Shape My Town Pilot study Abergavenny
Contents
Introduction
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Workshop 1: Gathering evidence
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Workshop 2: SWOT analysis and project ideas
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Landscape theme
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Townscape theme
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Streetscape theme
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Project ideas
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Next steps
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Introduction What is Shape My Town?
The workshop
The Design Commission for Wales, Coombs Jones and the Welsh School of Architecture developed Shape My Town for anyone wishing to investigate their town, village, neighbourhood or place before investing in improving it. It is a ‘how to’ guide giving local people the tools to explore their place, identify what makes it unique and help to plan for its future by:
This report outlines the process and outcomes of the community-led event held in Abergavenny on 9th April 2016.
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Encouraging people to get together with others in the community and set up a town team Using the step-by-step guide to exploring their town Demonstrating how to make a ‘Plan for your Place’ in order to make their voices heard Inspiring communities to make a real difference to the places which are important to them with example case studies Providing ‘Townloads’ which are packed with useful information and resources to support the process
Call for pilot projects Following early research leading to the first stage of project development we sent out a call for collaborators for a second phase to help disseminate the project and spread the word about the Shape My Town resources and how to use them. The selected pilot studies would benefit from specialist support and guidance from the creators of Shape My Town throughout the process through a mentored community-led workshop. The pilot study projects would also feature in special case studies and documentation on our website. Learning about and using Shape My Town aimed to help pilot communities: • • • •
Think about positive change for their place Provide a focus and structure for community input Help plan for their place and engage with decision makers Learn from and share case studies
Two pilot studies were chosen from the expressions of interest received: Abergavenny, put forward by Team Abergavenny and Ynysybwl, put forward by Ynysybwl Regeneration Partnership.
The pilot studies aimed to guide participants through the shape my town process, with a particular emphasis on the toolkit itself. The aim was to break the participants into small groups to each tackle one theme: Landscape, Townscape and Streetscape. Shape My Town aims ot provide a methodical process of analysis to provide objective evidence to support ideas and can help unify opinions. The workshop has been designed to start this process.
The structure of the workshop 10:00 Participants meet at venue 10:15 Introduction to Shape My Town 10:30 Workshop 1 : Gathering evidence Landscape, Townscape, Streetscape 12:45 Lunch break 13:30 Workshop 2 : SWOT analysis SWOT analysis, identification of projects 15:00 Reporting back –steps to a vision 15:45 Summary and key points 16:00 Close
Participants David Haswell Patrick Hannay Philip Bowyer Duncan Rogers N Patterson Alan Michie Dick Cole Sheila Woodhouse Christopher Woodhouse RB Cunningham Gwyn Matthews Alex Buhaenko
Jenny Barnes Peter Brown Nick Tatam Tim Carter Clive Bransom Chris Edmondson RV Parker Jack Thurston David Spencer Trevor Scott Peter Johns
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Image 1: The Shape My Town workshop in progress
Workshop 1 : Gathering evidence The aim of the first session was to gather evidence about the town as it is now. By developing a good understanding of the current context, a vision, next steps and framework of projects can be founded on a solid evidence base. Participants in the session were split into groups to work through the three themes of the toolkit: Theme 1 : Landscape: The town is intimately connected to the landscape surrounding it. Settlements provide industry, services, employment and markets for their hinterland, and rely on those living beyond the boundary for trade, materials and produce. Economics, politics and culture can be read in the hedges, walls, fields, farms and towns that make up a region. Theme 2 : Townscape: This theme explored the history, heritage and built environment of the town- the buildings and spaces and how the place has grown and developed. Theme 3 : Streetscape This theme explored the outdoor spaces in the town. Public space is all around us and we use it every day: the streets we use to get to work or to shops, the parks where we walk the dog, the playgrounds where children play, the corners where you bump into friends, recreation spaces such as allotments and sports pitches, and the squares used for festivities and markets.
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Image 2: The Shape My Town workshop in progress
Workshop 2 : SWOT analysis and project ideas The aim of the second session was to try to make sense of the evidence collected on the first part of the day and to generate ideas for Abergavenny. In this session the groups came together to combine their knowledge and to analyse the town as a whole.
Part 1: SWOT analysis A simple way of bringing together and making sense of the information collected is to do a SWOT analysis. Participants were asked to evaluate the place under four headings: Strengths: the characteristics of your town that are successful and set it apart from others Weaknesses: things that are not successful or put your town at a disadvantage Opportunities: areas where there is chance for change or external factors that offer a chance to make improvements Threats: Conditions that are harmful to the success or character of your town or that could damage its chances to improve The group was asked to consider these questions under their theme: How can we build on our strengths? How can we improve our weak areas? How can we take advantage of opportunities? How can we address each threat?
Part 2: Project ideas Participants were asked to identify a small number of projects that would have a big impact on the place if they were carried out. The group was asked to consider both small scale projects that could be done with limited funding or by local people and larger transformational projects.
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Image 3: Analysis of landscape drawn by participants
Landscape theme A town is intimately connected to the landscape surrounding it. Settlements provide industry, services, employment and markets for their hinterland, and rely on those living beyond the boundary for trade, materials and produce. Economics, politics and culture can be read in the hedges, walls, fields, farms and settlements that make up a region.
Strengths
Opportunities
- Abergavenny has a beautiful landscape setting; the Black Mountains, the river and canal are strengths of the town and its setting. The town has a historic landscape setting with a long history of inhabitation.
- Castle meadows- there is an opportunity for the town to engage with this green space and the river more than it does at present.
- The town has modern transport links and, compared to other towns, is well connected.
- Opportunities for extended footpath and cycle networks around the town and beyond, including a bridge link to Llanfoist, linking green spaces safely and with full consideration of the needs of disabled users.
- Incremental development has led to gradual expansion of the town, rather than large new estates being added.
Threats
- The landscape in and around the town has a variety of uses and habitats. The accessibility of natural habitats from the town is a particular strength, and has potential to be exploited for visitors and tourists in particular. However, many green spaces in the town are not easily accessible, well signed, or well known by the general population.
- Population growth and consequent pressure of the physical growth of the town, alongside a lack of secure and well paid employment, particularly for the young. What is the age profile of the town and how might this change?
- ‘Border country’: there was much discussion as to the benefit of being a border town; this in-between position was seen as a strength and a distinctive feature the town could exploit in its marketing or branding.
- McDonalds on Heads of the Valleys road was identified as a threat visually and culturally.
- Views into and out of the town- do these need to be protected?
Weaknesses
- Mast on Little Skyrrid.
- Further ribbon development if poorly planned and designed. - Potential threat of the resurrection of the eastern bypass project.
- There has been a recent history of planning decisions that have not been seen as positive by the community. - The impact of poorly designed or executed infrastructure on the landscape is seen as a concern, for example pylons and the impact of the Heads of the Valleys road. - The town lacks trees in its streets and feels very urban. - The town is increasingly a commuter and retirement town, leading to loss of organic growth (identified above as a strength). - Light pollution was identified as a problem. - Litter remains a problem for the town. 9
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Image 4: Analysis of townscape drawn by participants
Townscape theme Having found out about landscape, it’s time to explore the history, heritage and built environment of the town: its buildings and spaces and how the place has grown and developed. Strengths - Abergavenny has modern transport links and compared to other towns is well connected, including road and rail links. - The town has a clear and well documented past, but a more uncertain, complex present. The town has fine buildings that are well preserved, including a unique town hall. - The town has potential for outdoor town life, particularly as the microclimate is often better than in the surrounding valleys.
end. These are key gateways and an important part of visitor experience.
Opportunities - Self build housing and low cost units needed to enable the young to stay in the town. - The near compete Heads of the Valleys road presents an opportunity to attract people from the Valleys to the town. - Improve the leisure and outdoor facilities.
- The town centre is clearly identifiable and well populated by shops and cafes. There is a question about the different centres, e.g.: Bailey Park and whether the centre of the town will be shifted by new development on the former cattle market site.
- There are lots of potential social places- but these are not connected and are incoherent, e.g.: Frogmore, library, and not thought about comprehensively. Connections such as avenues of trees (Tudor Street) and a pedestrian bridge across the Usk offer opportunities to link these and increase low carbon transport like cycling and walking.
- The hospital is a strength as it is a major employer and populates the town with higher earners. Its current scale of operations is not secure.
- An integrated transport hub around Abergavenny station to include buses, car parking, bike hire and good cycling routes from station to town and Llanfoist.
- There are a wide range of local retailers and suppliers operating from relatively small units; these are mixed with chains but there is a lack of affordable small industrial units in the town itself.
- As the largest covered space outside Cardiff, the Market Hall has huge potential as an event space.
Weaknesses - Attracting resources and funding to the town has been a problem in recent years, with other competing towns securing more funding and support. - A perceived low level of strategic planning is a concern, in particular unplanned dormitory settlement resulting from the assumption that the town is a dormitory for employment in Bristol, Cardiff, Cwmbran, Swansea and Newport. - A perceived shortage of appropriate retailers: what sort of retail does the town want to attract? What size units do they need? How many customers are needed to make them a success? - Lack of a site for a cultural or academic building. - Lack of a wider forum for debate that includes hard to reach groups. - The town is ‘long and thin’, with weaknesses at either
- Opportunity to improve and coordinate marketing and event information, as well as developing nature or historic information or apps to tell the story of the town.
Threats - The empty Cattle Market site and a lack of ongoing ongoing development debate is considered a major threat. - Downgrading of the hospital would lead to a loss of higher wage earners. - Not addressing the need for low cost and affordable homes would be a major issue. Rising house prices could exclude the young from the property market. - The threat of adjacent settlements (Hereford, Merthyr, Cwmbran and Bristol). - A perception that a risk averse aging population in expensive houses are preventing change. - Empty sites with owners unwilling to sell (e.g.: Post Office site).
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Image 5: Analysis of streetscape developed by participants
Streetscape theme Having found out about setting and character, this section explores the outdoor spaces in the town. Public space is all around us and we use it every day: the streets we use to get to work or to shops, the parks where we walk the dog, the playgrounds where children play, the corners where we bump into friends, recreation spaces such as allotments and sports pitches, and the squares used for festivities and markets. Strengths
Opportunities
- Abergavenny has a strong character supported by its heritage and the network of historic streets and lanes that make up the core of the town. These are attractive to visitors and retailers.
- More residential development in the town centre; rebalance the accommodation that is provided in the town.
- The town has a variety of public spaces. - The Market Hall/theatre in the town centre is a strength. - There is a strong independent retail sector. - Food tourism is a particular strength. How can this be capitalised upon?
Weaknesses - The volume of traffic coming through the town on roads not designed for the number of modern vehicles is a weakness. - The peripheral location of the train station. - Property maintenance.
- A strategic plan to cover the whole town. - Connections: Links to open spaces, both inside and outside the town; physical support for development of town trails. - A development brief for the former library site and a good reuse of the Carnegie Library. - Investment in the town hall. - The opportunity to pick up and extend the alleyways and lanes around the town as concepts for new development. - Reducing the number of cars, therefore allowing more public realm and more tree planting.
Threats
- Ribbon development- the town has weak ends that need attention.
- Getting the wrong developer or developing the wrong brief for key sites (e.g.: Cattle Market, former magistrates court and police station).
- Tudor Street/Castle Street environment and 1960s buildings are seen as in need of improvement.
- Reduction in long term funding for capital projects and improvements in the town centre.
- The lack of a town wide strategy.
- A40 detrunking.
- Lack of coordinated signage.
- Retail decline leading to reduced property maintenance.
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Image 6: Identifying building plot boundaries can help to describe density
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Image7: Identifying points of arrival and public spaces
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Image 8: Using Shape My Town’s project provocations to stimulate discussion about potential projects
Project ideas The following projects were identified as priorities by the participants. It was acknowledged that there are many more projects of various scales that could be included in an action plan. Each group identified five projects they saw as a priority to take forward.
Landscape theme Castle Meadows:
The town doesn’t engage with the meadow and river. There are lots of opportunities for pedestrian and cycle networks including a bridge link to Llanfoist.
Pylons:
Routing all pylons underground. ‘This big idea’ was proposed as a way of reducing the perceived negative impact of pylons on the landscape around the town.
Litter:
Devise a means of reducing litter, for example Llangattock litter pick.
Views:
There is a need and opportunity to identify views both of and into the town from the outside and from inside to the wider environment which should be preserved or enhanced.
Art in the town:
Art commissions and art exhibitions as a way of increasing visitors.
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Townscape theme Transport:
An integrated transport hub at the station for train, bus, bike, bike hire and cycle link to the meadows bridge.
Morrisons site:
If the site is not developed by Morrisons, the group suggest a development brief for a mixed use building to rival the market hall with housing, library, education, starter units and green space. Rethink the relationship between Bailey Park and Morrisons site.
Cycle link:
A town wide connection of routes east- west, linking the station to the hospital through the town and north-south from Llanfoist through to the Mardy and Croesonen Pk.
College:
Attracting a catering college, agricultural college or offshoot of a major university to the town.
Wifi:
Creating a town wide wifi zone and linking this to QR codes telling the story of the town at key points.
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Project ideas
Streetscape Post office:
Develop a brief for the post office/BT site.
Shared Space:
Develop a shared space scheme for the town, from the Angel Hotel to the war memorial.
Future plans:
Develop a centre strategic action plan. This could be adopted as supplementary planning guidance and support the Local Development Plan.
Signs and trails:
Improve the signs around the town and link these into a network of trails.
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Image 9-12: Different ways of recording information used during the workshop.
Next steps The workshop highlighted the assets Abergavenny has and a number of weaknesses that could be addressed. The projects suggested range in scale and complexity from working to create new and distinctive signs for the town, ideas for new buildings to major infrastructure changes. While some would be possible to explore further, others are likely to be outside the scope of a community-led plan. Having carried out this workshop, a number of next steps are suggested: •
To carry out further consultations with a wide cross section of the community. This could be in the form of drop in consultation sessions or exhibitions of ideas or householder surveys. Identifying difficult to reach groups, for example the elderly, disabled or very young, is vital to get a rounded view. It is important to record the outcomes of these sessions and who attends to demonstrate your consultation activity.
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Having started a methodical process of analysis using Shape My Town, you can start to gather evidence to support emerging ideas. The workshop has been designed to start this process but revisiting the themes, perhaps with other groups of people, will add depth to your understanding of the issues.
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To develop the information held by Team Abergavenny and others into a place plan for the town. The fourth step of Shape My Town can help you do this and will guide you through the process of writing a plan and who to involve. The online resources can help with this.
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To develop an action plan for the identified projects; what needs to be done, how will it funded, who will be involved, and who are the key stakeholders? Check these projects against the Local Development Plan.
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Shape My Town aims to provide a methodical process of analysis to provide objective evidence to support ideas and can help unify opinions. The workshop has been designed to start this process.
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Explore opportunities to employ Green Infrastructure strategy.
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Keep the Shape My Town team up to date with your progress; we’d be keen to hear how you get on. There may be opportunities to work with DCFW to to meet the planning authority and progress the group’s ideas.
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