Design and Access Statement by Timirlans Abidovs

Design and Access Statement

0.1 Vision

0.3 Introduction

Re-imagening the traditional Garden Village,to create a unique and diverse neighbourhood driven by the Townscape Movement principles

Cuckoo quarter is a high-quality residential development in Gordon Cullen Park neighbourhood. It is located in the North-West part of the Oxfordshire Costwolds Garden Village (OCGV), on the site between Cuckoo street, Gordon Cullen park, Green Building and Green Crescent. Cuckoo quarter is an outstanding example of socially sustainable residential development. It benefits not only from the spatial location in the OOGV, but also by well-connected transport network that leads to Witney, Eynsham and Oxford. High proximity to Hanborough rail station provides opportunities to get to London within 50 min.

0.2 Location

Fig 2: the UK map

Fig 3: Oxfordshire district map

Fig 4: West Oxfordshire map

Fig 7: Looking West

Fig 8: Coockoo street

Fig 1: neighbourhood masterplan

Fig 5: OCGV map

Fig 6: Looking South

0.5 Access

0.4 Pedestrian & cycling movement The idea is to ensure that there are good pedestrian and cycle links throughout the site and throughout the chosen development. New Cuckoo quarter is well-connected and legible, yet pedestrian friendly development. It will encourage residents to spend more time for the outdoor activities by high proximity to green infrastructures and Locally Equipped Area for Play, safe street and open spaces.

1 2

There are several potential cycle connections pass the Cuckoo quarter that connectes the residential development with the business/ science park, centre of the Gordon Cullen Park neighbourhood, and the rest of the Costwolds Oxfordshire Garden Village.

Pedestrian access: • The main access to the development is proposed from Cuckoo Street via Lane 1. • A second North-South link is proposed from Gordon Cullen Park through the residential development leading to Green Crescent. Public transport: • The neighbourhood proposes 2 new bus stops. There will be 2 bus stop in each direction. These will be located next to the business/science park and in front of the Cuckoo quarter.

pedestrian access Cuckoo quarter

pedestrian crossings

50m

Fig 9: pedestrian and cycling routes and accesses

50m

Fig 10: round floor space

cycling lane

50m

Fig 11: pedestrian and vehicle routes

50m

Fig 10: main accesses to the site

Cuckoo quarter

50m

Fig 12: building heights

Fig 13: corner building

Fig 14: terrace houses design

Fig 18: public use of street furniture

Fig 19: safe open spaces for outdoor activities

Fig 20: participation in the community forums

Fig 21: community activities (street market)

Fig 22: activities for all age group residents

Fig 15: Lane 1

0.6 ‘Life between buildings’ Fig 16: Cross Section A -B

6.3

2.5

Fig 17: Cross Section C-D

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6.5

40.5

Timirlans Abidovs Urban Design, Planning and Development

1.5

https://www.linkedin.com/in/timirlans-abidovs-440233162/

1.5

3 2.4

7.5

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0.8 Public Open Space

0.7 Green infrastructure & biodiversity

A proposed Landscape Public Open Space (LPOS) has been separated into typologies. Figure 24 shows the alocations of the proposed LPOS, and Figure 25 shows the private-owned open space with back gardens

A comprehensive network of green spaces has been included around the development, providing for informal recreation, biodiversity, surface water attenuation. Green infrastructure proposals include: • Existing woodland to be retained along the Public Right on Way and on the site of the central Park • New public open spaces on-site and around the site in policy compliance with WODC standards. A Locally Equipped Area for Play is proposed with required buffer zone from dwellings, yet with appropriate natural surveillance • Sustainable urban Drainage System features that will minimize the risk of flooding in the most flood-risk sensitive areas • Reinforcing of structural planting along the Public Right on Way and Cuckoo lane through additional tree cover

50m

Fig 23: green infrastructure

green space

additional planting

50m

Fig 24: landscape public open space

Cuckoo quarter

parks and gardens

amenity greenspace

provision for children

provisional planting

50m

green space

0.10 Plot passport

0.9 Character areas A character of the development will be largely created by the strong presence of natural environment features, well-designed and safe open space, and the unique building facades. The edges of the development will uniquely be formed by the presence of street art (e.g. graffiti). Within the whole area that surrounds Cuckoo quarter there will be a series of graduated character areas. The boundaries between the areas will not be abrupt, yet easily readable to provide better sense of place and sense of identity. The whole neighbourhood will create two points: one on the upper part of the Cuckoo Street and one on the lower part. The series of proposed character areas on the upper part of the Cuckoo Street are overleaf. In order to frame this and give identity, several landmarks will be located here.

max. building height (meters) 10 9

Fig 27: residential plot dimensions

0.11 Design code (colour) Figure 29 shows the example of building facades in Cuckoo quarter. A design code (colours) provide residents a choice for colouring their own building. The scheme is based on the idea of plot based urbanism.

Fig 29: proposed facade

The aim is to create a strong place identity and unique atmosphere in residential area by bright colour set across the site.

llo

park edge

Fig 28: retail plot dimensions

core area

plot dimensions green open-private space

rural edge

pedestrian entrance

Cuckoo quarter

max. building extention/land use

50m

Fig 26: character areas

0.12 Car parking

0.13 Phasing and implementation Construction process

Private and visitor parking spaces will be provided in accordance with the latest appropriate West Oxfordshire District Council quidance (WODC Local plan).

If the project’s planning permission is granted, the construction ending on-site towards the end of 2031/2032 at the earliest.

Terraced houses and apartments parking will be in a form of ‘green’ parking courts with free accesses from the street. There will be vegetation planting and soft landscape treatment to visually soften parking spaces as well as to minimize the flooding risk in the areas. Parking will be carefully designed to be sensetively integrated into the overall scheme to ensure that cars do not dominate the layout of the street scene.

Phasing approach Given the size of the development, it is likely that it would be developed over one phase. An indication of possible neighbourhood phasing, including the study site, is shown below.

Phase 1

Indicative build programme

Phase 3

It is planned that the Garden Village would be built until 2031. Assuming a standard rate of approximately 80 dwellings per annum, the development could be complited in 15 months. However, the timescale should be speaden up to achieve a new vision for Garden Village.

Phase 2 50m

Fig 30: indicative parking arrangment

parking courts/spaces

Fig 25: private owned open space

Fig 31: indicative phasing plan

40m

Cuckoo quarter

0.14 Density

2031 solutions Indicative bedroom densities are illustrated in Figure 32. The outlined development is aimed to deliver up to 100 dwellings. The main road corridor and some of the main roads are proposed to be higher pupil density. The medium densities areas are dominated across the whole neighbourhood, in accordance to the WODC Local Plan. On the edge of the site and next to the business/science park there are flats/houses with predominantly lower density as these accomodate key workers fro businesses and science park. The bedroom density in the outlined area is varied from unit to unit, to provide a thiriving and mixed community.

Transport: Human-powered monorail network Eco-friendly (human-powered) public transport allow their users to travel quickly and safely to destinations. ‘Schweeb’ transport system is a new solution fo connect the neighbourhood with the existing community of Eynsham and Hanborough rail station.

CIL: a place that benefits the community The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) will help to deliver infrastructure only within the boundaries of each neighbourhood in the Oxfordshire Cotswold Garden Village 2031. CIL ill be used clusively to benefit people and their’s communitites rather than the whole West Oxforshire district.

Plot-based urbanism: strong place-identity The country fails to deliver housing schemes that have a stong place identity. Plot-based urbanism builds from the plot upwards, identifying typical uses on a street and providing suitable plot sizes for those uses. Areas are dense and buildings are small, resiliant for future adaptation.

50m

Fig 32: densities

1-2 bedrooms

3-4 bedrooms

5+ bedrooms

Cuckoo quarter Fig 33: vision board

0.15 Case study To better understand Howard’s ideas, i visited three places that counted as well-designed Garden Cities/Villages in the UK. My visits helped me to test sustainability and success of these developments in the modern context. The project aims is to bring new ideas for the Oxfordshire Cotswolds Garden Village 2031.

Timirlans Abidovs Urban Design, Planning and Development

Fig 34: Central Park in Letchworth Garden City

https://www.linkedin.com/in/timirlans-abidovs-440233162/

Fig 35: Main pedestrian street in Welwyn Garden City

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Fig 36: Residential path in Fairfield park

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