and studies

Photos and quotes from the stakeholder workshops

CONSULTATION WORKSHOPTUESDAY 17TH JULY5:00 - 7:00PM AT WESTON MUSEUMBURLINGTON STREET, BS23 1PR

North Somerset Council is undertaking a major study looking at the historic assets of the town as part of the Heritage Action Zone programme. A key focus is on establishing a strong basis for future enhancement through the production of conservation area appraisals and management plans.

Residents and business owners are invited to have your say. Please book to attend our workshop where we will introduce the conservation area appraisal process, explore together what makes Weston special and how this should inform future change in the town.

HERITAGE ACTION ZONECONSERVATION AREA APPRAISALS FOR

W E S T O N - S U P E R - M A R ECELEBRATING WESTON’S PAST TO HELP SHAPE ITS FUTURE

Please reserve your place through Eventbrite: https://weston-conservation-area-consultation.eventbrite.co.uk

“A single Conservation Area

will make it easier to provide overarching

guidance”

The review of conservation areas and the production of management plans needs to be informed by local views. It was therefore really important that the experiences of local people living and working in Weston fed into the process.

Local stakeholders have been involved from the outset of the work. From initial workshops to define the boundaries of the conservation area designation (1 and 2), through to a "Good, Bad, Ugly" workshop (3) to inform the appraisal of each area, and a "Principles and Actions" workshop (7) to inform the preparation of management guidance for the conservation area.

The workshops were important in building understanding about the conservation area designation and appraisal process. The vast majority of attendees recognised the value of designation and the wider benefits for Weston.

“Conservation Area status will rejuvenate the area and entice people to it ”

Previous stakeholder workshop invitation

S T A K E H O L D E R I N P U T

“New development

should sustain the cultural life of the

town”

During the e-consult period, a series of workshops were arranged to enable local people and NSC officers and members to fully discuss and debate the issues and help shape the final content of the appraisals and management plans. The events were: • Discussion with officers (5) - Tuesday 25th

September, 1:30pm at Old Council Chamber, Town Hall;

• Member's consultation workshop (6) - Tuesday 25th September, 4pm at the Old Council Chamber, Town Hall; and

• Principles and Actions workshop (7) for the wider public - Tuesday 25th September at Weston Museum.

The event with officers (5) ensured that the appraisals and management plans provided very clear and easy to use information for the planning officers when dealing with applications and appeals. The lunchtime session was widely attended and generated some helpful pointers, including thinking about how good design quality can be enabled, and the value of referencing key features that contribute to local character in the final documents. There was a sense that the policies are robust but that a better understanding and analysis of local character would be beneficial to better implement the policies. Other topics of

“Work with businesses to encourage use of skilled tradesmen”

discussion ranged from detailed conversation about windows and doors, to the importance of views, to how officers might take the conservation work into wider arenas to expand its influence for the greater benefit of the town. Feedback from this session played a significant role in shaping the content of the final management plans.

Members have provided essential input from the very beginning of the process, and the member's consultation workshop (6) provided another opportunity for members to be kept up-to-date

The documents were open for consultation from 13 September until 7 October 2018 and were available online for comment (4). Several local people commented on the draft appraisals via the e-consult process:• People commented on the features that are

most important to them in Weston. These included those that are 'seen', like parks, greenery, impressive views, Hans Price buildings and the Victorian architecture, to less obvious features that contribute to a strong sense of place, for example old street signs and street furniture. Additional wording was included in the updated reports to emphasise these features.

• People agreed with the assessment of issues that could harm the character of the area and the changes facing each character area. Loss of front gardens, poor quality extensions and conversions, poor design of new buildings and poor maintenance were mentioned as being especially prevalent.

• People are keen to see the heritage of Weston preserved and enhanced. A few respondents mentioned the need for the Council to proactively manage the historic environment and better maintain streets to encourage residents to have greater pride in their surroundings. Ideas for projects and

programmes have been referenced in the final overarching management plan when possible.

• Good communication with developers, business owners, landowners and residents was raised by respondents as being essential to the successful management of the conservation area.

• GVA on behalf of Homes England argued that the Dolphin Square development site should not be included in conservation area designation and the current conservation area that includes the seafront area of Dolphin Square should be de-designated.

• The Dolphin Square site is negative as a vacant site and there is an opportunity for the development of quality buildings to make a positive contribution to the local character. A key factor in determining Dolphin Square as part of the conservation area is the impact a development will have on the line of the seafront and views. Ensuring that the ‘grand sweep of the seafront’ can develop in a positive manner is crucial. The long-channelled views along Oxford Street also offer an opportunity to give delight and pleasure through the Dolphin Square development.

Photos from the 'Principles and Actions' workshop

Online questionnaire on

draft appraisals via e-consult

4 5

Discussion with officers

6 7

Member's consultation workshop

Principles and Actions workshop

SEPTEMBER

Draft appraisals

Draft management

plans

NOVEMBER

Reports and consultation summary

of skilled tradesmen and using vacant buildings for meanwhile uses, including a 'pop-up shop' which could demonstrate what good refurbishment looks like. The opportunities and priorities identified through the workshop have informed the management plans and have identified key areas for improvement.

Additional consultationsThe conservation area covers Central and Hillside wards, throughout the process one-to-one consultations were also held with the Central ward and Hillside ward Councillors. These consultations allowed feed in from elected members. Some ward councillors also promoted the public consultations workshops on their e-newsletter updates to residents.

Over and above the workshops equality and community representation groups including BME network, LGBT+ forum, Multicultural Friendship Association, Voluntary Action North Somerset were invited to input their views and one-to-one consultations were held with Weston Town Council, Vision North Somerset and Citizen’s Advice.

Photos across all the workshops

on the work and to input any ideas. The session generated a wide discussion. Points raised included: • A desire to use buildings currently vacant,

including the wish to see upper floors used and the Orchard Meadows area rejuvenated with space for entrepreneurs and small independents;

• Importance of trees to local character and the potential for replanting as a "quick win"; and

• How to deal with the tension between understanding the current pressures of the Council and the need to be realistic, with the opportunity presented by the preparation of new management plans for new ideas and greater ambitions.

The Principles and Actions workshop (7) gave the wider public an opportunity to shape the management plans. The workshop was structured around a presentation which introduced the story so far and some opportunities for conservation, followed by a round-table discussion focused on two worksheets. The first worksheet asked attendees to identify key principles to guide the management plans. Ideas for principles that came out of the session include: • Context and setting - any application should

take account of the immediate surroundings and historic character of the area and topography and views should be given due weight. A character of a group of buildings show not be allowed to chip away.

• Streets - new housing should be a mix of types to sustain the town centre. Principles should not stifle the individuality of buildings. There was a desire to keep trees and plant more.

• Public realm and movement - recognition that the space between buildings is important and

should be enhanced at every opportunity. • Agreement with the suggested principles

regarding buildings. • Other suggestions included principles relating

to the student presence, new development sustaining the cultural life of the town, and creating employment opportunities.

The aim of the second worksheet was to hone down the key actions that should be set out in the management plan, where in Weston the action should be focussed, and what priority should be given to them. People generally agreed with the suggested actions and felt they were all important, and so prioritising themes proved challenging for a couple of groups. Other suggestions included working with businesses to encourage the use

Consultation meetings were also held with Weston town centre stakeholders group and Weston town centre advisory group (elected members).

At the final draft stage, prior to submission for adoption, Council planning and policy officers were consulted again to gain further feedback on the appraisal and management plans. In addition, stakeholders representatives, including people who attended the principles and actions workshop, Civic Society, Town Council, local ward councillors, BID, Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses , Homes England, Historic England, equality and community groups, were also consulted.

Concluding remarksThe input from local people throughout the preparation of the conservation area appraisals and management plans has added great value to the process. Local people possess immense knowledge of the way Weston is, both in terms of what really makes the town special and an understanding of the key priorities for change. All the appraisal and management plan work has been deeply informed by the local knowledge generated from the discussions.

Furthermore, the consultation process has been a beneficial way through which to, not only communicate future change, but to instil a greater sense of pride in Weston and its historic environment, and to empower residents and local businesses to take greater ownership in managing and enhancing it in the future.

Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners is not responsible for nor shall be liable for the consequences of any use made of this Report other than that for which it was prepared by Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners for the Client unless Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners provides prior written authorisation for such other use and confirms in writing that the Report is suitable for it. It is acknowledged by the parties that this Report has been produced solely in accordance with the Client's brief and instructions and without any knowledge of or reference to any other parties’ potential interests in or proposals for the Project.

Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners accepts no responsibility for comments made by members of the community which have been reflected in this report.

appendix - n-somerset.gov.uk wes… · station activity 1: identifying assets and issues identify...

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