Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
FOR THE
PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT
OF
LUNESIDE, LANCASTER,
UNITED KINGDOM
CRAIG ASQUITH
august 2009
CONTENTS
2 INTRODUCTION
2 Location
4 Description of the Site
5 History
5 - The Site
8 - James Williamson II (Lord Ashton)
10 Historic Fabric
10 - the City
10 - Architectural Style
13 The Site and the City
14 Landscape Setting
16 Site Analysis - Planning
18 Site Analysis - History
18 Site Analysis - Views
20 Site Analysis - Physical Setting
21 Site Analysis - Flooding
22 Site Analysis - Access
23 Site Analysis - Microclimate
24 Site Analysis - Built Assets
26 Site Analysis - Ecology and Conservation
28 Site Analysis - Summary
29 DESIGN APPROACH
29 Brief
30 Partners
30 Strategy
31 The Lancaster Environment Centre
32 Concept
33 SITE PLANNING
38 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
38 Planting Strategy
39 Landscape Framework
41 Precedents
42 Visualisations
44 REFERENCES
1
INTRODUCTION
Location
The site is a 25ha area of riverside, occupying a former industrial area in the
historic city of Lancaster, in northwest England (see figures 1-3).
Although the city of Lancaster is in the far north of Lancashire, close to the remote
fells of the Lake District and the expanse of Morecambe Bay, it is well connected
to the major conurbations of NW England by motorway, road and mainline
railway. The closest airport is Blackpool, with Liverpool and Manchester airports
providing good international connections.
LANCASTER
1:130,000
2
Luneside
3
Description of the Site
The area is a chaotic mixture of derelict or vacant nineteenth and early-mid
twentieth century industrial buildings, waste land (with some contamination
issues), isolated modern industrial units (small and large), untidy street and
unorganised public space, and an under-utilised riverside. In short, the area is
run-down and neglected (see figure 4).
The site is bounded and physically constrained to the north by the river Lune.
East of the site is the Castle Conservation Area including Lancaster Castle it-
self, the Priory Church and the historic waterfront of St. George’s Quay (which
contains converted warehouses and new buildings providing a mix of housing,
office, food and drink and heritage uses). To the south is an area of established
residential communities, including the Marsh housing estate. “The Marsh”, as
it is known, is a run-down former council estate, and has been identified by the
City Council as a priority for economic and social regeneration.
The area has not benefitted from any significant investment from either public or
private sources.
The river itself is tidal, and from this point widens to become a broad estuary
4
with mudflats and saltmarsh, part of the wider Morecambe Bay system. The estu-
ary is a SSSI, the boundary of which is just 200 metres from the site.
Lancaster City Council has also acknowledged that regeneration of this area is a
long term objective, describing the site in a brief for a neighbouring area as “… an
extensive area of derelict and underused previously developed land. Despite de-
velopment constraints, this is Lancaster’s major resource of brownfield land with
potential for redevelopment in the long term.” (Lancaster City Council, Luneside
East Development Brief, 2004).
There are obvious problems that the site imposes – existing structures, contami-
nated land, and restricted access via the Quayside and the surrounding residen-
tial areas.
History
The Site
Lancaster held an important role as major port during the 18th century. Be-
fore this time Lancaster was essentially a fortress “border” town and ad-
ministrative and legal centre; the scene of many an Anglo-Scottish skirmish.
But the Lune was wide enough and deep enough to allow ocean-going ves-
sels to load and unload close to the heart of the city (see fig 5). International
trade (cloth and hardware in return for sugar, spices, cotton, etc from the West
Indies) flourished and the city needed
facilities – quays, warehouses, custom house and
ship yards.
1:25,000
Lancaster’s role as a port declined in the early 19th century due to competition
from other ports, including nearby Glasson, and the difficulty of ever larger ships
navigating the Lune. However, this trade had brought considerable wealth to
the city, and had transformed it into a mercantile and commercial centre. Indus-
tries and trades that had developed as a result of foreign trade (cloth, furniture
and engineering), would flourish. As the quayside fell into decline, industrialists
occupied the site, and one in particular, a James Williamson (senior), had estab-
lished a coated fabrics works there.
It was James Williamson (junior), however, who, in the 1870s, transformed the
business and the site into what became one of the city’s largest employers. The
new Lune Mills Factory, on the site of a recently bankrupted shipyard, produced
floorcloth, then blindcloth and finally, in 1887, cork linoleum. After the acquisi-
tion of further land from Lancaster Corporation in 1889, major development of
the firm proceeded quickly. The works finally grew to cover twenty-one acres
(see figures 7 and 8).
Many of the buildings are red brick (see figure 9), due in large part to the fact that
they were constructed from left-over bricks from a former brickworks. However,
the buildings facing the river were stone-faced and rather more ornate, accom-
modating the factory’s offices.
By 1894, Williamson’s were employing 2,500, and by 1911, the firm employed
around 25% of Lancaster’s working men and women.
Production reached its peak in the 1950s, but the following decade was to see the
company taken over by its rival, Nairns of Kirkcaldy, and the operation in Lan-
caster was gradually wound down, with the majority of production transferred
to Scotland. The company was then owned by Forbo Kingfisher Ltd, and finally
Forbo Lancaster Ltd, with production eventually ceasing in 1999.
Since 1999 the site has been occupied by a variety of businesses, but much of it
has remained vacant, derelict and neglected. Recent modern additions were built
in the late 1990s, and there have been limited plans to redevelop the site (mainly
housing and mixed use). However, the plan proposed in this document is a far
7
more ambitious and exciting prospect for the site, and the city, than any so far
proposed.
The site and city owes much of its Victorian and Edwardian character to James
Williamson (senior) (see figure 10). He was a philanthropist – donating money
to civic projects and other worthy causes in Lancaster and Lytham St. Anne’s, on
the Fylde coast.
To Lancaster, he donated the Queen Victoria Monument and the new Town Hall,
(both in Dalton Square), the Ashton Wing of the former Royal Albert Hos-
pital, Ashton House at Lancaster Royal Grammar School, Ashton Hall, and
money to help build other local hospitals. He also completed the works
and renovation of Williamson Park, started by his father, with the build-
ing of the Ashton Memorial (see fig 11), which overlooks the city, and
is visible from the site. On the opposite side of the river from the site
is Ryelands House and park – his home in the city (see figure 12).
The park was transferred to the City in 1931, with some of it being
used to build the Ryelands and Skerton housing estates in the mid-
1930s. Ryelands Park, Williamson Park and the site of the former
Lune Mills form a “triangle of influence” (see figure 13), enveloping
the city.
It is notable that he did not build homes or provide other benefits for
his employees.
Amongst his many civic roles and titles, he was the Liberal MP for Lan-
caster (1886-95), and ultimately elevated to the peerage and the House of
Lords in 1895, becoming Baron Ashton of Ashton. He died in Lancaster
in 1930 at the age of 88, leaving a fortune of £10.5 million.
Skerton
Ryelands
Ryelands
House and Park
Luneside
Williamson Park
1:50,000
Historical sources: Lancaster City Council Property Services and website; White (ed) 2001
9
CONTEXT AND SITE APPRAISAL
Historic Fabric
The City
A Roman fort was established here, but the first major phase of urban expansion
took place in mediaeval times, at the foot of the castle, with little further growth
until in the 18th century, when the town expanded with classically-planned
areas. However, only in the late 19th century did development expand beyond
the confines of the canal and railway. In the twentieth century, there were some
planned suburban developments, but generally, development has been piecemeal
and unplanned. The early 20th century town lacked any overall structure or plan
form, and the organic and haphazard nature of development has remained a
feature of the town’s growth.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, growth absorbed surrounding villages and
eventually closed the gap between Lancaster and Morecambe. Early to mid 20th
century housing estates dominate the suburbs, and feature as the main aspect of
urban expansion during that period.
The town’s 18th century mercantile prosperity led to its almost total rebuilding
in stone. The stone was gained from local quarries, and was very pale when
fresh and used flush, as ashlar, on public faces. Flagstone was used for flooring,
fireplaces and roofing. However, by the early 19th century, flags were replaced
for roofing by Coniston slates (White 2000). By the late 19th century brick was
being used for some of the newer terraces.
Architectural Style
Lancaster has a stunning architectural legacy, and it has over 300 listed buildings.
It has many notable Georgian buildings including those on the St George’s Quay
(the Custom House and a range of Georgian warehouses), and in the town centre
(the old town hall (now the museum), the Assembly Rooms, Penny’s Hospital
and many of the buildings surrounding Castle Hill). Beyond the historic core,
Lancaster has a very different - and substantially Victorian - character, dominated
by important buildings in the Gothic style. Equally dominant, are the streets of
terraced housing, dating from the 1870s through to the early 1900s. Lancaster
differs from Morecambe, and most other Lancashire towns, because its heritage is
so diverse; it is not limited to a single period of major development (LCC 2006).
Historical sources: Lancashire County Council Historic Town Survey: Lancaster (2006); White
(ed) 2001; White (2000)
10
Lancaster Castle Typical terraced street
St. George’s Quay
A canal-side mill
Skerton Bridge
Victoria Monument
Ashton Memorial
11
Lancaster’s Catholic cathedral
Lancaster c. 1780
Penny’s Hospital
Penny Street
The Judge’s Lodgings
12
The Site and the City
The site sits between the city and the saltmarsh, but it neither links nor pays
reference to either. As the site was developed, it introduced a new character to the
city - industrial, harsh and grimy. From historical maps (see figure 14), it is clear
that the site was developed on a grid, though it is also likely that development was
piecemeal; that the site as a whole as it ultimately became was not pre-planned.
Clearly constrained by the river and the railway (built 1833), the site has always
been physically isolated, forming a distinctive ingredient to the mixture that is
Lancaster.
1:14,500
1891
1931
13
Landscape Setting
Figure 15 Landscape character
The city, including neighbouring
Morecambe, sits within the
Morecambe Coast and Lune
Estuary countryside character area 1:57,000
Figures 16 and 17 show by means of aerial photography the character of the city
and surrounding area.
14
White Lund Morecambe
saltmarsh Ind. Estate
landfill site
Salt Ayre Sports
Aldcliffe Marsh Luneside Centre
Railway Station
Castle
St. George’s Quay
drumlin fields
M6
Ashton Memorial
Williamson Park
The following points are summarised from the Lancaster District Local Plan
(LDLP) and illustrated in figure 18:
Designation
Employment Area
Housing
Part of the site is capable of accommodating 400 dwellings, but the following
issues obviate residential development:
ground contamination
existence of industrial/commercial activities
poor road access
flood risk
This means that the Council cannot commit to carrying a proposal for housing
forward into the Local Plan. Indeed, a recent council audit of the district’s housing
needs (LCC public inquiry document published 2007) concluded that current
and projected requirements could be adequately provided for from the current
available land for new housing within the LDLP.
16
Recreation
There is a shortage of recreation space in the district, with the Council committed
to continuing to develop Salt Ayre (sports centre) and the former landfill site (for
sports and informal recreation), on the opposite bank of the river.
Lune Riverside Park (upstream) will continue to be developed and advance the
promotion of cycling along the riverside.
Employment
The service sector is growing, particularly within education and tourism. 78% of
those employed in the district are engaged in the service sector.
Within the LDLP the amount of land required for employment 1991-2006 is 100ha.
Between 1991 and 1996, only 9ha of land was developed for employment, with
the vast majority of land allocated for employment being unused.
There is a substantial stock of vacant land on the site (22%), but it is constrained
by contamination, access and flood risk issues.
1:16,250
Luneside
17
Site Analysis - History
Figure 19 Key historical elements
White Lund Trading Estate Lancaster-Poulton (now
late 20th century commercial Morecambe) electric Ryelands Estate 1930s
Lancaster-Carlisle
railway 1848 railway 1846
1800-1850
Lancaster Castle
Station 1846
1850-1900
1900-1950
1950-present or undeveloped
From Heaton
LV
LV
LV
1:16,250
18
View from site to opposite side of river
Views within the site - buildings obscure long views, but glimpses of the distant
Bowland Fells are possible
1:82,000
Figure 21 Geographical influences
estuarine
precipitation
20
Site Analysis - Flooding
The level of flood risk derives from the interaction of geology, soils, topography,
rainfall and human activity. Figure 22 shows the level of flood risk to the site
prior to recent works by the Environment Agency to improve defences.
Zone 2 (medium
1:16,250 probability)
Zone 3b (functional
floodplain)
According to a report published by the City Council in 2007, the site is in High
Probability risk area (including functional floodplain). Areas within the functional
floodplain (Zone 3b) are subject to relatively frequent flooding, and may be subject
to fast flowing and/or deep water. Areas in Zone 3a may be subject to flooding up
to (and including) once in every 100 years
as a result of fluvial (river) flooding, and
once in every 200 years as a result of tidal
flooding.
The photograph shows fields flooded during the winter of 2007, the result of soil
saturation after heavy rainfall.
21
Site Analysis - Access
Figure 23 Access
1:16,250
1:16,250
22
1:43,000
B D
A C
Walls and fences
1:6,600
B A
C
D
E
24
An on-going programme of demolition has been taking place in preparation
for redevelopment. The drawing in figure 27 attempts to record the remaining
buildings on site. The buildings circled have been identified as having potential
for re-use. The building identified as “A” is a key building in the plan for the site
- it is a substantial stone-fronted mill (see figure 28).
25
Site Analysis - Ecology and Conservation
Figure 29 illustrates the stark contrast in ecology of the area surrounding the site.
Typically, urban environments (such as Lancaster) have less diverse populations
of fauna and flora, but the land immediately downstream of the site contains
natural habitats of national and international importance, including the Lune
Estuary SSSI, Morecambe Bay SAC/SPA/SSSI/Ramsar and Freeman’s Wood
County Biological Heritage Site.
The Lune Estuary forms part of the Morecambe Bay intertidal system and
includes extensive mudflats and saltmarsh. As part of Morecambe Bay,
the site forms a major link in the chain of estuaries along the west coast of
Britain used by birds on migration between the breeding grounds in the
far north, and the wintering grounds further south, and is of international
importance for the passage and wintering waterfowl it supports.
Some of the saltmarshes are of interest for their breeding bird populations and
collectively support a variety of plant communities and a number of uncommon
plant species.
1:19,300
27
Site Analysis - Summary
Figure 32 summarises the most salient aspects of site survey and analysis.
CONSTRAINTS OPPORTUNITIES
Edges and boundaries - physical and visual
Lune Estuary SSSI to west SSSI - high ecological value on site’s doorstep
Flood risk Flood risk mitigated by recent Environment
Agency works
Potential to exploit floodwater for
environmental improvement and SUDS
Ponds habitat for birds
Economic
Recent downturn - capital for major works not as available Long term growth in service sector and green
economy
Current designation as employment area City already has available land which is
underused; local authority looking for
innovative ideas for the site
No listed buildings
No TPOs
1:16,250
DESIGN APPROACH
Brief
In response to Lancaster City Council’s (LCC) public invitation for proposals for
the economic and physical regeneration of Luneside, a consortium, led by the
University of Lancaster, has developed a masterplan for the site.
1. To reintegrate the site within the city, provide better connections to the river,
resolve access problems, and provide greater public access.
4. To provide a busy campus atmosphere - a place to live, study and enjoy the
benefits of a rich variety of cultural activities in keeping with the heritage, culture
and environment of the city as a whole, and made available to all members of the
local community.
9. To improve accessibility, promote public transport and the use of the bicycle as
part of local and national objectives.
29
Partners
The strategy for the site is to relocate some of the University’s academic
departments within the field of the environment - geography, biology,
environmental science and all the associated research departments - to the new
site. In addition, other academic departments will be re-located as part of the
University’s expansion programme, and 200-300 units of student accommodation
will be required (the first in the city itself).
The new site will also be home to public and private bodies whose main focus of
work is the environment. This will include a new home for the Centre for Ecology
and Hydrology (the major partner with the University), the Environment Agency
(Northwest), Natural England (Northwest) and a variety of small to medium
size businesses. In addition, an area is set aside for a more typical business park.
There will be no restrictions on the kinds of business on the site, but they will
be encouraged to be green-focussed by the introduction of covenants pertaining
to energy use, use of the private car, etc. Building construction will also have
to conform, if not exceed, current government guidelines on sustainable
construction.
The new site will be called the Lancaster Environment Centre and will be
funded by the University, the NECR and CEH, along with substantial private
investment.
Strategy
The essence of the strategy is to provide a new home for 21st century green
industries and services, spearheaded by the University, which sees its role as
a leader in the field and having a social responsibility to the city, and the wider
world.
The site will combine the best of employment, leisure and open space, with a
strong emphasis on protecting and enhancing the local environment by initiating
woodland and wetland expansion to the west of the site, and to the wider world
in its work and the resources it consumes. The University aspires to make as much
of the site as accessible to the public as is possible, given the usual constraints of
security and protection of sensitive facilities. The two main parks - will be gifted
to the public, funded jointly by the University and LCC.
30
The Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC)
The LEC will contain state-of-the-art controlled environment facilities,
specialised laboratories and cutting-edge equipment to allow integrative studies
of terrestrial, aquatic and atmospheric systems, along with new offices, meeting
rooms and laboratories for university research and a new facility for the location
of businesses.
http://www.lec.lancs.ac.uk/
31
Concept
The original brief asked us to consider options for a specific area of the city, but
arising from the site survey and analysis was the revelation that the solutions for
the site required an approach beyond the site boundary.
The site is more than a site to build on or a place where the gaps need to be
filled. This site is an integral part of the city, with important physical and social
connections to the wider city; providing also a bridge between the city and the
“wilderness” of the estuary and Morecambe Bay. However, these connections
are frail and damaged, largely neglected and certainly forgotten.
Fundamental to the success of the regeneration of the site is the principle of:
The gap between the urban city and the city’s natural heritage will be bridged.
Figure 33 Concept
32
SITE PLANNING
Roads
Drainage
33
PROPOSED ROAD BRIDGE
Figure 35 Strategic masterplan
UPGRADED ROAD/PATH/CYCLEWAY
PROPOSED FOOT/CYCLE BRIDGE
1:8,000
34
DETAIL MASTERPLAN - SEE OPPOSITE PAGE
Waterfront walk/park
Student accommodation
Proposed footbridge
Main building
Luneside Park
Academic campus
Meadow Park
35
(informal)
Visitor Centre
Plant research - greenhouses
(heritage/environment/arts)
and planting beds
The main campus sits where two pedestrian axes (red) cross at right-angles to
each other, forming a nodal junction (purple). This crossroads pinpoints
the heart of the campus, around which buildings are arranged to
form enclosure, and delineate public space.
Visitor Centre
(heritage/environment/arts)
36
This existing mill (previously
identified as “A”) is a key build-
ing in the landscape plan
as it provides a destination
or termination point to the
main axis. As a destination its
attraction is derived from its
function. The choice to house
public facilities here will have
broad public appeal
Gateway
37
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Planting Strategy
1:10,000
Landscape Framework
Examples of the materials and colour palette proposed can be found on the
following pages.
Figure 39 Harmony
Gateway
Business park
Student accommodation
Visitor Centre
Luneside Park
Natural areas
Waterfront
Main campus
Meadow Park
Plaza
Axes
39
Courtstone Conservation Permeable blocks
‘Conservation’ kerbs for
higher quality entrances
‘Conservation’ edging
and paving slabs
‘Courtstone’ paving
Dense bituminous
macadam/asphalt and
standard concrete road
kerbs for all access road
p
Standard materials
p Materials for use with historic structures or within high quality areas
Sandstone
Granite setts
Concrete bench
Granite
40
Shawfair Business Park on the outskirts
of Edinburgh. Again, a simple , restrained,
Precedents aesthetic for both building and landscape.
4
3
View 1. The site as viewed from the northern bank of the Lune - road bridge to left, foot-/cyclebridge to right
View 4. Central Avenue from student residences, looking towards the campus
Viewed from North Quay Road. This elevation faces the river.
43
REFERENCES
http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/
Lancashire Bird Club/Lancashire Fauna and Flora Society, Atlas of the Breeding
Birds of Lancashire and Merseyside 1997-2000, Hobby Publications, 2001
Lancaster City Council, Lancaster District Local Plan 1996-2006 (adopted 2004)
Lancaster City Council, Proof of Evidence re Application for Mixed Use Development
at Luneside West, January 2007
White, A. J., The Buildings of Georgian Lancaster, Centre for Northwest Regional
Studies, 2000
44