Thursday 4th January, 2024
Changes to St Botolph’s Circus, public space at the old bus station and an an attractive walking and cycling route at Vineyard Gate, are some of the revised suggestions in the new proposals for the Colchester City Masterplan.
The Local Plan Committee will discuss these when it next meets at the Town Hall on 15th January. The revisions follow a consultation after the first set of plans were made public back in March 2023.
The City Council has worked with Essex County Council in coming up with the changes. ECC is responsible for highways throughout the city centre.
Consultants We Made That were appointed and prepared the original draft City Centre Masterplan.
The company was then awarded the contract to revise the original plans, based on the engagement sessions that have taken place this year..
The new Masterplan explains how the original plans for St Botolph’s Circus have now ‘evolved.’ This is seen as a key southern gateway to the city centre. The plans now aim to to deliver:
“Reclaimed space for people, interchange between different transport modes.”
The site of the former bus station is controversial. The City Council fell out with its current partners, ECC, over a legal covenant on the site. It now seems that both sides have kissed and made up.
The current plan is for:
“Public space and mixed-use development including space for creative and digital industries alongside housing.”
There is no mention of student housing in the new document.
Plans for a new retail space at Vineyard Gate dating back over a decade are dead and buried. The Masterplan now supports:
“Public open space next to the Roman Wall, an attractive walking and cycling route through to Queen Street and fine grain, tight-knit new homes and business spaces as infill in and around existing buildings.”
Fine grain new homes seem a little optimistic.
Other updates in the revised Masterplan include:
“A low traffic High Street, people focused street where spaces for walking, cycling and outdoor seating is maximised while ensuring necessary public transport, deliveries and blue badge holder access is maintained.”
The report emphasises that full pedestrianisation of the High Street isn’t part of the current plans.
The report is also keen to point out that the Council will continue to support the retention and promotion of retail uses within the City Centre.
Southway and St John’s Street / Osborne Street:
“The proposed strategy seeks to reconnect communities to the south into the city centre through frequent, at-grade crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.”
Britannia Yard also forms part of the plans:
“The strategy seeks to deliver a significant new public space that can be used for events, markets and casual use, designed to highlight the extraordinary heritage of St Botolph’s Priory. New urban housing of various types, fully integrated with the existing neighbourhood south of Priory Street.”
Active travel is a strong theme throughout the document:
“The continued economic and cultural vibrancy of the city centre lies in reconnecting it to the surrounding neighbourhoods and improving choice in transport modes including the walking and cycling experience of routes to the mainline rail station, the Roman Circus and the Hythe and University campus in particular.”
The original proposal to ‘animate’ the River Colne has disappeared.
A total of 106 detailed representations were received from 44 respondents, regarding the Masterplan.
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