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A strategy for neighbourhood renewal
In the area of Rose Hill Road written and compiled by local residents – August 2005
REPORT ON AN OXFORD NEIGHBOURHOOD WHICH INCLUDES ROSE HILL ROAD, THE PARADE, AND THE IMMEDIATE SURROUNDING RESIDENTIAL AREA
REPORT SUBMITTED TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT
OXFORD CITY COUNCIL
OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
THAMES VALLEY POLICE|
ANDREW SMITH MP
CONTENTS
2 Four issues which are central to the report
5 A strategy for regeneration of the neighbourhood
7 The report from the community
This is a report about a neighbourhood in Oxford which encompasses Rose Hill Road, a small row of shops known as Rose Hill Parade, and the immediate residential area which surrounds them. The report has been compiled by local people. There are current outstanding planning issues which are vital to the future of this neighbourhood. There is also a decline in the neighbourhood environment due to an upsurge in anti-social behaviour and crime. The aim of the report is to promote and implement a planned strategy for regeneration of the neighbourhood by mobilising a joint plan of action between the city and county councils with the co-operation of Thames Valley Police. The neighbourhood community requests support and suggestions from the Planning Inspectorate of the Department of the Environment, elected councillors and Andrew Smith MP.
Successful regeneration of this neighbourhood would also benefit and extend a positive message to the wider community, including the Rose Hill estate, Iffley, Iffley Road, Cowley and Littlemore. It is only with the combined support of everyone concerned that a successful programme for regeneration can be achieved.
This is mainly a residential locality which is unique to Oxford for its once splendid plan and design. It has an interesting mixture of housing and architecture with a small row of shops and businesses which are surrounded by houses. The shops, with flats above, are particularly attractive buildings and a major asset to the visual appearance of the neighbourhood. Businesses and residential buildings are situated close to one another. On one side of the thoroughfare of Rose Hill Road there are mainly houses and flats, a row of small shops and businesses with flats above, and a Co-op. There is also a garage which has expanded greatly over a period of years through incremental development. The other side of the thoroughfare is completely residential and made up of detached and semi-detached housing.
There are wide footpaths and pleasant grass verges. There is a small green area which is central to the neighbourhood at the junction of the parade and Courtland Road. Other side streets included in this report are Westbury Crescent, Annesley Road and Villiers Lane.
The interest and concern of the local community about their neighbourhood environment has risen greatly in recent weeks as major changes to the area are imminent. The local pub, ‘The King of Prussia’ has closed and is boarded up. The site has been purchased by ‘The Co-op’ which presumably will wish to move from its current premises next to Humphris Garage. It is assumed that the existing Co-op will be taken over by the garage which will seek to redevelop the site. Both of these sites are surrounded by houses and flats on three sides. Such changes provide an opportunity for the area to be improved by careful planning. The general consensus is that this is a predominately residential neighbourhood which will strongly oppose ideas for development that will unnecessarily attract more traffic from outside the neighbourhood or detract from the appearance or functioning of the neighbourhood.
There is also recent heightened awareness in the community about planning matters since two mobile phone mast companies have sought to install masts in inappropriate locations in the neighbourhood: one on the small common green area at the junction of Rose Hill road and Courtland Road, the other a short distance along the road on the grass verge immediately opposite houses and only a few yards from them. This is a neighbourhood in need of renewal and seeking to find solutions to a number of problems. It would therefore be unwise to burden the community with alienating features such as this.
Four issues are central to this report:
1 Planning matters which are current, some with applications under review, or at the outline stage.
2 Incremental development, particularly at the garage, much of which has had an increasing detrimental effect over a period of years on the appearance and functioning of the neighbourhood as well as a decline in the quality of the immediate environment for the people who live in the neighbourhood.
3 The apparent rise in anti-social behaviour, particularly along the parade of shops. This has a detrimental effect on the neighbourhood for local residents, the people in business on the parade and their customers.
4 Parking and traffic management.
1 To bring together a forum from the city and county councils and with the co-operation of Thames Valley Police, to mobilise and implement a planned strategy for regeneration of the neighbourhood.
2 To highlight matters which are of particular concern to the community. To bring these matters to the attention of Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Thames Valley Police, Environmental Health, the Planning Inspectorate of the Department of the Environment, elected councillors and Andrew Smith MP.
3 To seek solutions to problems in the neighbourhood.
4 To avoid further decline in the neighbourhood from new or incremental development which will exacerbate existing problems, create new problems, or detract from the appearance and functioning of the neighbourhood.
5 To give a framework from people in the neighbourhood to these authorities as a means of assisting them in the future decision making process about this neighbourhood.
• The report takes the form of itemising problems and areas of concern and in each case offers suggestions for improvement as they have been put forward by members of the community.
• Each section describes existing problems and wherever possible tries to explain, through the observations and experiences of local people, how a particular problem has developed and the effect it has on the community.
• The community hopes that the city and county councils together with Thames Valley Police will find the report helpful and be able to use this information to advantage in both understanding the nature of the problems in the neighbourhood and seeking solutions.
Many local people have contributed to the report by articulating particular problems and experiences in the neighbourhood as well as contributing positive suggestions for improvement. Hopes for improvement and a sense of intolerance of further decline are growing sentiments in the community.
A strategy for regeneration of the neighbourhood:
1 All future planning applications relating to incremental development or change should be carefully scrutinised by the planning authority; to be judged within the entire context of this neighbourhood in order to establish whether or not the proposal will further damage the immediate neighbourhood environment or enhance its appearance and bring about improvement.
2 A workable strategy for renewal would examine the key issues surrounding the problems of past incremental development with a view to phasing out, wherever possible, the kinds of development which have led to problems in the neighbourhood environment. The phasing out of bad practices can be replaced by the phasing in of better practices which will enhance and restore the neighbourhood. This is a policy which is now being put into operation by other authorities around the country in areas which have become ‘alienating environments’ due to the destructive cumulative effects of indiscriminate incremental development upon a neighbourhood.
3 A workable strategy for renewal will require the voluntary co-operation of businesses and the planning authority to establish a joint understanding with a single goal which is to improve and re-create a pleasant neighbourhood environment in terms of its visual appeal, security, safety, and ease of living.
4 Suggestions for improvement to the overall appearance of the parade require public space vision to mobilise a plan of action. Planning expertise and communication between both city and county authorities is necessary. Many issues raised require communication between both councils and Thames Valley Police to seek solutions which relate to road safety, parking and traffic control, anti-social behaviour and crime.
5 There is a lack of confidence within the community in matters concerning anti-social behaviour and crime. Residents and shopkeepers rarely, if ever, see a foot policeman and often find it difficult to get prompt assistance when there is an incident. Greater interest and physical presence by the police is required to restore confidence in the community.
The neighbourhood community hopes that information in this report will assist in the formation and implementation of a planned strategy to regenerate the neighbourhood. Local people would appreciate suggestions, and feed-back from the Department of the Environment, the planners and police. Above all, it is only through a plan of action to implement improvement that the problems in the neighbourhood will be addressed. This community envisages a better functioning, more attractive and safer neighbourhood in which to live and work but it is only with the co-operation of all the authorities concerned and the voluntary agreement of businesses that this will be achieved.
It could be said that much of what already exists in planning law should cover the issues raised in this report. There is no doubt that planning laws do have flexibility which can be exercised to bring about general improvement. However, in this report, members of the community are seeking the vision, expertise and action by the authorities to solve problems which are specific to this neighbourhood. These issues require the combined co-operation of the Oxford City Council, the Oxfordshire County Council and Thames Valley Police, together with the voluntary agreement of businesses in the neighbourhood.
Some of the issues raised are quite complex and refer to matters which have an ongoing and cumulative negative effect on the neighbourhood.
There are current outstanding planning matters, at both planning and pre-planning stage, which will require a thorough overall understanding of the neighbourhood to ensure that planning decisions are made which will achieve the best possible outcome for the neighbourhood. These include outline plans for the ex King of Prussia site, two proposals for mobile phone masts, commercial advertising lights and totem poles at Humphris Garage, plans at the county council relating to parking in the neighbourhood. A more attractive neighbourhood that is well planned will create a neighbourhood environment that invites less anti-social behaviour and a better place for people to live and work.
A successful plan for regeneration of this neighbourhood will be a positive influence and extend benefit to the wider communities of Iffley Road, the Rose Hill estate, Cowley, Iffley and Littlemore.
Members of this community hope that the issues raised herein will give greater insight to the decision making processes and provide a framework for the planners and police which will assist in the formation and implementation of a planned strategy for regeneration of this neighbourhood.
REPORT COMPILED FROM CONTRIBUTIONS
BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY
Sections of Report
1 Future development of ex ‘King of Prussia’ pub site.
2 Future development of existing Co-op site
3 Traffic congestion and road safety
4 Parking congestion and road safety
6 Planning proposals for mobile phone masts
7 Commercial advertising and lighting
8 Anti-social behaviour, crime and security
To read thhe reports, click on the relevant lines above,
Several of the issues in the categories listed above will overlap with one another.
It is not possible at this stage to comment on final planning applications which have not yet been submitted to the authority. However, it is hoped that the issues raised in this report will assist planning applicants in the drawing up of plans and the planning authority in their assessments.
