Details of Runcorn NHS healthy new town’s masterplan have been unveiled.
The plans went on display during a public consultation launch yesterday at Runcorn Shopping City.
Urban designers from consultants WYG, which has developed the project blueprints alongside property consultants Lambert Smith Hampton, are on hand to take questions.
The plans revealed proposals for an overhaul of the area including the demolition of some derelict buildings and revamps of public spaces to encourage more cycling and walking and intended to create a better quality of public space.
Although early days and pre-planning, some parts of the plan are already reported to be under way, with the bulk of the works provisionally scheduled to take place in five to 10 years and some in the longer term of 10 years or more.
Plans relate to 22 key development sites around Halton Lea and bordering Halton Village with hopes of attracting private developers or housing associations to take on the residential parts of the project.
Major overhaul on the cards
Key features include the proposed demolition of controversial derelict eyesore East Lane House and the installation of narrows park ways with cycleways and pedestrian walkways alongside town houses, with a linear parkway also proposed for West Lane on the other side of the shopping centre.
A public square – now referred to as Halton Gateway Square and previously referred to in earlier health new town proposals – would be situated on the plot occupied at present by Kentucky Fried Chicken.
The red metal footbridges could be demolished and replaced with more attractive street-level access.
Flyovers for buses could also be removed to allow for access at ground level.
Several of the development sites relate to housing, several of which are on spare plots of land around the edges of Hallwood Park, but also at Castle View House, where conversion into flats is reported to be under way according to the plans, and the magistrates court and Grosvenor House buildings have also been earmarked for mixed-use residential.
One major aspect of the plans is to boost access at the north side to the area.
Rachel Kerr, urban designer at WYG, said research has found that residents in nearby Halton Village choose to drive round to the shopping areas despite only living a short walk away and it is hoped the route will be made more welcoming and feel safer for pedestrians.
Under then plans, this would be achieved by replacing the low-level northern subway by the court with a street level crossing and by building homes on the patch of field running bordered by Holt Lane and Main Street and running southwards.
It is hoped that building homes facing the park, which research found is under-used at present, would encourage greater usage and for residents to walk or cycle instead.
Other proposals include installing health and health activity trails in Hallwood Park and The Uplands.
A community garden has also been proposed for Hallwood Park.
The details unveiled in the healthy new town masterplan are due to be complemented by the ongoing Halton Hospital And Wellbeing Campus bid and a Halton Council programme to revamp the Town Park to encourage more use.
WYG said the plans have already attracted interest from private developers.
‘We’ve come up with strong proposals’
NHS England announced Halton Lea in Runcorn as one of 10 areas in England to be picked as NHS healthy new town demonstrator sites.
The scheme is now being developed on behalf of Halton Borough Council.
Andrew Clarke, of WYG, said it was important to stress that ‘the council can’t do it all’.
He said the urban designers creating the masterplan are now keen to hear residents’ views.
He said: “We’ve come up with what we think are strong proposals and we want to test those and see what people think of them.
“One of the themes is to create good first impressions when people arrive in the town – that needs to be improved, along with the quality of the environment making it a more welcoming and attractive place.”
‘Eyesore needs to go’ say public
On the future of East Lane House, now vacant for nearly 20 years, Rachel Kerr said: “That’s one of the bigger sites and we’re hoping in the future to get a developer interested.
“Obviously at the moment East Lane House has previously had proposals for student accommodation but based on the fact Castle View House has had approval for apartments, we’ve got a consultant working with us and they’ve assessed what the market can take and they’re suggesting there isn’t a huge appetite further to Castle View House for apartments.
“The ideal scenario would be to get some town houses onto East Lane.
“There hasn’t been a proposals to CPO (compulsory purchase order) or anything like that but it’s something the council is looking at.
“These (plans) are at quite an early stage, this is the vision for the ideal ideas.
“East Lane House is an eyesore and it’s something when we’ve done stakeholder workshops, it’s been something that people have flagged up as ‘this really needs to change’.”
Yesterday’s drop-in session took place in the main square in Runcorn Shopping City.
