Shape East was commissioned by East Cambridgeshire District Council to develop three visions for the future of Ely. Shape partnered with Beacon Planning Ltd. to hold three stakeholder workshops for landowners and others to develop the Ely Masterplan and produce a public exhibition of the ideas produced. The workshops built on previous planning and consultation work undertaken by council officers. Three potential development areas were considered: -
• The Northern Growth Area
• The Station Gateway/Ely Riverside/Sewage Works site
• Ely Town Centre
A report containing conclusions from all events was also commissioned. Please see the link below:
http://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/docs/publications/devservices/shapeeast.pdf
Shape East invited a number of its Associates to attend as guest speaker and facilitator at each workshop event.
Mike Keys, Director of Feilden Clegg Bradley, this years Sterling Prize Award winning architect of Accordia, Cambridge spoke about inspirational best practice in the creation of new communities; covering such practical issues as what works and what doesn’t, how to drive design quality forward and the impact of highway design on housing layout.
Neil Deely, Partner at Metropolitan Workshop presented his masterplanning work in Dublin and Norway. He considered what issues are involved in regeneration of mixed-use areas, proposed ideas of how they can be overcome and explored ways of ensuring quality of design.
Tony White, Project Director of Hopkins Architects and leading on the controversial Bury St.Edmunds town centre regeneration, considered best practice and priorities for regenerating a historic retail area.
Meredith Bowles, founder of RIBA Award winning Mole Architects and winner of Architects Journal Small Projects Award 2008 helped facilitate. Meredith and his staff work locally and understand the area very well.
The Ely masterplan proposes housing growth through in-fill and a substantial greenfield site urban extension of between 1,500- 5,000 dwellings to grow the population up to 26,000- 28,000 people from its current level of circa 18,000. It is proposed that the planned growth will maintain the city’s unique identity through creating a planning policy framework that will ensure that Ely’s growth benefits from its locale and history to develop into a ‘21st century garden city’. The proposed expansion would then enable the town to attract a better retail offer, create more employment opportunities, improve services and thereby strengthen its viability as a successful market town.
Using the Masterplan themes as a framework for discussion, the workshop participants:-
- reviewed the conclusions reached to date,
- explored issues of importance to stakeholders,
- identified potential areas of conflicting aspiration
- considered priorities and constraints
- articulated what will make each development a special place
An exhibition summarising ideas and proposals produced at the workshops was produced to use in East Cambridgshire District Council’s public consultation on Thursday 12th and Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th March 2009.
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