The Planning Issues

Our aim is to try to reflect as closely as possible what the community tells us they want for Archway, so please Contact us.

Rebuilding or Regeneration

Who Should Develop the Site

Type and Scale of Redevelopment

Buildings and Open Space

Dominant Type of Accommodation

Types of Retail Units and Space

Other Types of Retail Unit (non-food)

Leisure and Community facilities

Public Transport

Road Layouts and the Roundabout

Strategic changes to improve the wider area

Buildings and Open Space

An area of outdoor public space could either be roughly where the mall is now and/or or created by pedestrianising the current road between the Archway Tower and the island.

If the current buildings remained, the wind blight could be dealt with by recladding and other anti-wind measures.

Redevelopment options	Pros	Cons
Maintain an area(s) of outdoor public open space - ‘town square’ - as general focal point for the area, for markets etc (either more or less where is now or by pedestrianising current road between tower and island).	One area of open space would create a natural centre for the Archway area. Two could create a natural pedestrian flow around the area. The space or spaces could be made suitable for use by street markets (food, clothing, farmers market, etc), a source of cheap goods including food. This space would be somewhere to meet and congregate, and might attract cafes and small shops. There would be an opportunity for trees and other greenery. It could form part of a green vista from Junction Road through to open space in the middle of the Girdlestone Estate.	To achieve the amount of floor area needed for a commercial developer to be profitable, leaving ground level land free of buildings at ground level would mean building even higher than otherwise. Taller buildings would create more shade for the surrounding area.
Build across entire site, wherever allowed. (Even if all buildings, including those on the island, were demolished, in order for the project to be financially attractive to a commercial developer, building would still need to be at least double the height of the surrounding houses and businesses.)	Potentially reduces building heights, though will still probably be appreciably higher than at present.	To build across the entire site would be in contravention of planning guidance PPG17, which rules that public open space must not be lost in any development. There would be no sense of centre to the area, or place to stop and congregate. There would be even less opportunity for trees or greenery.

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