Stage 3 Proposal Consultation

Using the findings of the Stage 1 and Stage 2 consultations, an indicative plan has now been created that proposes a mix of uses across the site. It is proposed that this plan is taken forward in the Project D business case for further exploration with potential service providers. Whilst the plan shows the proposed scheme for Project D, it is still indicative at this stage and may be amended to reflect the requirements of providers, for example the shrinking or growing of one of the commercial elements to meet the needs of operators.

An image of the plan with annotations can be found below and a descriptive overview is in the 'Proposal Details' section further down the page:

Video of the Concept Area (Library, Water Tower, Trent House)

Images of the Concept Area

Some of the general changes from the Stage 2 consultation are as follows:

More specific detail can be found below.

Consultation on this proposal is now open and we are asking for residents to using the sliding scale to show whether they do or do not support the overall proposal and to make any comments to explain the response. This will run until Monday 10th January 2022 .

The below sections will describe each of the different elements on the proposed plan.

Outdoor Leisure (Meadowside Car Park)

This proposal includes outdoor leisure space on the Meadowside Car Park area that could accommodate uses such as a Cruyff Football Court and Tennis Courts (hatched red) in order to enable more active outdoor leisure activity in conjunction with the Meadowside Leisure Centre.

The remaining land on Meadowside Car Park would be identified for the re-provision of car parking (hatched blue), with options to look into green parking spaces and design, including new methods of electric vehicle charging. The surrounding land would be landscaped to create an attractive waterfront area (hatched green).

Keyworker First Homes and Town Houses (Carling House area)

22 units of 'first homes' for keyworkers are proposed for the Carling House area running along Meadowside Drive and the High Street (blue and pink units), which is a significant reduction against the Local Plan allocation for the site (2015), which expected a provision of 200 residential units. 8 further units would be expected on the remaining land at Bargates, as per the planning permission (orange units).

Indoor Leisure Facility (Carling House area)

The indoor leisure facility (red unit) has relocated from Meadowside Car Park in order to provide a larger facility, to enable better access to the main car park area, and to create a better activity centre in the central part of the site adjacent Meadowside Leisure Centre. The proposed building would be 2,740 sqm in size, which has been modelled on the basis of similar sized facilities in Stafford (Tenpin; 2,651 sqm), Tamworth (NAMCO, 3,158 sqm) and Ashby (Rebound Inflatable Park; 1,993 sqm). The structure is based on a double height single storey building at the moment, wrapping around the corner of Meadowside Drive. The area in front of it (hatched blue) would be used for additional parking, which would also incorporate the parking for Meadowside Leisure Centre.

The layout and structure of this building could change depending on operator requirements, for example it could be split into two units, have a second storey, or change the general layout.

Heritage Centre (Town House) and Bass House (High Street frontage)

This proposal for Town House has not changed since the Stage 2 consultation and so it is still proposed to be used as a heritage centre, which would effectively be a small scale community museum space.

For Bass House, no specific uses are being proposed for the main building (fronting onto High Street) at this time, with possible uses explored once other areas of the site are implemented, which could affect the type of use required at Bass House. At the moment, it could be used for hospitality, retail, food and drink, residential conversation, or office/conferencing. This approach creates an opportunity to be more receptive to speculative market interest, for example if a hotel operator expressed an interest once the rest of the site emerged. In the meantime, the building would be maintained and could be opened up for temporary uses.

This does not include the area at the rear of Bass House (cafeteria area, marked red), which forms part of the concept area below.

Andressey Passage and Garden of Remembrance

The proposal for both of these areas is to improve the existing structures and facilities. For Andressey Passage, this would be working with adjacent landowners to look at improving lighting, cleansing and general appeal. For the Garden of Remembrance, the proposal would be to improve the lighting, paving and seating.

Concept area (Rear of Bass House, Trent House, Water Tower and Library area)

More detailed proposals have been developed for the area around the Water Tower and Library, including the proposed pedestrian space and rear of Bass House. This is demonstrated by the below video and images (please note, Bass House has not been modelled in these images).

The Washlands Visitor Centre (at the Library building)

The proposal scheme involves the reimagination of the library building, transforming it into modern looking structure with a new rooftop terrace area that includes seating, rooftop planting and a sedum roof. The facility would be used primarily as a visitor centre for the Washlands, with room to look at other complementary services in the future, such as conferencing, events, retail and bike hire facilities. The area next to the building (marked green on the plan) would be used as a ground level garden used by the facility, with the blue area at the rear for specific car parking access.

The exterior works to the building would create an iconic structure overlooking the enhanced Washlands area, with views from both the first floor balcony and the roof.

The Water Tower and Food Hall

The proposed scheme would significantly transform the Water Tower area whilst preserving the listed structure itself and incorporating it as a landmark of the riverside development.

The Water Tower itself would be extended on three sides:

The Food Hall building would again be a mixture of copper and glass in material and would provide a frontage both onto the Washlands and onto the central courtyard area, with external seating available at both sides. The building would be constructed to BREEAM excellence (as will the rest of the development) and incorporate sustainable features where possible. Specific features appropriate to the proposed use will also be included, such as an effective ventilation system built into the peaks of the rooftop areas to help the building run efficiently. This general approach will enable the building to be operated with lower running and maintenance costs, making it easier for an operator to sustainably deliver the service.

The size of the building has also been modelled on the basis of creating an appropriate number of kitchen units for the population of Burton as a town and the wider catchment area. Connecting this modern structure to the Water Tower through a glass corridor will create an attractive mix of modern and traditional construction, creating an appealing riverside feature.

The Courtyard

At the rear of the new Food Hall will be the pedestrian courtyard, which will be both landscaped to create an attractive environment and have space available for ad hoc activities and public features, as demonstrated by the inclusion of a ground level fountain on the drawings. This courtyard will provide appropriate links between the car park and the new visitor centre as well as the Water Tower Food Hall and the adjoining food and drink uses at the rear of Bass House. Together, this will create a food and drink centre connecting the High Street to the riverside.

Bass House Bars and Restaurants

Although this hasn't been modelled on the above image, the proposal is to create a more traditional food and drink space at the rear of Bass House, complementing the modern type of food offering at the other side of the courtyard at the new Food Hall. This would build out from the existing Bass House cafeteria area and could be developed as more typical restaurant space as well as drinking establishments, such as bars.

Birds eye view image:

These plans will be used to inform the business case for Project D, which will consider a phased approach to bringing forward the regeneration of this area using Towns Fund investment for Phase 1 and exploring opportunities for further investment to deliver Phase 2.

Let us know if you do or do not support the overall proposal for this area using the sliding scale below, adding any comments to explain your views in the text box. If you have any specific queries about the proposal, please contact the Enterprise Team at enterprise.team@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk , however please note that for a response to be included it must be submitted through this form.