Future of Winnall takes shape
Following two rounds of events and meetings with community groups, businesses, councillors and other agencies earlier this year, the consultant team working on the Winnall Planning Framework has delivered a final draft of the document to the City Council.
The Planning Framework is intended to explore the daily problems and possibilities faced by residents and businesses in the Winnall area, from traffic and parking to community buildings, housing and green spaces. It looks at the infrastructure required to deliver many of the improvements set out in the Winnall Community Plan launched in 2011.
After careful consideration of all the feedback they received, and a wide range of existing data, the consultant team has drawn together a Framework that divides into three themes: Living in Winnall, Working in Winnall and Travelling in Winnall.
The draft plan has been delivered to the Council, and officers will now spend the summer discussing the proposed actions with partner agencies to agree how they can be delivered and who will take the lead in doing so.
Cllr Michael Read, the City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Built Environment, said:
This is a useful study. However, we have all seen action plans that are owned by no one and sit on the shelf gathering dust. These just cause disappointment in our communities.
So as a Council we will only adopt a Framework that we know to be realistic and affordable. We did the same thing in Stanmore a couple of years ago, and it has led to a raft of excellent developments.
One of the proposals set out in the Framework is to zone the industrial area of Winnall, with each zone designated for different kinds of business, from business start-ups around Winnall Manor Road and a ‘civic boulevard’ at Easton Lane for trade and retail businesses, with Moorside Road providing the ‘core’ employment area for larger businesses. A draft policy has already been drawn up for Local Plan Part 2 to help achieve this, with a view to protecting and enhancing the contribution made by Winnall to the local economy.
Cllr James Byrnes, Portfolio Holder for the Local Economy, added:
The Framework recommends a number of other improvements to the appearance and marketing of the industrial estate. We would like to do this in partnership with the businesses already there, and will be looking to create a formal business network – perhaps leading to a Business Improvement District over time, like the very successful one in the city centre.
Improvements to green space and play areas feature prominently under the ‘Living in Winnall’ theme, as does the introduction of ‘Homezones’ or play streets and enhancing the quality of community facilities.
Under the ‘Travelling’ section, there are proposals to increase routes for cyclists - including links to the station – and the enhancement of Easton Lane as an important civic boulevard and gateway into Winchester, with buildings fronting the street, wider footways and better pedestrian crossings.
Cllr Michael Read added:
There are lots of excellent ideas here for us to work with. I am looking forward to sharing them with colleagues at other agencies so that we can all play our part in making Winnall an even better place to live and work.
It is anticipated that the final Framework will be approved by the Council’s Cabinet in the early autumn. However, officers will be taking forward a number of ‘quick wins’ such as the creation of a business network, before this.
Find out more via on the Winnall Planning Framework box on the home page of www.winchester.gov.uk