Comment

Southampton Issues and Options consultation response

Developing a clear and deliverable vision for the city?

Southampton City Council (SCC) recently published details of the responses to the Issues and Options consultation which took place earlier this year. Consultation on the masterplan for the Mayflower Quarter, the council’s ambitious vision for 84 hectares of land stretching from Central Station to the waterfront, has also recently commenced.  

Against this backdrop, and in the context of a city which is seeing significant change due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we consider the emerging vision and some of the likely challenges faced in bringing this to life; delivering real change for the city in a post-COVID environment.

Work on both the local plan review and the Mayflower Quarter masterplan commenced prior to the COVID -19 pandemic which, in just a few short months, has dramatically changed urban life. While it is too early to predict the long-term effect that this will have on cities, it is clear that it will bring about significant changes in patterns of work, travel and choices about how we live our daily lives. We reflect on whether the priorities identified through the Issues and Options responses are still correct given the unprecedented change the city has experienced.

These changes, together with the prospect of significant change to the planning system itself, as heralded in the Planning for the Future White paper, provide a challenging context for the delivery of both the new Local Plan and the Mayflower Quarter. 

Issues and Options consultation results

The Issues and Options consultation was framed around six key themes. Of these ‘environment and climate change’ was considered by respondents to be the most important, closely followed by ‘growth and investment’ and ‘getting around’. When looking at the ‘Local Area Scale’ the most important factors identified by respondents were ‘parks/open spaces/nature and conservation’; ‘reducing pollution and improving air quality’ and ‘access to reliable public transport’. At the ‘City Centre Level’ the top priorities include environment and climate change as well as ‘cultural facilities’, ‘shopping’ and ‘restaurants’. SCC have noted that the responses in relation to the city centre will be important considerations as part of the council’s bid for UK City of Culture 2025.

The key points highlighted through the responses to the Issues and Options consultation include:

• 'Environment and climate change' has been identified as the top priority.
• Some felt that more radical decisions should be made such as the city centre being completely car free.
• Many respondents expressed concerns that increased development could put pressure on the city’s parks and green spaces.
• Whilst there is a recognition of the importance of the port there are concerns about how it contributes to air pollution.
• Many also commented on the limited access to the waterfront. This is a fundamental part of the city’s identity and heritage, but Southampton doesn’t feel like a waterfront city.
• There is a clear demand for local high streets, with most respondents accessing local services on a regular basis.
• Identifying enough space for new homes is a fundamental part of a local plan and most felt that adopting space standards was important, including standards for outside space.
• The issue of high-rise buildings needs to be investigated further. Whilst people understand the need to maximise space, given the pressure on space, few are in favour of very high-rise buildings.

A note on the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA)

Alongside the Issues and Options, a ‘Call for Sites’ consultation also took place although only 25 sites were submitted. These sites will be assessed through the council’s Strategic Land Availability Assessment to determine their suitability for development and allocation in the City Vision.

The low number of sites put forward through the SHLAA process is surprising and suggests that the consultation process may not have engaged all those with land and development interests in the city. 

The C-word

It has been encouraging to see the council continuing to progress the City Vision during the pandemic, however, both the Issues and Options consultation and the ambitions for the Mayflower Quarter were conceived pre-COVID and therefore may be missing new issues and responses that will be required by all LPAs as we enter into the world of the ‘new normal’. This could include the approach to the high street, housing space standards, outdoor amenity, broadband connections, flexibility of office uses etc.

The timetable for the production of the Local Plan has already been delayed as a result of COVID-19 and the timetable for the next stages of the plan is under review.  Now is not the time to be putting a brake on the delivery of the City Vision.

Content of the City Vision going forward

Taking the information gathered from the Issues and Options consultation, and in response to the ‘new normal’, we anticipate Southampton City Council will focus on the following themes in the draft version of the City Vision.

The green agenda and transport

The protection of existing public green spaces has already been identified as a high priority. The use of green space has become more important in recent months for social gatherings, exercise and well-being. We expect that protection and enhancement of existing open spaces, and delivery of new, well-connected public spaces, will be a key component of the City Vision.  

The council published the Green City Plan in March 2020 and declared a climate emergency. It has consistently focussed on concerns around air quality management indicating that environmental sustainability will also, quite rightly, be a key theme of the emerging City Vision.

The green agenda links with the transport strategy across the city with regard to sustainable transport, encouraging walking and cycling, and committing to green electricity. The council has invested in the city’s cycling networks with new cycle lanes across the city including Millbrook and the Inner-Avenue. This development of a green transport network is likely to be built upon to continue the momentum of the Green City Plan ambitions. Whilst walking and cycling as forms of sustainable transport are likely to become more popular, the use of public transport remains a key challenge, particularly connecting the suburban areas of the city to the centre. Public transport usage fell during the pandemic and reverting back to cars is not a viable green solution due to the congestion and environmental damage they cause. The City Vision will need to provide infrastructure for and encourage the use of public transport, which could be achieved by making public transport safer and cleaner, reprioritising the use of roads and improving connectivity across the city. Despite ambitions, in the shorter term the council will need to bear in mind that private car use will need to be accommodated in the city for the time being.

Access to the waterfront

Making the most of the city’s unique waterside environment has long been a policy objective with developments at Ocean Village, Chapel Riverside and Meridian Waterside demonstrating the attractiveness of the waterside environment to developers, investors, residents and visitors.

Looking forward we see opportunities to regenerate further waterfront areas on the Itchen, north of the Itchen Bridge, on both sides of the river; retaining waterside access for key industries whilst developing a strategy which allows secondary industrial space to be relocated to free-up waterside sites for higher-density, mixed-use redevelopment.

The proposed Mayflower Quarter highlights ambitions to connect the city with the waterfront around Mayflower Park. The consultation process, to which we will be contributing to ensure opportunities are maximised and a holistic approach is taken to waterfront development, is currently underway, closing on 31 December 2020.

The vision is that redevelopment in this area will link the heart of Southampton to an area of prime waterfront. The consultation is intended to inform the development of a masterplan for the Mayflower Quarter which extends from the north of Southampton Central Station to the waterfront. The development aims to provide world-class facilities for businesses, alongside city centre homes and leisure opportunities. Areas of premium public realm will be integral to the mixed-use development, which will help re-connect the waterfront with the city centre.

It will be interesting to see if the ambition can be realised and lessons learnt from previous endeavours such as Royal Pier Waterfront. The Mayflower Quarter proposals differ in that they will create a framework within which land-owners and developers can bring forward individual projects which will transform the area over time rather than focussing on a single grand project. The council has put some ‘skin-in-the game’ with its commitment to delivering a substantial office development  as part of the Toys’R’Us site regeneration within the Mayflower Quarter, and the recent submission of an application to redevelop the Leisure World site (application reference 20/01544/OUT) also represents a significant indication of confidence in the opportunity that the quarter provides. This is a project that would be of huge benefit to the city, finally connecting Southampton’s successful port with the centre of the city. However, it will be important that the Mayflower Quarter does not become the sole focus of investment activity such that other areas of the city are neglected.

The city centre

Recent development and investment has seen Southampton maintain its position as one of the top three cities in the UK in the Good Growth for Cities index.

The City Vision will need to carefully consider the future role and viability of the city centre, and notably the high street, in response to the decline in the use of city centres across the country as a result of the pandemic and various lockdowns.

Some scaling back and repurposing retail floorspace on the periphery of the city centre has occurred over recent years, in areas such as Est Street and our client, Tellon Capital’s, scheme at the Bargate Centre. The decline of bricks and mortar retailing has been rapidly accelerated by COVID-19 and the City Vision will provide an opportunity to allocate sites for residential and other forms of development within the city centre and on its periphery. The allocation of sites for a range of forms of city-centre living including build-to-rent, PRS, purpose-built student accommodation, and urban later living would help reinvigorate city centre and support services such as shops, cafes and pubs which have previously been dependent on office workers for much of their custom. It is important that such developments are properly planned for, alongside the provision of new public spaces.

The future of office stock in the city will need to be reviewed in order to provide city centre workspaces for high-skilled workers that suit more flexible ways of working.

Changing housing choices

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven many changes, including priorities when it comes to housing choices, with requirements for both more indoor and outdoor space at the top of the wish list. It is likely that the City Vision will include a policy on internal space standards to ensure that new developments provide for the needs of people both living and working from home. The importance of both private and public green space is also likely to be highlighted within the vision.

The tension between maximising the use of brownfield opportunities in the city centre through tall buildings, and the provision of public and private green space to serve such developments, will need to be approached strategically and expectations of housing providers made clear. 

Delivery of affordable housing will be a key challenge and the council will need to have a clear approach to how this is balanced with other priorities to ensure that the affordable housing the city needs is delivered in central locations, such as the Mayflower Quarter, where it can benefit from excellent access to services and facilities in the city centre. 

Key considerations moving forward

We have set out below some key actions that we think the council should consider as it progresses work on the new Local Plan and the Mayflower Quarter.

1. Act quickly – don’t delay plan production on the back of the Planning White Paper consultation. The White Paper challenge to deliver future local plans in 30 months does not mean that production of the plan should stall or be delayed. Planning, and the development industry, will have a pivotal role to play in stimulating regeneration and economic recovery and in delivering new urban places and spaces. A clear, relevant and up-to-date policy framework will be essential to guide this process.
2. Build flexibility into the Local Plan and the masterplan – if the pandemic has demonstrated anything it is that plans need to be flexible and adaptable to unanticipated change. The City Vision should focus on establishing a clear strategic framework for the delivery of key developments infrastructure, but allow flexibility within that framework to respond to changes which may emerge over the plan period.
3. Build and consolidate collaborative relationships – achieving economic, social and place-making success means engaging with a broad range of organisations across the city, the Central South region and beyond. The needs and wishes of the city’s residents and businesses need to be married with the public and private sector investment needed to deliver change. This means investing in relationships and building collaborative ways of working, with communities, businesses, land-owners, developers and investors.
4. Found proposals in the reality of what can be achieved – this is not a call to limit ambition but as the city grapples with social and economic changes it will be more important than ever that the City Vision provides a framework for development that can be delivered in the short-term, contributing to both economic recovery and the direction of travel of the longer-term vision.   
5. Plan for the whole city – the City Vision needs to be a plan for the whole of the city and all of its communities. Whilst the city centre acts as a retail and service centre for the whole community, the importance of district and local centres in a post-COVID future, sub-urban housing regeneration, provision of suitable employment and logistics sites, and improvements to city-wide transport infrastructure all need to be addressed.

If you have interests in land or property in Southampton and would like to discuss the matters raised in the Issues and Options consultation, or would like any further details on promoting sites through the Southampton City Vision going forward, please get in touch with Sarah Hockin or Mervyn McFarland.

9 December 2020