TAUNTON The Vision for Our Garden Town - Somerset West and Taunton Council
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TAUNTON
The Vision for Our Garden Town
Draft February 2019
Overview
Taunton - The Vision for Our Garden Town
We set out here a Vision for the town including major development projects already
planned and hope it sparks debate and interest in Taunton Garden Town. The Vision has
been expressed in words and maps and illustrations. It is important that we agree a shared
Vision for the Garden Town that can guide the actions of many other stakeholders, not just
the council, and that can be championed and owned by the whole town. This Vision
framework will influence all plan-making and development management decisions.
So, have we got it right? Please give us your views….
The Story So Far
Taunton was designated as a ‘Garden Town’ in early In Autumn 2018 the Council purchased land between
2017 following a submission to Government. This the New Garden Communities of Monkton Heathfield
submission reflected the Council’s commitment to and Nerrols Farm for the creation of a Green Country
transformational housing growth centred around a Park: a project which the Parish Councils of Cheddon
number of new garden communities and a Fitzpaine and West Monkton are working with the
regenerated town centre supported by essential council to deliver.
infrastructure and an enhanced network of green
infrastructure. The town is undergoing significant Since the designation of the Garden Town there has
change with key developments like Monkton been a product of considerable input and involvement
Heathfield, Staplegrove new community, from the community over the last 18 months:
Comeytrowe/Trull/SW Taunton new community,
Firepool and plans for the Nexus 25 strategic Garden Town ‘listening events’: a series of
•
employment site either underway or at various stages exhibitions held in the town centre over the summer
of the planning process. Since the designation, a of 2017 in which views were invited on the Garden
number of important pieces of work have been Town and latest plans and proposals for the future
completed including a Green Infrastructure Strategy were shared.
and a Retail/Leisure and Employment Study which
identifies new floorspace requirements for the town Targeted workshops: meetings with many local
•
(and indeed for the wider area) while other studies and community interest groups and other key
strategies are underway. stakeholders including the Taunton Strategic
Advisory Board.
A successful bid was made to the Government’s
Housing Infrastructure Fund securing approximately Taunton Garden Town Visioning Event: a large
•
£7.2m of funding for a new link road as part of the facilitated workshop for approximately 80 delegates
Staplegrove planned new Garden Community. In (comprising key stakeholders and local community
addition, the Council has been working with Somerset interest groups) where ideas around the draft vision,
County Council and Sedgemoor District Council on the guiding principles and important projects
preparation of a business case which if successful were shared.
would unlock considerable further investment through
the Government’s Forward Fund for infrastructure, in
particular the delivery of schools. Innovative
approaches to projects have been followed, including
the preparation of a Local Development Order for the
new Strategic Employment Site at Nexus 25.
2
3
FOREWORD
The Garden Town of Taunton
You can help make Taunton the place you Our plan to deliver the Garden Town needs
want it to be. As Taunton has been awarded to meet five core needs. We need to:
Garden Town status, we have an
extraordinary opportunity. • protect, maintain, link and enhance our
green spaces, water and woodland, for
We live in one of very few places in England that people and wildlife;
can decide in the next year or two what it will be
like to live here for generations to come. • maximise our mental, emotional, physical
and intellectual wellbeing by improving
Taunton’s wish to build some 13,000 houses in and our educational, sporting, leisure, artistic
around the town by 2028 brings both opportunity and and cultural life from being just ‘good’ to
responsibility. The opportunity is for large scale urban ‘outstanding’;
and neighbourhood design, and to make our natural
environment fabulous. We have the opportunity to • create a built environment, not just of houses but
define how good a Garden Town can be. of neighbourhoods, that reflect the very best
practice and a town centre of vitality and
The responsibility is to seize the opportunity. adaptability as the setting for a sociable and
Because what we do will last for generations, we delightful experience;
have a responsibility to aim high – to be the best.
We must knit together those who already live here • transform the transport network, inside and
and those who will come here. We have to change outside the town, embracing new technology
our traffic system to make movement easy into, to meet everyone’s needs while we reduce our
through and out of a bigger town. Above all, we carbon footprint, encourage walking and
have a responsibility to be imaginative, to be cycling and green the town;
ambitious for Taunton, and to deliver.
• cultivate a Taunton economy that creates
Taking the action that will be needed to provide an competitive advantage and then develops it to be
exceptional quality of life that distinguishes a bigger and bigger through talent, technology and
Garden Town will not be easy. A simple test will be technique, building businesses that prosper in the
“Is Taunton a really good place to live?”. We will global market.
need to learn from our experience and from the
experience of others elsewhere. We will need to lay These five ‘needs’ will be met by the five ‘themes’
good foundations, get started and stick at it. set out later in the ‘Introduction – our Vision’ part
of this document.
How people live their lives will change and so we
must make the Garden Town adaptable. It must be
a town for everyone. It is people that will make
Taunton the place we want it to be. We need to
help ourselves by investing in people and making it
easy for them to succeed and flourish. We can do
this because Taunton people have extraordinary
ability, good sense and resolve.
Making the Garden Town of Taunton a fabulous place to live
can be done. With your commitment and help, we can do it.
Will you help us do it?
4
INTRODUCTION
What is a Garden Town in
the twenty-first century?
There are no prescriptive guidelines set out Taunton is a special place and occupies a
by central Government and the response of strategic location within a wider landscape
each place is expected to be different. Each - it links powerfully with other successful towns
Garden Town is expected to determine and cities in the region as well as belonging to
what the new status might mean based on a set of diverse landscapes of immense beauty
local circumstances and characteristics. This that are nearby, it is a Garden Town within a wider
document begins to explore and answer the ‘garden’ – the bountiful county of Somerset.
question, “What types of physical change and
improvements might we now look forward to?” Local connections between town and
countryside can be reinvigorated and healed.
The Taunton Strategic Advisory Board has been The distinctive and productive landscape of
exploring how to express a Vision for the Garden Somerset can be reintroduced into the urban
Town in words, and this is our starting point. The environment of the town. A sympathetic
particular themes which extend from that Vision are balance between ecological assets and
key considerations in moving forwards – identifying human activity can be reconstituted around
tangible opportunities and challenges that need its edge. The centre of the county-town can
to be either grasped or overcome, respectively. reinforce its role as the cultural ‘heart’ and a
stimulating place to be, and to be seen…
There will be some initiatives and policies
associated with the Garden Town project “On my walk to the shops, I heard a lovely bird
that perhaps do not seem to have a direct
singing in the new park that I now pass by…”
physical or spatial impact – ideas for
economic growth and governance, and the
management of neighbourhood assets and “On my bus journey to work we passed a new piece of
spaces, for instance……but the physical street art which intrigued me and made me smile…”
environment is, of course, shaped and sustained
by the activity and enterprise that happens
within it and therefore everyone can have a part “When I was cycling to work, I noticed that a
to play in supporting its creation and success. community group had started an ‘incredible edible’
Already local special interest groups have food-growing project on an unnoticed scrap of
begun to influence the thinking on particular
public land that was previously uncared for…”
topics and this Vision embraces those emerging
ideas and attempts to present them spatially.
The enduring legacy of the Garden Town project
surely will be in the types of environment, the
patterns of lifestyle and the quality of life that
it enables and facilitates within a framework
for sustainable growth. Supporting a healthier,
happier and lively set of neighbourhoods
across the settlement for existing and future
generations of Taunton residents to enjoy and
prosper within. The goal is to achieve everyday
social and cultural experiences which are richer
and more rewarding for all residents whilst
reducing our carbon footprint and making
the town more resilient to climate change.
5
INTRODUCTION
Our Vision
“Taunton will be a flourishing, distinctive and healthy
county town where we all enjoy an exceptional quality
of life and are proud to live.”
Our Themes are the seeds for making this vision happen:
Celebrate our roots - our special character
Our Quality of Life: our roots are what give Taunton its special character. We want our town to be
1. widely recognised for its culture and arts, education, excellence in sports and high levels of
well-being, drawing on our outstanding local natural environment and fabulous green spaces to
make it a highly healthy and enjoyable place to live and work..
Grow our town greener - transforming our open spaces and streets
Quality of our Environment: give our town a gurt green makeover, joining up our green spaces,
2. waterways, parks and play spaces, planting more street trees and woodlands and managing
our water more imaginatively with wetlands and rain gardens to improve it for recreation, tourism
and wildlife.
Branching out - moving cleaner, moving smarter
Quality of our Movement: we will integrate our transport network so that it serves Taunton with
3. much improved bus and appropriate vehicle links to our main destinations and make much better
prioritised provision for walkers and cyclists encouraging healthier and more sustainable journey
choices as attractive alternatives to travelling by car.
Growing quality green places to live - town centre,
new and existing neighbourhoods
4. Quality of our places and neighbourhoods: Taunton will deliver an outstanding built environment
focused on places and spaces with high quality neighbourhoods, green streets and public
spaces and with homes and buildings that are distinctly local in appearance. Our houses, offices,
employment areas, public services and road infrastructure will embrace innovation, will be
energy efficient and will exploit the latest sustainable technologies.
New Shoots – a dynamic, prosperous business community
Quality of opportunity: Taunton will become a melting pot of new ideas, emerging technologies
5. and new knowledge workers in a digital world, drawing on its natural surroundings, naked
ambition and passionate communities to own and shape the South West’s future in tomorrow’s
creative, environmental, health and digital technology futures.
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CELEBRATE OUR ROOTS
Understanding
1.
our roots
If we want to grow the Garden Town from the roots and
character of Taunton, then we need to know its story.
Taunton is built on many layers of history, each of which
influences the look and layout of the town today and
reminds us of its origins, even in its distinctive place
names (Tangier, Coal Orchard, Silk Mills, and references
to the Priory).
1. Saxon Origins
• Town founded on slightly higher ground within river valley.
• Site was the centre of the Bishop of Winchester’s manor.
• The location was a convenient river crossing point.
• A ditch, bank and fort defended the settlement.
• Market place set at the junction of routes into the town.
2.
Medieval Planning
• Bridge built and water mill with its mill stream established.
• The castle is enlarged: it constrains growth to the west.
• Regular ‘burgage plots’ for merchants are laid out around
the market place and streets.
• Augustinian Priory NE of the town walls, constraining growth.
• Bishop establishes a fishery (Vivarium), south of High Street.
• Suburbs grow beyond the gates, along routes to the E and N.
3. Georgian Improvements
• Taunton grows new areas, following the earlier closure of
the Priory and loss of the walls.
• Hammet Street and Church Square frame St Mary’s tower
and link to the Parade.
• Imposing Market House becomes focus of the Parade.
• Castle is remodelled and many older buildings are
re-fronted in the Georgian style.
• Elegant Crescent built, facing out beyond the former
western boundary.
• Large houses built outside the town for wealthy landowners.
4.
Victorian Expansion
• Canal and (later) railway greatly increase trading links.
• Industries line the river, (sawmills, tannery, breweries,
gasworks, cattle market).
• Shirt and collar manufacture become main industries.
• Terraced housing for workers spring up to the E and N.
• Middle class villas / terraces located to the W, away
from industries.
• Infrastructure of the County Town established, (Shire Hall
and Courts, Hospital, Workhouse, three public schools,
Cricket Ground, Vivary Park, police station, the garrison
at Jellalabad Barracks and military prison).
8
Severn Estuary
Bridgwater
Somerset
University
Centre Levels
Hospital
Exmoor Station
Quantocks Market Place
A358 to Minehead
A358 to
Ilminster
A38 to Wellington
M5 to Exeter
5.Taunton Today...
Blackdown Hills
The aerial perspective view of Taunton today More recently many of the surrounding villages
illustrates how the relatively compact historic town have seen considerable growth. Recent retail
has expanded in the past century. Housing areas and employment areas have expanded, mostly
built between the interwar period to about the eastward towards the Motorway at Junction 25.
1980s mainly spread outwards from the centre.
Green
wedge /
open space Country Monkton
Park Heathfield
Staplegrove
M5
Town Centre Railway
Regeneration
Park & Ride
Park & Ride
Nexus 25
Park & Ride
Comeytrowe
and Trull Green wedge
/ open space
6. ...and into
M5
the future
Key
New Garden Communities Economy and Skills Connected Taunton
Green infrastructure
Other Housing Sites Taunton Town Centre projects / green wedges Wider Area of Influence
/ open space
9
CELEBRATE OUR ROOTS
Our special character and place
1.
in the Somerset landscape
Current Issues, Challenges And Opportunities
Action points
• Recent development has not always been in sympathy
with the character of the town. • Give back to our town a
• Development sometimes turns its back towards the river Somerset appearance
and other key spaces. and a local character.
• The townscape often misses opportunities to respond to
the historic patterns of the place. • Animate our public spaces
• Arts and Culture could have a stronger influence on the with art that inspires, drawing
design of new buildings and places. on our special local culture.
Our future garden town
Insist upon site and location-specific
initiatives and responses
We will ensure that key existing historic assets and other generators
of local and distinctive character are recognised, strengthened
and contribute effectively to the character of new places. Low quality
‘anywhere and nowhere’ development should not be part of our
Garden Town.
Engage artists and other creative practitioners
Draw upon the imagination and skills of those in the cultural sector
to reinterpret and discover fresh expressions of what makes Taunton
distinct as a place of new quality.
Draw out and celebrate all other historic and cultural
associations of the town
We can reinforce and affirm our established identity by highlighting: river
and castle; market and railway; industry; geology; farming;
dragons; cider; hillfort; priory; civil war; canal; cricket; church towers
and spires; racecourse; folklore and songs; schools; etc.
Arts and culture
The Garden Town initiative will work to support the emerging Cultural
Strategy that is being prepared for the town. A healthy and prospering
cultural sector is another important ingredient in establishing the
character of the place into the future.
10
References Taunton Transformed: the role of arts and culture Conference Report TDBC / Arts Taunton, 2018
English Heritage Extensive Urban Survey Taunton Archaeological Assessment, Somerset County Council, 200211
CELEBRATE OUR ROOTS
1. Taunton; a town of neighbourhoods
22.
1.
13.
12. 20.
14.
2.
15.
21.
3.
11. 16.
9.
10. 6.
17.
4. 19.
8.
5.
18.
7.
Key
1. Priorswood 9. Musgrove Hospital 17. Holway New Neighbourhoods
2. Rowbarton 10. Galmington commercial 18. Mountfields Town Centre
3. Lambrook – eastern Victorian/ core (temporary title) 19. Town edge (Blackbrook Ind Est) Conservation Areas
Edwardian expansion of core 11. Bishops Hull/Silk Mills Road 20. Bathpool Views to town landmarks
4. South Road 12. Norton Fitzwarren 21. French Weir Views to surrounding hills
5. Haines Hill (Victorian Villas) 13. Staplegrove/Staplegrove Road 22. Monkton Heathfield Landmark (St Mary’s)
6. Wilton 14. Bindon Road commercial core River / Canal Railway
7. Trull Road (Ridgeway) 15. Deane Gate Waterway Corridor Railway Station
8. Galmington 16. Blackbrook Green Valleys / Fingers M5
A town with a palette of distinctive local materials
12A town...
...of quiet waterways, urban & rural, with well-used bankside footpaths
...where the surrounding hills make their presence felt through many a vista
...of intimate footpaths and spaces
...which is legible, thanks to familiar landmarks
...of characterful, distinctive areas
...of distinctive housing areas and terraces
13Growing our town greener
2. Transforming our open
spaces and streets
Current issues, challenges and opportunities
• Few street trees /planting – lack of integration between
Quantocks
built and natural environment.
• Air quality needs to be improved, bio-diversity promoted Hestercombe
• Poor connectivity to waterways / river.
• Limited access to local greenspace and food- Hillfort Town Moors /
Levels
growing opportunities. Centre
Our future garden town M5
Poundisford
Link up our watersides: Park
We will re-emphasise our connection to our landscape
Blackdown Hills
by making the most of our rivers, canal, streams and
watercourses and their landscapes. Our town
Link up our
was established where it is because of the waterways: Indicative
waterways strategy
Tone and its tributaries and together with Quantocks
our canal connects us to our surrounding
Hestercombe
countryside. We will celebrate them
in new communities and where we Micro Moors /
Orchards Levels
regenerate existing places. We will Hillfort
Town
Centre
create and recreate the rich riparian
landscapes they naturally encourage, Squares Nexus 25
Parks
whether wetlands, withy beds, wildflower Woods
M5
meadows and marshes, affirming them
as the backbone of our town’s landscape. Poundisford
Park
Connect our key destinations:
Blackdown Hills
Connect our
Wildlife and people thrive where green habitats key destinations:
Indicative transport
and spaces are well connected. Our strategy
strategy
will ensure new development, regeneration,
traffic improvements and other works, will no longer
sever our green corridors and walking and cycling paths, but will link them together so that they
form a joined up network, easy and convenient to use, a pleasure to look at and rich in wildlife.
Our town has excellent existing destinations that lie both within the town like Vivary Park and Longrun
Meadow and around our town like Hestercombe, Norton Hillfort and Poundisford Park, Quantock Hills and
Blackdown Hills. Our town will gain new ones as the town grows too, like the new employment centre
at Nexus 25. We will link up both town centre and out of town destinations and ensure our transport,
cycling, green infrastructure policies all work together so that the links are green and pleasant.
Grow a garden grid:
The Garden Grid is the green infrastructure network that will connect the town’s parks and open spaces with
the Tone riverside and the wider Somerset countryside, using green corridors to provide safe and attractive
walking and cycling networks.
14
References Taunton Deane Green Infrastructure Strategy, 2009 Taunton Deane Strategic Flood Risk Assessment, Somerset
Taunton Deane Green Infrastructure Opportunities Update, 2017 County Council, 2011
Taunton Surface Water Management Plan, _Somerset County Council, 2013Seeding ‘Country Parks’: Cultivate Productive
Landscapes:
New major parks, and other linear greenspace will provide landmark
supporting local
open spaces exemplifying the beauty of Taunton’s diverse landscapes, community ambitions
to grow all kinds
and support the town’s recreational and wildlife programmes, with an
of food locally.
outdoor events’ calendar and larger sports facilities, woodlands,
wetlands and walking routes.
Sow active landscapes:
The design of Taunton’s streets, public spaces, parks, open spaces
and waterscapes should consider opportunities to promote physical
activity, play and socialising, to foster healthy and communal lifestyles.
Germinate a rich network of green spaces:
We will endow the town with a rich set of green spaces and
greener streets. Using planting of street trees, establishing
mini-orchards and rain gardens, we will diversify our
townscape, enrich our landscape and re-connect our urban
life to our meadows, streams, orchards, woods and vale.
Cultivate Productive landscapes:
Somerset’s iconic identity as a ‘County of Orchards’ should be
reflected in the planning of the town’s green network. Opportunities
will be considered across the Garden Grid to support local
community ambitions to grow all kinds of food locally.
Below:
distinctive landscapes
Project Sponge 2020, Somerset County Council, Somerset Rivers Authority,
West Country Rivers Trust et al, (EU Interreg 2 Seas project), 2019
‘Taunton Living Landscape’, Somerset Wildlife Trust leaflet, 2018
15
Designing rain GardensPunctuating routes with green features: Action points
We will add to these green links both small street side events like
copses of street trees or rain gardens, and new green facilities • We will encourage all
like pocket parks or wassail gardens with clumps of upright households to plant apple
Somerset apple trees, where new neighbourhoods are formed. trees in gardens.
We will look for opportunities to enhance existing spaces and
watersides along the linking corridors with new habitats and • We will connect up our green
planting so that a variety of landscapes emerge along them. corridors through our parks,
along our watersides, across
Make more of managing our water: our streets and public spaces.
The design of each new neighbourhood, its streets, parks
and buildings should consider how water can be managed • We will co-create more flood
intelligently to minimise flooding, facilitate irrigation, and alleviating features like
promote habitats resilient to flooding and climate change. wetlands, rain gardens and
withy beds so our water is
Locate ‘Pocket Parks’ on your doorstep: management is far more
A design framework for local parks will promote opportunities for adaptable to climate change.
the local community to socialise, play, grow food, and support the
localised management of stormwater and local ecosystems.
Top Left: Locating
‘pocket parks’ on
your doorstep
Above: Make more of
managing our water.
Left: Punctuating
routes with green
features, like this
mini orchard.
16Hestercombe East Deane Way
House
West Deane Way
Tone Trail
allen’s Brook Green Wedge Monkton
KINgSTON GAP Heathfield
Nerrols
Staplegrove Country
Park
MILL LEASE GAP
West Somerset Railway
Back Stream
East Deane Way
Railway
Station Waterside
tone Norton green Wedge Tone Levels Green Wedge
Somerset County
University Centre
Cricket Club
Black Brook
Musgrove Park Hospital
Shire Hall Nexus 25
Comeytrowe
Vivary
Tone Trail Park
Galmington Wedge M5
Poundisford Wedge
East Deane Way Poundisford Park
Garden town green infrastructure
Key
Development Opportunities Traffic Controlled Trail Crossing
Green Corridors Green Wedge
Urban Areas Green Wedge Links
Avenue Project Trails
17Branching Out – moving cleaner, moving smarter
3. Making our public realm and
transport work harder for us
Today’s issues, challenges and opportunities
• Through traffic dominates the town centre.
• Poor quality ‘gateways’ on arrival from major roads and railway
• Public transport under-utilised, walking and cycling need to
be promoted.
• Highway infrastructure and road network needs to keep pace
with development.
Our future garden town
Make more of our strategic connections
We will enhance the connectivity, capacity and frequency of Taunton’s Walking catchments to bus stops
rail, bus, cycle and road connections and ensure that the Firepool site
develops as a regional commercial centre, and a highly effective and
convenient transport hub. We will increase the efficiency and growth
of good movement networks throughout the town and promote strong
cycle and walking links to our surrounding countryside.
Orient development with transit hubs and corridors
Promoting more intensive living along key public transport routes and
close to stops, and clustering uses and facilities within local centres
reducing the need to drive.
Make our streets work harder for us
Taunton’s streets and roads will provide a network of safe, inclusive and
comfortable green streets and public spaces, integrating landscape,
parking and water sensitive design to provide attractive and functional
places for public life.
Our green walking and cycling branches
Priority will be given to the early delivery, integrated design and
sustainable maintenance of Taunton’s walking and cycling networks
to ensure they provide door to door connectivity, reducing the need
to travel by car and improving everybody’s health and well-being.
Upgrading accessibility & mobility for all
The existing bus system will be upgraded to ensure that a quality,
frequent, affordable, viable and sustainable rapid public transport
system is within a 5 minute walk of every neighbourhood.
Public transport can be supported and
made more efficient if land-use planning
Making Taunton more legible directs more intensive use along route
Ensuring that the experience of arrival is a positive one for corridors and in close proximity of stops –
increasing population catchments within
all modes of users from all the major highway entry points and the easy walking distance of services
railway and bus stations. The identity of Taunton as a Garden Town
needs to be immediately apparent and memorable. Major routes
and junctions/nodes within the town should be given a distinctive
character. Information about travel and way-finding needs to be
coordinated, concise and clear – improving the passenger and
visitor experience.
18
References ‘Connecting our Garden Town’ draft transport strategy, TDBC/SCC, 2017 The Place to Be, Urban Transport Group 2019
‘Taunton Garden Town: a Beacon Cycling Town’ Taunton Area Cycling Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Strategy, SCC + TDBC (in preparation)
Campaign leafletGyratory
difficult
to walk
Leaving Station across
West Deane north side
difficult to read Vehicle dominated
Footpath to directions to town frontage - ped/cycle
Wiveliscombe navigability unclear
Station
Derelict bridge
East Deane
New Crossing makes Footpath to
Gaps in peds second class Burrowbridge
Retail Marina ‘lost’
Surface parking /
blank walls dominated
Cricket entrance
poor quality
Route cuts out
north town retails Victoria
Church Park
Longrun
Poorly overlooked
route to university Quarter dominated by
Poorly backs & surface parking
overlooked Cycle link to
path Church Blackbrook
University
Centre Poor connection Castle
above bridge
Church
Church
Gyratory
difficult
to walk Shire Hall East Deane
across Footpath to
Blackdown Hills
Vivary Park
Easier to walk, easier to cycle
Key
Parks and green spaces
Urban Areas
Roads
Trails
A full study of barriers to movement within the Town Centre needs to
Railway
be undertaken. This ought to be the most accessible part of the town East Deane and West Deane footpaths
to travel around on foot or by cycle and ‘active travel’ here should Poor crossing conflicts
be strongly promoted. Node
‘Hot-spots’ – barriers to Cycling
19N.W
Gateway
Station
Gateway Eastern
Gateway
S.W
Gateway
M5 Gateway
Garden Town Gateways Action Points
• We will prioritise cycling and
First impressions walking features and
The arrival experience in Taunton Garden Town ought to be a positive connections for all abilities.
one. Recognising that the major gateways at the M5 junction and
railway station, and the secondary ones serving the approach by A • We will join up good quality
roads have not been properly considered in terms of their identity bus routes for our communities
and impact, we propose that each location is creatively explored to and between important
understand how its appearance and function might be improved destinations and support these
through the use of landscape design, art, lighting, signage, etc with a high quality railway
station interchange.
• We will upgrade our town
gateways with greenery.
• We will give more street
space to buses and cyclists
and improve our walking
experience in the town.
Re-designed junction spaces in residential
neighbourhoods can suggest equal priority
for all users and explore opportunities to
introduce landscape and social space
20Enlightened highway design will raise quality by...
...making streets into places and integrating parking elegantly
...incorporating sustainable ...enriching the groundscape and including
drainage features avenue tree-planting
...and providing edge streets that positively relate buildings and landscape
and promoting activity and healthy exercise around the periphery
21
Image credits Andrew Cameron AssociatesGROWING QUALITY GREEN PLACES TO LIVE
4. A Garden Town centre
Today’s issues, challenges and opportunities Action points
• Make the most of regeneration opportunities to deliver • Prioritise access for only those
an outstanding environment. vehicles that must enter the
• Seize opportunities to improve public realm and maintain town centre for essential
vitality in town centre. needs, aiming for a less-noisy,
• New Garden Neighbourhoods need to be high quality, safer environment with
sustainable design. improved air quality.
• Ensure effective community-led regeneration of existing
neighbourhoods. • Enact the Taunton Town
Centre Public Spaces
Improvement Project giving
Our future garden town centre greater space for people and
activity within the streets.
Improving the street experience
A series of public realm projects will strengthen the appeal of the town • Ensure that the development
centre environment by reducing negative impacts from vehicles and of major regeneration sites
introducing well-designed spaces and places with better landscape mutually support the existing
design and planting, public art, lighting and elegant street furniture town centre uses and also
and signage. Temporary ‘meanwhile uses’ should be encouraged to build strong links to adjacent
occupy vacant sites and premises to maintain activity along key neighbourhoods.
frontages, reducing unnecessary through-traffic in the town centre.
• Encourage a greater mix of
More diverse and resilient uses uses reinforcing a lively and
Promote flexible and adaptable accommodation that will help stimulating heart for the town
strengthen the independent retail sector whilst continuing to attract with a vibrant evening
destination brands. Encourage residential accommodation and small economy.
business start-up space so that the centre is also a place to live and
work as well as to shop. Young people ought to be able to see it as a
place to set up a business and a first place to live. Recreational uses
and the important built heritage need to be celebrated as part of the
social and cultural experience of visiting the town centre.
‘Garden Room’ engagement space
Establish a temporary public venue in the town centre as a venue to
mount public exhibitions of Garden Town projects and provide a space
where events, meetings and discussions about the initiatives can be
held - that is welcoming and accessible to all. This might also provide
an opportunity for collaboration with Taunton’s educational
establishments in raising the debate about the future of the town and
thereby offer them a stronger presence in the heart of the place.
Placemaking and sustainable development
All proposals for development will contribute to good placemaking and
to sustainable development within the context of creating a safe,
accessible, attractive and healthy built environment. Each proposal will
contribute positively to creating a sense of place and respecting local
distinctiveness through design and its use of materials.
22
References Taunton Town Centre Public Spaces Improvement Project, WSP Parsons Taunton Town Centre Area Action Plan, Taunton Deane Borough Council, 2008
Brinckerhoff, 2017 Taunton Town Centre Design Code Supplementary Planning Document,
Creating a new gateway into Taunton, Taunton Station Regeneration Area, Taunton Deane Borough Council, 2008
LHC, 2012Railway
Station
Firepool
Council Offices &
Police Station
Somerset County
Cricket Club
The Heart Coal
Orchard
of the Place
St James Church
Tangier St Mary
Magdalene
Church
Museum
of
Somerset
Bus Castle
Station Square
Market
East Street
House
Orchard
Shopping
Centre
County
Hall
High
Street
Key
Network of improved streets Key public Buildings Vivary
and spaces - providing high Opportunities for street trees, Park
quality public realm rain-gardens and other planting
A New Way to Build, Somerset Wildlife Trust, 2018 Shaping Neighbourhoods
23GROWING QUALITY GREEN PLACES TO LIVE
4. New Garden Neighbourhoods
Clear identity Action points
A distinctive local identity as a new garden community, including
at its heart an attractive and functioning centre and public realm. • We will design new
Landmarks, key groupings and character areas are an important neighbourhoods around
element of identity and legibility. places and green spaces.
Well-designed places • We will use local materials
With vibrant mixed-use communities that support a range of local and design features for new
employment types and premises, retail opportunities, recreational buildings and infrastructure
and community facilities – within ‘walkable neighbourhoods’ that to respect local context and
follow good urban design principles and include greater greenspaces ensure new developments
and trees. complements and enhances
existing character.
Great homes
Offering a wide range of high quality, distinctive homes. This includes • We will establish a bespoke
affordable housing and a mix of tenures for all stages of life. Legacy ‘quality mark’ for new
and stewardship arrangements: should be in place for the care of development within the
community assets, infrastructure and public realm, for the benefit Garden Town Area so that high
of the whole community. quality design and place-
making can be recognised and
Future proofed rewarded. This will also serve
Designed to be resilient places that allow for changing demographics, to identify the high standards
future growth, and the impacts of climate change including flood risk expected in future projects.
and water availability, with durable landscape and building design
planned for generations to come. This should include anticipation of the
opportunities presented by technological change such as driverless
cars and renewable energy measures. The drawing opposite is not
related to a particular location
Greater and more effective use of national but illustrates the general design
‘design quality’ benchmarks and processes principles and ideas that should
Design criteria and standards such as ‘Building for Life 12’ and ‘Lifetime guide the creation of a New
Homes’ should be systematically encouraged and pursued through Neighbourhood within the
planning policy and development management processes for all new Garden Town.
development. National policy for highways design in the form of
‘Manual for Streets 1 + 2’ should be comprehensively applied and
implemented. Design Review should be used for all new developments.
Woodlands Community Greens with Boulevard planting and New wetlands, leaze and
Orchards meadows priority pedestrian / paths to watersides
and apiaries and streams cycling crossing areas to
larger streams
Canal
The Garden Town from edge to Centre
Rural edges New garden communities Older suburbs
24Neighbourhood Centre
Typical uses include:
• Shops / Restaurant
• Community Hub /
Resource Centre
12 11
• Pub
• Places of Worship
10 9
• Commercial & Workspace 8
with residential above
• Health Centre & Pharmacy
13
7 6
5
4
2 3
1
1. Swale 5. Green Wedge 9. Boulevard link to centre 12. Green roof & walls
2. Micro Allotments 6. Existing hedgerows incorporated 10. Sheltered housing / care home 13. H
igher density homes near
3. Pocket Park & Play Area 7. Community Orchard 11. Primary / Junior school the centre & bus stop
4. Photovoltaics integrated into 8. Connectivity to the centre Rain gardens throughout
roof design of housing & existing neighbourhoods
Characteristics of a new
Garden Neighbourhood
New station interchange Riverside walk and cycle Underground Mini orchards in Mini rain garden to
square with planting, paths with step access to parking used as urban streets absorb run-off and
cycling hub and wayfinding water ans new wetlands flood attenuation green the streets
orchards in
urban streets
Station
River Tone
Riverside Town centre
25GROWING QUALITY GREEN PLACES TO LIVE
4. An Existing Neighbourhood Rejuvenated
The design of the Woolaway homes project in Priorswood, North Action points
Taunton (illustrated opposite and below) has been carefully
negotiated with existing residents. It exhibits many of the general • When opportunities arise to
principles that would be adopted in a ‘Garden Town’ approach to rejuvenate an existing
regeneration in other existing neighbourhoods, these include: neighbourhood then we will
work with the existing
More efficient use of land residents to explore how best
We will use good design and place-making techniques to make more to apply Garden Town
efficient use of brownfield land – providing more housing and creating principles.
better streets and spaces.
• We will strive to improve the
New open space quality of environment for all
Opportunities to provide local green spaces for public use will be of Taunton’s neighbourhoods
seized in order to introduce ‘pocket parks’ - so that everyone is within as resources and
easy walking distance of a local green space. These will provide other opportunities permit.
benefits such as contributing to sustainable urban drainage and
encouraging wildlife within the neighbourhood. • The Garden Town approach
will support and promote local
Good range of dwelling types initiatives taken by community
We will encourage neighbourhoods that provide homes for all types and special interest groups
of household - promoting a mix of residents from different where these command
demographic/economic backgrounds and age-groups and fostering popular support and align with
vibrant, resilient communities and inter-generational interactions. the aims of the wider project.
Improved legibility
We will make it easier and more attractive to move around within
neighbourhoods by pursuing good urban design. It ought to be
obvious which are the more important streets that lead to the shops
or take you on to the next neighbourhood. It ought to be clear where
the public realm ends and private space begins within the streetscape.
Enlightened Parking Strategy
We will encourage parking strategies that successfully integrate
vehicles into the street scene – so that cars do not dominate the
experience of the public realm and walking and cycling within streets
might be made more attractive.
Street trees
When neighbourhoods are rejuvenated, opportunities will be seized
to introduce trees and other planting – providing cleaner air, greater
bio-diversity, visual interest and all the other benefits of living in a
‘leafy suburb’.
Engagement / participation of residents
Thorough and effective involvement with the people that live
in a neighbourhood undergoing change is essential if they are to
be empowered to become co-creators of their rejuvenated place.
The Priorswood example has established a very good precedent and
template for how this might work well in Taunton Garden Town.
26
References Taunton Town Centre Public Spaces Improvement Project, WSP Parsons Taunton Town Centre Area Action Plan, Taunton Deane Borough Council, 2008
Brinckerhoff, 2017 Taunton Town Centre Design Code Supplementary Planning Document,
Creating a new gateway into Taunton, Taunton Station Regeneration Area, Taunton Deane Borough Council, 2008
LHC, 2012 A New Way to Build, Somerset Wildlife Trust, 2018 Shaping Neighbourhoods.Daylight to back gardens Woolaway
homes project,
Views towards Blackdown Hills
priorswood
Surveillance of the courtyard
Level change
Split level crescent
Ludlow Avenue
Hereford Drive
Rochester Road
Dorchester Road
Lyngford Lane
Local shops
Surveillance of the open space
Potential for door step play Orchard trees
Publically accessible
routes through the
Rejuvenating a neighbourhood Community open space open space
Raised growing beds
with new homes and landscape
27
Image credits Nash Partnership and Liz Lake AssociatesNew Shoots
A Dynamic, Prosperous
5.
Business Community
Today’s issues, challenges and opportunities Action points
• Visibility as a highly productive, knowledge economy destination. • We will foster a dynamic
• A town centre needing to re-invent itself with an enhanced leisure, community of business
cultural and evening offer. support and space, from
• The need to create ’a sense of place’ for idea generation, incubation, innovation and
entrepreneurial talent and collaboration. ‘grow on’ space.
• Fostering a dynamic community of business support and space,
from incubation, innovation and ‘grow on’ space. • We will support new
• Providing new opportunities to seed, attract, train and retain new opportunities to seed,
knowledge workers with high level skillsets. attract, train and retain new
knowledge workers with high
level skillsets.
Our future garden town
• We will encourage greater
A differentiated, sustainable future levels of digital connectivity
We will foster opportunities for collaboration, innovation, enterprise and and a vibrant mix of social and
employment, in the digital economy and other high productivity sectors. business interaction.
This may include piloting and providing a ‘test bed’ for the deployment
of innovative ‘smart’ clean growth technologies in support of business
development and inward investment, citizen engagement and
sustainable infrastructure management.
Opportunities include the development and implementation
of a range of technologies in response to urgent sustainability
challenges, including:
• Environmental solutions, e.g. to manage air, water, waste and
natural resources
• Reduced carbon initiatives, e.g. sustainable buildings, smart cities,
low carbon vehicles
• Energy efficiency activities, e.g. renewables, smart meters,
smart-grids, storage
Town centre vitality
We will work with businesses to support and promote a thriving heart of
the town and attract new investment to transform the town centre,
responding to changing trends in consumer habits, tastes and the
search for immersive retail experiences. We will work together to be
ambassadorial and undertake more place marketing, enhancing
broadband connectivity and encouraging the establishment of new
events, trade fairs and markets and drive more footfall and visitors
building upon its cultural assets and events, such as; the Museum of
Somerset, Somerfest, Taunton Arts Festival, Taunton Live and major
sporting events, including the Cricket World Cup in 2019.
A connected and networked community
We will support the ambitions of Taunton’s growing digital community
to be one of the South West’s leading digital hubs in the South West,
providing new business opportunities in ICT, software and Big Data that
provide new applications in the financial services, media, environmental
and creative industries sectors.
28A knowledge sharing environment
We will provide the environment for Taunton to foster a knowledge
economy through facilitating a collaborative environment of
entrepreneurs and innovation actors, including links with Colleges,
Universities and R&D intensive businesses, supporting the development
of our future talent pool by providing business led training and
educational opportunities. The UK Hydrographic Office provides new
opportunities for digital businesses in the commercialisation of Big Data
linked to marine exploration and associated industries and
technologies.
Business and innovation support
We will work with partners to support the development of a range of
attractive and flexible spaces which will encourage greater informal
networking, sharing of ideas, prototyping and special interest events
from raising finance to ‘meet the buyer’ and encouraging local
clustering and supply chain development. This space ranges from
hot-desking such as the recent opening of ‘Company’ in the town
centre to incubation and innovation centres, maker-spaces and
workshops around Firepool (e.g. ‘Great Western House’) through to
R&D and larger employment sites such as Nexus 25.
Nexus 25
The Garden Town Vision will embrace all types of neighbourhood
– not just residential areas. A useful example is ‘Nexus 25’ - the
new business park development adjacent to the M5. This has been
designed with a masterplan that is led by the landscape design
for the site, providing the employment space with an attractive
green setting. Principles of Sustainable Urban Drainage (managing
rainwater and improving flood resilience) feature strongly and
the positive integration of low-energy buildings with the verdant
landscape will support an innovative working environment.
29
Image credits Top and bottom images: LHC DesignWHAT NEXT?
Next steps
This Vision is just the start of work on Taunton Supporting strategies and plans will be needed
Garden Town. It will be supported by a Delivery in some areas to bring to life some of the
Plan to be prepared over the coming months concepts and ideas expressed in this document.
which will provide detail to the individual strategies, These will include the Taunton Waterways
projects and activities which will deliver the Vision. Action Plan and Taunton Cultural Strategy.
Importantly, this Delivery Plan will not be a fixed
document which will date but over time will develop Most importantly of all, the Council is committed
into an online platform providing up-to-date to giving its communities and stakeholders an
information about strategies, projects and activities. active role in realising the vision from project
identification through to delivery. Somerset
The Vision is also an important tool in informing West and Taunton will work to establish new
some specific pieces of work for the Council. governance arrangements for the Garden Town
It will influence work on the emerging Local which will incorporate new and innovative ways
Plan as well as more detailed design guidance to encourage community participation.
emerging through a new Urban Development
Framework and Design Guide. This Vision
framework will therefore influence all plan-making
and development management decisions.
Evolution and influence of the Garden Town Project
amongst wider policy initiatives
*
TDBC / SCC Policy
GARDEN TOWN PROJECT DELIVERY
Framework
(adopted & emerging) Urban Design
• Transport Strategy Framework &
• Economic Design Guidance
Development Strategy
• Housing Strategy
• Infrastructure Delivery
Strategy
• Flood Strategy Taunton - Our vision Site-Specific Briefs,
• Cultural Strategy
Project Delivery Plan Masterplan &
for the Garden Town
• Public Space Design Codes
Improvement Strategy
• Waterways Strategy
• Walking and Cycling
Infrastructure Strategy
• Health & wellbeing Other Non-spatial
strategy Policies, Projects &
• TTCAAP Initiatives
• Local Plan
• Growing our Garden
Town: Growth
Prospectus for
Taunton, 2018. (SCC/
TDBC). Feb 2019 Summer 2019 Autumn 2019
30
References * Many short and medium term projects have already begun...KEY TESTS
How will we measure our success?
It is vital that we monitor the progress of the (average wages?) to ‘cultural vitality’ (no. of events/
Garden Town initiative and its impact relative attendance per head of population?). We will need
to some key indicators that can be objectively to establish a broad range to reflect the breadth
measured. We would like your thoughts on which of ambition that the initiative embraces. There
issues are the most important to include. may also be value in using indicators that other
Garden Towns may already be using – in order that
If you respond online (see below) then you will comparisons with other places become possible?
be invited to suggest some ideas. These might We look forward to hearing how you think we
range from ‘air quality’ to ‘the percentage of can measure the success for our Garden Town.
trips made on foot or by cycle’, from ‘prosperity’
Thank you for reading this Garden Town Vision document.
Have we got it right? We want your views.
We look forward to receiving feedback on the As we move forwards, further engagement and
ideas that have been set out – this document will strong participation with individual citizens, local
then be revised and adopted by the Council. The communities and representatives from key sectors
Project Delivery Plan will then be drafted and of society within Taunton will be vital. We hope that
consulted upon. you may be excited and interested to stay involved.
Do look out for further opportunities to share your
The more detailed Urban Design Framework and thoughts and ideas and help to strengthen our
Design Guidance that follow will also be subject to Taunton Garden Town Project – we want it to
public consultation and will be given influence and belong to the whole town!
weight within the planning system by being
adopted as part of the Local Plan.
The best way to submit comments is to visit: www.tauntondeane.gov.uk/garden-town
where you will find the body text of this publication together with some key questions
that we’d like you to respond to.
Other feedback can be emailed to gardentown@tauntondeane.gov.uk
There will be many more opportunities in the future for engaging with us
and providing your views.
31With: Richard Guise, David Orr, James Webb
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