Renaissance of Silver Hill moves a step closer following public consultation

Following extensive public consultation with local people and stakeholders, a planning application for the comprehensive renaissance of the Silver Hill area of Winchester has been submitted today (xx May) by Thornfield Properties, the developers chosen by Winchester City Council to redevelop this key city centre site.

The proposals have evolved since the public exhibitions held last summer and, where possible, local views and ideas have been incorporated into the revised scheme.

The main changes made include: architectural amendments of the facades; a reassessment of the design of the new buildings as they relate to the setting; the relocation of the farmers and weekly markets to Broadway and the new Silver Hill Square; improvements to the landscaping of the public realm; an increase in office space and the inclusion of live/work units for small businesses.

Michael Capocci, Managing Director of Thornfield Properties said: "By adopting a comprehensive and inclusive approach to the development of the whole area we have been able to create an exciting, attractive and vibrant development that will make the best use of the land available and generate value to be invested in community and council facilities. We have commissioned award winning architects Allies and Morrison to produce a design that we believe will stand the test of time and be a development of which the City can be proud.

"We have undertaken an extensive programme of consultation and have been working closely with the Council to ensure that, wherever possible, the views of the local community are incorporated into the proposals. We are determined to revitalise this site so it fits in well within the historic context of Winchester and will be an area that people will want to spend time in rather than just pass through," he said.

Thornfield´s proposals include new residential, retail and office space as well as a wealth of public benefits:

• 282 new residential units, including 99 affordable housing units
• Around 10,250m² of retail space
• Over 2,900m² of new office space and a further 875m² of live/work units
• A new bus station
• A modern and accessible medical centre
• A high quality and attractive landscaping scheme to Broadway and the High Street
• A quality pedestrianised public realm within the scheme, including the new Silver Hill public square.
• Opening stretches of watercourse and enhancement of their immediate environment
• A modern, 330 space public car park
• Shop mobility
• Sustainable, safe environment
• Public art and archaeological research
• A youth club and new RAOB club

As part of Thornfield´s ongoing commitment to public consultation, public exhibitions will be held as follows:

Date	Time
Thursday 8 June	12 - 8pm
Friday 9 June	10am - 5pm
Saturday 10 June	10am - 3pm

These will be held at The Undercroft, in Winchester Cathedral´s Inner Close, opposite the education centre. Information on the proposals will also be available to download from the website: www.silverhill-winchester.info

Comments on the proposals should be marked for the attention of Director of Development Services, Planning Department, Winchester City Council, Avalon House, Chesil Street, Winchester, SO23 0HU.

For further information on the Silver Hill renaissance please visit the project website at www.silverhill-winchester.info.

For further information please contact:¯01454 275630

Thornfield Welcomes Approval for Silver Hill Development in Winchester

Thornfield Properties has warmly welcomed Winchester City Council’s decision to grant planning permission for its applications for the Silver Hill development.

Thornfield’s Managing Director, Michael Capocci, said: “This is an important milestone towards the renaissance of this run-down part of Winchester city centre.

“We have spent the last four years consulting widely with the community in Winchester over our plans. The approved scheme has evolved significantly over that period, in response to public consultation, to a point where I believe we have a development of the very highest quality that will drive the renaissance of this area while enhancing the historic character of Winchester city centre.

“We will continue to work closely with the City Council and key stakeholders as we now move toward the detailed design stage.”

Graham Love, City Centre Manager, also welcomed the decision by the Council and said: "Winchester City Centre Partnership fully support plans to revitalise this run down part of the city centre and to inject new life into the area. The decision of the planning authority is a positive step for Winchester and we hope that a quality development can now be brought to fruition with all speed."

Councillor George Beckett, Leader of Winchester City Council said, "I am very pleased that progress is finally being made on this important project after the extensive public consultation had resulted in many amendments. I now look forward to working with Thornfield Properties in bringing this exciting and ambitious project to fruition for the benefit of residents and visitors alike."

Silver Hill changes unveiled – model of development goes on display

In response to public consultation, modified designs for Thornfield’s Silver Hill development in Winchester have been submitted to City Council planners. A model of the development will go on public display this week in the Tourist Information Centre in the Guildhall.

Key changes made as a result of public consultation held in the summer of last year include: reducing the massing; creating more variety of height in key street elevations; enlargement of two further areas in the new pedestrian zone; changing the materials used on some facades; additional tree planting and landscaping; and an increase in the amount of affordable housing to 40% of the total, to meet Winchester’s new housing policy.

The Leader of Winchester City Council, Councillor George Beckett, has welcomed the submission of revised plans: “I am very pleased with the thorough consultation that Thornfield Properties carried out. I hope that the amended plans go some way to satisfying a number of the comments made, and also show the importance of consultation to the overall scheme.”

Jim Sawyer, Chairman of the Winchester Committee of the North Hants Chamber of Commerce and Industry, comments: “Thornfield and its team have responded intelligently to public consultation. Townscape issues have been thoughtfully tackled without damaging some key economic drivers like good parking and quality improvements to the public spaces.

“It is critical that the scheme remains economically viable to enable it to deliver the benefits it will bring to Winchester”, he said.

City Centre Manager, Graham Love, said: “Winchester City Centre Partnership is pleased to see Thornfield’s response to the recent public consultation. Demand for retail units remains high with national brands and independents investing in Winchester; the Silver Hill redevelopment provides for much needed modern retail and commercial space in the heart of our city. The additional housing provision will increase numbers living within the city centre providing a boost to the local service economy.”

Changes to the Silver Hill scheme have also been supported by Sian Thomas, director of Winchester Hat Fair: “Silver Hill will be a great boost for Winchester’s economy and its vibrancy. We wholeheartedly support the way it incorporates public spaces and the creation of a market square in front of the Guildhall is a fantastic idea. Thornfield is an enlightened developer that has taken care to recognise the environment, Winchester’s people and the way the project integrates with the city.”

Thornfield’s project director for Silver Hill, Riccardo Mai, said: “We are delighted with the way our architects have dealt with some challenging modifications. I hope the public will come and look at the model on display in the Tourist Information Centre. It will help people understand better the huge benefits this scheme will bring to Winchester.

“Our plans will regenerate a run-down part of the city and provide new shops, cafes and restaurants, new homes, offices, modern parking facilities and public spaces. The public benefits are substantial: more than 100 affordable homes; a new bus station; pleasant public spaces; a new medical centre; a youth club; a new RAOB club; and a Shopmobility unit. A very significant investment in infrastructure and public areas means Silver Hill will transform this part of the city to a place the people of Winchester can really enjoy.

“We have listened carefully to public views and worked closely with English Heritage and the South East Regional Design Panel throughout a lengthy process of public consultation. We believe that these final changes to the scheme will further assure the public that our proposals will add to the vitality and character of Winchester”, he said.

The model of the Silver Hill development will be on display in the Tourist Information Centre at the Guildhall, Broadway, High Street, Winchester, SO23 9GH, from 2nd February to 26th February. The Tourist Information Centre is open between 10am and 5 pm Monday to Saturday. Members of Thornfield’s project team will be on hand to answer questions from the general public on Wednesday 7th February between 4 pm and 7.30 pm and on Thursday 8th February between 10.00am and 1pm.

Winchester City Council’s Planning Committee is expected to consider Thornfield’s revised plans in the spring of this year.

Further detailed information about the revised plans can be found on the project website, www.silverhill-winchester.info. The information is also available at Winchester City Council’s Planning Department, Avalon House, Chesil Street, Winchester SO23 0HU, 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Silver Hill Renaissance – Plans Unveiled

Detailed plans on the proposals for the Silver Hill Renaissance (also known as Broadway Friarsgate) will be unveiled for the public this week. Exhibitions are being held in the city and will be available online at www.silverhill-winchester.info from 23 June.

The proposals include around 35 new shops, cafes and restaurants, a new bus station, the relocation of the markets, a new medical centre, a post office, a larger Sainsbury’s supermarket, a new youth venue, office and studio space for small businesses and 280 new homes, of which 100 will be affordable.

Michael Capocci, managing director of the developer, Thornfield Properties said: “This is a work in progress and we look forward to discussing the proposals with local people. The exhibitions form part of an extensive programme of consultation and, after we have had an opportunity to review all the comments received, we’ll be amending the proposals where possible and hope to be in a position to submit a planning application by the end of the year.”

Paul Appleton, partner of Allies & Morrison, the award winning architects which put together the initial designs on display said: “This is an important and exciting project and we envisage creating a vibrant mix of uses incorporating shops, living space, offices and community facilities that will integrate with the existing heritage of Winchester and inject new life into the area.”

“The design of the public spaces between the buildings will be critical to Silver Hill’s contribution to the city centre. The existing public realm will be extended and enhanced using high quality materials throughout.”

Councillor Sheila Campbell, Leader of Winchester City Council said: “The consultation gives everyone who lives and works in Winchester an opportunity to see the proposals and give their views before detailed plans are finalised. We want to make sure the final development is something we can all be proud of.”

The public exhibitions are as follows:

Thursday, 23 June 2005	Friday, 24 June 2005	Saturday, 25 June 2005
Winchester Guildhall 2pm – 8pm	Winchester Guildhall 10am – 5pm	Middle Brook Street Car Park 10.30am – 4pm

For further information please contact: Ian Hogg, Corporate Communications Manager, Winchester City Council – 01962 848251 Charles St George, Director, PPS – 01454 275630

Your Say on Silver Hill Renaissance

An image documentary about ideas for the renaissance of Winchester's Silver Hill is in the process of being brought together by photographer Tom Wichelow, who has also spoken to over a hundred people and recorded their views.

Tom, who has a proven track record in town centre regeneration projects, started work on the project in May, has taken a mass of photographs and has been handing out a questionnaire to help determine some of the key issues for the Silver Hill renaissance.

From the completed questionnaires returned so far, there is an overwhelming view that this site is in need of cleaning up and injecting new life into the area. Comments received on the current state of the area include: “terrible, ugly and very dated”; “messy, needs redevelopment”; “very dated and unsightly buildings”; “it feels very ‘run down’, the ‘back end’ of the high street”; “not much here, not inviting to public”; “a bit scruffy”; and, “dull”.

When asked about their aspirations for the area, there was a general consensus that it needed to be a lively area which would be attractive to all age groups: “more stylish buildings”; “clean, spaces”; “fresher, cleaner, brighter but not at the expense of its character”; “wider area for shopping”; with, “something for everybody”.

There was a mixed reaction as to the style of architecture that should be incorporated in this scheme ranging from: “brick and flint”; to “stone as well as glass”; from “modern, stylish, 21st century”; to “traditional architecture”. However, everyone felt it was important that this development fits in to the historic context of Winchester.

The images he has taken and some of the key themes from his research will be on display at the public exhibitions on the proposals for the area.

Thursday, 23 June 2005	Friday, 24 June 2005	Saturday, 25 June 2005
Winchester Guildhall 2pm – 8pm	Winchester Guildhall 10am – 5pm	Middle Brook Street Car Park 10.30am – 4pm

They can also be viewed on the project website – www.silverhill-winchester.info - from 23 June.

Public consultation on the redevelopment of Silver Hill

Public consultation on the proposals for the re-development of the Silver Hill area of Winchester, also known as Broadway-Friarsgate, will start next month with a 3-day exhibition and will include newsletters, workshops, meetings with both local people and local interest groups, all of which will be complemented by a project website.

Younger people and other groups within the community, who often do not get involved in the planning process, are also being targeted in an extensive exercise to gather people's views before a planning application for the area is submitted towards the end of the year.

These include holding a dedicated focus group for younger people, encouraging local schools and colleges to undertake projects on the Silver Hill redevelopment and appointing an artist to undertake a ‘community snapshot’ to see the site though the eyes of existing and potential users.

Consultation will begin formally with a series of public exhibitions on the detailed design for Silver Hill as follows:

Thursday, 23 June 2005	Friday, 24 June 2005	Saturday, 25 June 2005
Winchester Guildhall 2pm – 8pm	Winchester Guildhall 10am – 5pm	Middle Brook Street Car Park 10.30am – 4pm

Initial designs for the proposed buildings on the site including elevations, views, plans and models of the development will be available at the exhibition.

Michael Capocci, managing director of Thornfield Properties said: “There is a general consensus that this site is currently a blemish on this important historic city. We very much hope that a wide cross section of people will come along to the public exhibition to see the further evolution of the draft proposals and discuss their thoughts and ideas for the redevelopment of the area with members of the project team. By the end of the consultation process we hope to have finalised plans to create a vibrant new development that will revitalise and enhance this important part of the city.”

The project website, which is due to go live in the next couple of weeks, will have additional information on the public consultation (including a virtual exhibition from 23 June 2005) and will be updated on a regular basis to feedback the results of the consultation and how local views and ideas have influenced the design of the area – www.silverhill-winchester.info

The development site includes the bus station, Wool Staplers warehouse, the medical buildings on Friarsgate and Tanner Street, Kings Walk, The Post Office, Friarsgate multi storey car park and properties fronting Silver Hill, including the Sainsburys supermarket.

Extensive public consultation was undertaken about the future of the Silver Hill area by the City Council during the process of preparing a planning brief for the site and Thornfield has consulted widely since its appointment as the Council’s development partner.

Although the principle of redevelopment and the mix of uses on the site has been largely fixed through the Council’s adopted planning brief and the development agreement with Thornfield, detailed designs for the scheme will still be subject to extensive consultation through the planning process.

Councillor Sheila Campbell, leader of Winchester City Council said: “Both Thornfield and the Council are committed to ensuring that the local community has a real opportunity to influence the detailed designs for this development. We very much hope that everyone will take an active involvement so that this becomes an area of the City that we can all be proud of.”

A planning application is likely to be submitted during the autumn once the extensive public consultation has been concluded.

Subject to planning permission being granted, work could start on site early in 2007.

For further information please contact:

Ian Hogg, Corporate Communications Manager,
Winchester City Council – 01962 848251
Michael Capocci, Managing Director,
Thornfield – 0207 287 6620
Charles St George,
Director, PPS – 01454 275630