Six key themes
Biodiversity
The Station area has features typical of Winchester’s urban landscape, with lines of mature trees. It is proposed to add new trees enhancing the views and character of the city streetscape, alongside improving access to green space where possible, whilst nurturing and enhancing biodiversity.
Biodiversity strategy
The concept masterplan proposes that biodiversity is increased (by at least 10%) with additional planting and green space overall. Should there be any loss of plants or trees, as part of development work, this has to be measured so it can be rebalanced and increased elsewhere on the site.
The proposal aims to create new paths and parks wherever feasible, making natural features more accessible for people to enjoy. The goal is to enhance mental well-being and physical health through interaction with nature. This includes incorporating natural elements into play areas and cultivating green spaces to improve air quality and biodiversity.
Areas of un-developable land will be managed to enhance biodiversity, and retain and improve existing green corridors for urban wildlife habitat.
Each site also proposes new green spaces, new trees and planters within the outside public space. New buildings should also feature green roofs where feasible. All these elements would be designed and planted to ensure increased biodiversity is introduced to the wider sites when assessed overall as part of the masterplan development.
The concept masterplan proposes to incorporate green roofs into new buildings and landscapes, along with crucial infrastructure like Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS). These aim to reduce rainwater runoff and would likely improve the environmental impact of the sites, compared to the existing carparks.
Linking together green infrastructure
Key
- Greening of current hard landscape arrival spaces
- ‘Green corridors’ of trees to link and improve wildlife habitat
- Potential pedestrian / cycle routes
- Opportunity to enhance or create new green public space
Key: Enhancing green spaces
A
Landscaping to open up and improve existing diagonal route across Carfax site creating a series of new public spaces for people to sit, spend time, meet and play, supported with new trees & biodiverse features.
B
Retain existing trees where feasible, improve public realm surrounding them to provide pleasant introduction to the city development set in natural setting.
C
Design public realm outside station to offer opportunities for seating, enhanced planting and informal play, through landscape levels design and furniture.
D
Remove car parking beneath trees on Station Hill, utilising space for public realm and pop-up food& beverage / market uses.
E
Introduce SUDS and permeable surface treatments to hard landscaped areas.
F
Retain existing linear collections of mature trees, maintaining and enhancing where possible these wildlife corridors within the city.
G
Enhancing lower level planting to help increase biodiversity in areas around open spaces and next to buildings and street edges, to achieve an overall net gain in biodiversity.
H
Remove car parking spaces along tree-lined edge of Station West car park to provide enhanced walking routes and station approach.
I
Reorganise under-utilised space at end of Station West car park at Stockbridge Road roundabouts, providing a new pocket park with improved biodiversity & planting.
J
New Routes, green space and removing vehicles enhances existing pedestrian desire line crossing Cattlemarket to formalise route. Combined with new green amenity space for dwelling and play.
K
Opportunity to provide green roofs on new buildings to help enhance biodiversity net gain.
View into new Carfax court
Proposal:
New building footprints at Carfax site will be set away from the HCC Record Office – leaving space for a new pocket park at the centre of this site. Space for mature trees and planting amongst a stepped hard landscape could be further enhanced by a water feature or fountain which would create a space for people to sit, meet, relax and play.
View into Andover Road pocket park
Proposal:
Leaving space for a large gap between the new buildings along Andover Road provides for a new ‘pocket park’ opposite existing Tesco. This can contain raised lawns, space for new large trees to mature, shrubs and planting to provide screening and pleasant places to sit away from Andover Road.
