Warwick Quadrant, London Road, REDHILL DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT February 2011

Transcription

1 Warwick Quadrant, London Road, REDHILL DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT February 2011

2 CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction Scope & Purpose 2.0 Site Context Local Context Local History The Site Consultations Evaluation 3.0 The Proposed Use Development Amount Layout (Including Design Progression) Scale Landscaping Appearance Sustainability 4.0 Access 5.0 Community Statements 6.0 Summary Supporting the Council s Vision Summary

3 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Scope and Purpose This design and access statement has been prepared by CHQ Partnership Ltd on behalf of Sainsbury s Supermarkets Ltd. and AVIVA Investors ( the Applicants ), in relation to the planning application ( the Application ) for a mixed-use development in Redhill. The application site ( the Site ) is located on London Road in the heart of Redhill town centre. The Site comprises the existing Sainsbury s supermarket site, the adjacent office block on the prominent corner of London Road and Princess Way and the external facades of the Warwick Quadrant building. The Application ( the Proposed Development ) is for a scheme comprising: An extended food store providing a 15,093 sq m / 162,461 sq ft gross external area (includes ground and mezzanine floor areas). New signalised junction on Princess Way providing all movement access for the car park entrance. New vehicular customer access and ramp network. Two levels of customer parking above the store level providing 562 car parking spaces. Refurbishment of existing basement car park which is to be transferred to town centre use, providing 340 car parking spaces, included parking for the hotel and gym. Provision of 25 spaces at first floor car park level to serve the library and theatre linked to the Food store car park via a ramped access. New 98 bed hotel, 3,246 sq m, gross external area over two floors with ancillary facilities. Gym facility of 1,604 sq m over two floors External refurbishment of Warwick Quadrant building containing the Redhill Library and Harlequin Theatre, including removal of existing canopy and stair access and replacement with a new external stair and canopy. Redevelopment of the public Realm space in front of the Warwick Quadrant building. This statement has been produced in accordance with Planning Circular 01/2006 and written following guidelines set out within CABE s Design and Access Statements document How to read, write, and use them (2006). An overview of how the Design and Access statement has been structured is outlined below. Section 2.0 of the document looks at the site in its context with particular reference to the urban development of the town and how this has evolved and shaped its character from the town s varied history. The report then leads on to the nature of the Site itself and describes the physical and dimensional qualities inherent in the Site and the nature and character of the buildings and landscape that form its boundaries. An overview of the consultations that have been carried out during the pre-application process is included. The resultant analysis of the Site assessment and consultation leads onto an evaluation of the Site constraints and opportunities, which have provided the lead for the design approach. Fig. 1: Aerial and location plans

4 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Scope and Purpose (continued) Section 3.0 looks in detail at the Proposed Development, how it has evolved through the design process, an analysis of the proposed use of the Site, the amount of development in terms of built form, and the scale of the building. The layout of the Site and how this has responded to the Site receptors is outlined along with an overview of the proposed landscaping scheme. The visual appearance, design approach and use of materials are also covered in some detail within this section. An outline of sustainability measures adopted by The Applicants and how they have been integrated into the scheme is included. Section 4.0 considers the two aspects of Access - vehicular and transport links, and inclusive access. It also goes into detail on crime prevention measures, which will ensure the Site can be used safely. Section 5.0 looks at the Applicants approach to community involvement outlining a few of the many schemes that Sainsbury s is involved in at both local and national level. This section aims to demonstrate how, once the Proposed Development is complete, Sainsbury s will continue to be an integral part of the community with an active role on a day- to-day basis. Section 6.0 gives a brief summary of the Proposed Development as covered within the Design and Access Statement. Fig. 2: Aerial photograph with site boundary

5 2. 0 S I T E C O N T E X T 2. 1 L o c a l C o n t e x t Redhill is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead, Surrey, and is part of the London commuter belt. Redhill and the adjacent town of Reigate form a single urban area. The site of the proposed Sainsbury s extension and mixed-use development is located centrally in Redhill and is close to both the bus terminal and train station. To the north of the site is Redhill Memorial Park, which is bounded by existing mature trees. To the west and south of the site is Redhill town centre, which has a mix of national and independent retail units, banks, public houses and restaurants. The Warwick Quadrant building to the immediate south of the site houses the Redhill Library and Harlequin Theatre at first floor level. To the east of the site is the Princess Way which bypasses the town centre, adjacent to the road is the railway car park and track. The architectural style of this area of Redhill is varied. To the south of the town centre is a new office development with a curved fully glazed feature corner which provides a gateway to the town from the South. The High Street shows a mix of styles including 1960 s buildings, the ornate Belfry Shopping Centre and a victorian public house. Much of the northern section of Redhill town centre was redeveloped in the 1980's and extensively used red brickwork which created a distinctive style. The existing Sainsbury s and Warwick Quadrant building to the south of the store were built in 1985 and follow this style with red brickwork, red metal work and fenestration. This building has a large canopy structure which extends across London Road and provides a grand entrance stair to the Library and Theatre at first floor level. This canopy is formed of red metal glazed arches and is very typical of its era. The red arched canopy theme extends across the frontage of the existing Sainsbury s store. All the canopies are looking tired and out dated. The 6 storey office building, Lombard House, to the north of the site is slightly later and is also red brick. Quadrant house to the south east of the site was added in the late 1980's. again in red brickwork. In 2004 the southern portion of London Road was improved with a scheme of public realm hard landscaping which included a central row of trees located within timber and stainless steel bench seating planters, and a paving scheme highlighting Maple Square which is formed at the junction of London Road and Station Road. The High Street, formed by London Road, and Station Road is home to a busy weekly market. Fig. 3: Context Aerial

6 2. 2 Local History At the beginning of the nineteenth century most of the land where Redhill now stands was a waterlogged wasteland, a few miles to the east of the London to Brighton Road. The town owes its existence to the construction of a road linking Gatton Point to the London - Brighton Road at Povey Cross in 1818, and later the arrival of the railway. Two stations were introduced to the area in the early 1840s, one on the London to Brighton Route and a second on the Dover line. The inconvenience of two separate stations resulted in them being merged on the present site in The area around Warwick Road, North Street and Station Road West was developed and became known as Warwick Town. The name derives from Countess Brooke of Warwick, a member of a local landowning family; Redhill was known as Warwick Town for a brief period in the 19th century. This new area of potential prosperity and opportunity, with its proximity to London and convenient rail link, attracted residents and businessmen from near and far. The name Red Hill then existed only in Red Hill Common. Around this time a subpost office was set up at the top of Whitepost Hill. As it was also on the common, letters were franked 'Red Hill'. In 1856 the Whitepost Hill post office moved to Station Road. It took with it its 'Red Hill' stamp and, as incoming and outgoing mail was franked accordingly, may have been the cause of the 'Warwick Town' name falling into disuse. A public meeting in 1859 began a movement for Reigate and Redhill to become a Municipal Borough. Parish affairs at this time were regulated by the Parish vestry, held in the infants schoolrooms near to where St Matthew's Church now stands, and it was here that the Corporation had its birth through the efforts of men such as Thomas Dann, who was to be the Borough's first mayor. Four years later, in 1863, a Charter of Incorporation was granted by Queen Victoria. This was the beginning of the Borough Council we have today. Victorian Redhill thrived, with new churches and the Market Hall built in the 1860s and a fortnightly stock market established. Redhill might have progressed far more rapidly but for WW2. Instead it stood almost still for well over a decade before the greatest change in its history began in the 1950s. Much of Old Redhill disappeared as renewal that lasted well into the eighties modernised the town, putting the traffic mainly on its outside and creating a pedestrianised precinct and shopping mall at its centre. Fig. 4: Town Centre Photographs

7 2.3 The Site The Site comprises the existing Sainsbury s supermarket, a 6 storey office block (Lombard House) and the external façade of the Warwick Quadrant building including the entrance canopy and public realm space of London Road. The existing Sainsbury's store has a 2,489 m² Gross sales area with sales and back-up areas located at ground level. Customer car parking along with shared town center parking is located within a basement car park consisting of 365 parking spaces. Additional car parking is located at roof top level providing 250 car parking spaces. The roof top parking is currently shared between the tenants of the office building Lombard House and the library/harlequin theatre staff. This is used by all of these during the day, but is available for use by the public in the evenings (after 6pm) and weekends. The bulk of the existing roof top car park sits directly over the store although part of this sits over part of the London Road shopping mall which connects up with the Harlequin theatre and library, both located at roof top car park level. Both the basement and roof level car park are accessed from Princess Way via an access/egress junction available to northbound vehicles only. The access point leads to a circular ramp, which spirals up to the roof level car park. The service yard is accessed from Princess Way and is shared by the other retail units in the Warwick Quadrant. The Sainsbury s food store entrance is located on London Road at the southern end of the store adjacent to the pedestrianised portion of London Road. Access from the basement car park is via two travelators positioned adjacent to the high street entrance. The office block (Lombard House) to the north of the site is a 6-storey brick building, which faces north onto Princess Way. The Offices have a pedestrian main entrance on Princess Way and a service access from the London Road to the west. There is limited visitor parking adjacent to the entrance. Owing to its age and design, the existing building fails to generate a positive impression on visitors and is in need of significant investment to bring it up-to-date with modern office building requirements. To the north of the Site is the roundabout at the junction of the A23 London to Horley Road (north/south) and the A25 Reigate to Nuffield Road (east/west). Memorial park faces Princess Way and is bounded by mature trees and Iron railings. The residential street of Ladbroke Road forms its eastern boundary. The dual carriageway of Princess Way curves round to the east of the site. The character of Princess Way is that of a functional service route for the town center. The railway station and associated surface car park is located to the east of Princess Way. To the west is the office building and Sainsbury s car park access as previously described along with Quadrant House, a 5 storey office block which faces south, and the town center bus station. A second 5 arm roundabout junction fronts the station building and provides access for the bus station and service yard. Princess Way has quite an open character with the surface car park and single storey station building.. Fig. 5: Existing site plan

8 2. 3 The Site (continued) There is limited landscaping to Princess Way small pockets of low hedges and shrub planting with some specimen trees are located around the base of the Sainsbury s access ramps. The western boundary of the site fronts London Road which forms the northern end of the main retail area of Redhill. As London Road extends south beyond the food store entrance the route is closed to traffic. A fairly recent hard landscaping scheme with tree planting and seating along with the creation of a public square at the cross roads of Station Road and London Road have done much to bring the retail area together. A number of 3 and four storey office buildings bound the western side of London Road opposite the store. Some of these buildings have retail elements at the ground level. Further north beyond the site the scale of the buildings continue with mainly office use. The Warwick Quadrant was built on the site of the market hall demolished in The library and theatre are constructed using red brick and are 3 stories in height. The entrance to the theatre and library is accessed from the pedestrianised high street via stairs which are covered by a 3 storey high glass canopy and steel structure. The library and theatre create an arcade at ground floor which contains retail units. The Sainsbury s store and Office building are built of the same red brick. To the southern end of Redhill town centre is a new office development with some retail and commercial use at ground level. These buildings have been constructed with predominately glass elevations and some terracotta cladding and rise to 7 storeys in height. The Site is approximately 121 m wide from east to west and extends 123 m from north to south to the boundary of the food store. The full frontage of London Road including the works to the Warwick Quadrant extend 215m north to south. There is a gentle slope down across the site from south west to north east of 1.72 m. A contextual diagram is shown in Figure 7 highlighting the sites location in the context of its surroundings and key views and pedestrian routes. A photographic record of the Site along its key frontages follows over Figures Fig. 6: Existing Building Heights

9 2. 3 The Site (continued) Fig. 7: Site Analysis Plan

10 2. 3 The Site (continued) Fig. 8: Existing London Road Photos

11 2. 3 The Site (continued) Fig. 9: Existing Station Road Photos

12 2. 3 The Site (continued) Fig.10: Existing Princess Way Photos

13 2. 3 The Site (continued) Fig.11: Existing Princess Way Photos continued

14 2. 4 Consultations and Evaluation 2.4 Consultation The scheme was launched at a public exhibition held in the Redhill Library and Harlequin Theatre Foyer on 27 th and 29 th of January The results of the exhibitions and surveys are included in the SCI which accompanies the Application. A dedicated project website has been launched to enable residents to view the plans and make comments. Feedback from these consultations, have been used to evolve the plans for the application and will continue throughout the planning process. Regular meetings with Reigate and Banstead Council have been ongoing since October 2010 when early sketch proposals were first reviewed by the Planning Department. These meetings have informed the design approach and the ethos through all the developmental stages ensuring that the resultant scheme takes on board all concerns and requirements. 2.5 Evaluation Following the Site context assessment an evaluation of the opportunities and constraints arising from the consultation process has taken place and is summarised below. This list has developed into a set of key design principles for the Proposed Development: Physical site constraints: Vehicular access for customer vehicles and food store service vehicles to remain from Princess Way. Main retail frontage and store access to London Road with a relationship to the town centre. Retaining existing pedestrian travelator access from basement car park Retaining a 24 hour pedestrian access to basement town centre car park from London Road Retention of main substation on London Road Site Opportunities Opportunity for a prominent landmark building on the entrance to Redhill town centre. Opportunity for additional activity on the streetscape along London Road and Princess Way corner. Provision of a new hotel facility centrally located close to all the major services. Improvements to town centre parking. Improvements to the roof level car park access including a signalised junction on Princess Way, allowing access and egress in both directions. Visually improving the access to the existing Library and Theatre building. External refurbishment of the Warwick Quadrant building. Redevelopment of the public realm space in front of the Warwick Quadrant building.

15 3.0 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 3.1 Use The Site currently comprises a food store (Sainsbury s) with ancillary services, customer and town centre car parking and a 5/6 storey office building (Lombard House). As previously identified, the proposed use for the Site is to extend the existing food store with associated ancillary support areas. To provide and increase the customer car parking provision above the store and to refurbish the existing basement level car park as a town centre car park, with provision for hotel and gym parking. In addition to the food store and to provide a truly mixeduse development, a 98 bed hotel and a gym is to be located above the store and car park. The site falls within the primary shopping and town centre boundaries. The enlarged Sainsbury s food store will increase choice for shoppers. The development will address the serious need for additional retail floor space in Redhill to claw back the significant amount of locally generated expenditure that is currently spent in other towns within and outside the Borough. The 2007 Council Retail Study, updated in 2009, identified that only 41% of the locally generated convenience expenditure is spent within the existing provision in Redhill town centre. This low retention rate is caused by a high proportion of local residents shopping at larger stores outside Redhill. The retention of this leaked expenditure within Redhill will have significant positive impact on other retailers in Redhill town centre through increased linked shopping trips undertaken by Sainsbury s customers using other retail facilities in the town. Sainsbury s estimate that there will be 10,000 more transactions per week in the new extended store. The overall result will be to increase footfall within the town centre. The hotel would be operated by a national company and address the Council s identified deficiency of this use in the area. The Site s location in the town centre and in close proximity to the train station and bus station will provide easy links to Gatwick Airport and London, making Redhill an attractive destination for business and leisure use. The provision of a gym further adds to the mixed use element of the development and will provide a beneficial facility to the local residents of Redhill. The new store would create approximately 350 new full and part time jobs, bringing the total colleagues at the store to 500. With an average of 90% of Sainsbury s colleagues living within a mile and half of the store in which they work, the new jobs really are opportunities for local people. In addition to the 350 new jobs within the food store, a number of jobs would be created in the hotel and gym and during the construction phase of the project. Fig.12: Colour floor layout

16 3.0 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 3. 2 Amount On the 1.14 ha (2.82 acres) site the existing food store has a gross internal retail area of 2,489 sq m, (26,791 sq ft) and a gross external area of 5,235 sq m, (56,350 sq ft). Sainsbury s has identified the need for a food store of 7,284 sq m (78,405 sq ft) net internal retail floor space over two floors. The food store would have a gross external area of 15,093 sq m (162,461 sq ft). This size of store will be capable of offering the full range of convenience and comparison goods to the residents of Redhill. The mezzanine level of the store will provide 1,216 sq m (13,089 sq ft) of retail floor space which will be accessed via a travelator within the sales area. This level will accommodate some of the non food ranges of goods. A 200 seat customer restaurant of 481 sqm (5,177 sq ft) will also be provided at this level, with additional lift and stair access. The food store is linked to the car park levels above by a vertical circulation lobby which accommodates travelators, customer lifts, trolley retrieval lifts and stairs. The car park will provide 562 car parking spaces for customers over two levels. This is made up of 252 car spaces at first floor level, including 35 disabled spaces and 22 parent and child spaces. At second floor level 310 standard car parking spaces are provided. The existing basement car park is to be dedicated for town centre, gym and hotel parking. It will provide 340 spaces, including 13 disabled spaces and 14 parent and child spaces. A further 25 spaces including 6 disabled spaces are located on the existing roof behind the library and theatre. These spaces are connected via a 1 in 12 ramp to the food store first floor car park level. The proposed 365 spaces represent a significant increase from the current town centre arrangement where the 250 spaces at roof level provided on the site are shared spaces with the offices. The full 250 parking spaces are only available at evenings and weekends when the offices have no requirement for them. Cycle hoops have been located at ground level in 5 locations to maximise convenience for a cyclist using the food store, gym, library and theatre. The existing covered cycle rack located within the pedestrianised section of London Road is to be replaced by an area of covered cycle parking located adjacent to the existing travelator which provides access to the basement car park. This is a central location for all facilities and provides 20 cycle parking spaces. A further 20 cycle spaces are located within the pedestrianised area of London Road. 20 cycle spaces are located adjacent to the hotel and gym entrance on the corner of London Road and Princess Way. 40 cycle spaces have been located in front of the Sainsbury s store on London Road, under the elevated canopy. The total provision for cycles on the site is 100 spaces. Fig.13: Store plans and Hotel plans

17 3.0 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 3. 3 Layout Design Progression Sainsbury s has had aspirations to extend their Redhill store for some time. In February 2004 planning permission was obtained for a small two storey rear extension within the existing site. This provided additional back-up area in conjunction with a small internal mezzanine for colleague facilities and allowed for the internal expansion of gross sales area within the existing building from 2,489 sq m (26,792 sq ft) to 3,580 sq m (38,534 sq ft). This proposal did not fulfil Sainsbury s full requirements so an alternative solution was sought. In the last couple of years extensive discussions between Sainsbury s and Aviva Investors, who hold the long term lease from Reigate and Banstead Borough Council on both the Sainsbury s store and Lombard House, have been ongoing to agree a viable deal for redevelopment. In September 2014 the lease on Lombard House will come to an end, this therefore provides an opportunity for both landlord and tenant to review their position. In addition, Sainsbury s has embarked on a renewed drive for additional sales floor space which has made the redevelopment a key priority for the company. The heads of terms for the deal was formally signed in October 2010, which means Sainsbury s and Aviva Investors are now joint partners for the redevelopment. Mezzanine Floor The opportunity to extend northwards into the office site has opened up the possibility for a more significant extension proposal in line with Sainsbury s full aspirations. A list of key design principles has been established as the basis for the scheme. Work within the Council s Vision for Redhill Town Centre. Maximise the potential retail area on the site Locate main sales area at ground level for easy pedestrian access and activity Locate main circulation atrium on London Road Store entrance to be located as close to Redhill s main retail heart as possible, ie southern end of the site. Provide height and prominence to the built form on London Road/Princess Way corner. Provide activity to prominent corner with the hotel entrance at ground level. Provide an active frontage to Princess Way with vision into the store. Improve customer vehicle access, accommodating two-way access/egress onto Princess Way via a signalised junction. Improve car parking numbers by providing two levels of roof top car parking with a user friendly ramp system. Retain and refurbish existing basement car park and put over to town centre use with a dedicated 24 hour pedestrian access from London Road. Retain existing unloading/service point for the food store. Re-site existing Substation which serves the immediate vicinity, currently located on London Road. Remove the existing entrance canopy and stairs and provide new pedestrian access to the Library and Harlequin Theatre. Refurbish the external facade of the Warwick Quadrant building. Re-develop the public realm space along London Road in front of the Warwick Quadrant building in line with the existing scheme created in 2004 to the south of the Site. Fig.14: Planning approved extension scheme Ground Floor