Consultation Draft 1 - Stoke-on-Trent City Council

BASELINE SPATIAL HIERARCHY SUMMARY 62
Bethesda Churchyard
Bethesda Lower Gardens
A calm and green retreat from the office during the lunch hour; a
place to relax and unwind, or amble up to the shops
Design Principles for Bethesda Churchyard
• emphasise the link from the Central Business District to Adventure
Place and retail heart through design
• maintain views to the Museum, and conurbation of <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-
Trent
• frame views to the Victoria Theatre
• screen views of poor quality rear building facades in the north
east corner
• use feature planting to provide visual and sensory interest
and to promote wildlife habitats
• emphasise the building facades of Alexander House and
Bethesda Church through renovation, re-decoration and illumination
• incorporate a contemporary style, whilst respecting the setting
of historic buildings
• extend the space into the Central Business District
• relate useable dwell space to the Museum and encourage
Street Cafe’s
• use strong sculptural forms within the planting design to fill
remaining space, maintain views to St. Marks Church and
shelter the Museum spill out area from chill winds
• use tree planting to enhance sense of enclosure, whilst maintaining
important views.
• implement permeable porous paving within the paving design.
Suggested Building Enhancements
• Construct new building with angled frontage to provide active
frontage and define business link whilst screening poor views
to rear of the library
The Vision
Oasis at the heart of the Cultural Quarter and threshold between
the offices and shops.
Key Characteristics
• reinforce the strong link between Bethesda Churchyard and
the Central Business District
• relate useable dwell space to the Museum to enhance natural
surveillance; shelter the Museum spill out area from chill
winds
• maintain views to St. Mark’s Church; consider use of tree
planting to frame views
• ensure creative manipulation of level changes
• provide a feature focal point to enhance wayfinding
• provide service points and lighting to facilitate temporary exhibitions
and outdoor events
Suggested Building Enhancements
• Construct new building with angled frontage to provide active
frontage and natural surveillance in this space, whilst screening
poor views to the rear of the library
Central Business District
Proposals to create a private public open space for the Central
Business District will be informed by the over-riding vision for this
prestigious mixed use development. The courtyard will be expected
to support the uses associated with the development and
promote the green link connecting the existing two parks.
The public open space within the Central Business District will be
expected to promote the strategic objectives set out in chapter 4
of this document and proposals for materials and colour should
complement the materials proposed within this document.
CBD
Museum
Dark grey granite
Yellow Rock
granite setts*
Semi-permeable
gravel
Lloyds
Bank Bethesda
Church
Library
The
Tontines
strong paving designs
green terraces
* subject to internal approval
Context plan
lighting within paving
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