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5: victorian villages - The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

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fenced boundaries within the industrial<br />

estates. <strong>The</strong> foregrounds to most views are<br />

characterised by fencing (an eclectic range <strong>of</strong><br />

boundary treatments including palisade<br />

fencing <strong>and</strong> chainlink with barbed wire), car<br />

parking <strong>and</strong> signage.<br />

Due to the consistency in character <strong>of</strong> built<br />

form within each estate, l<strong>and</strong>marks are not a<br />

feature <strong>of</strong> the Industrial <strong>and</strong> Commercial<br />

Estates.<br />

Experience<br />

Due to the influence <strong>of</strong> vehicular movement<br />

this is an active environment during the day.<br />

<strong>The</strong> presence <strong>of</strong> tall boundary fences<br />

contributes to a slightly threatening<br />

character, particularly at night. <strong>The</strong>se are<br />

inward-looking developments – buildings<br />

typically have their backs to adjacent<br />

residential areas.<br />

B. EVALUATION<br />

Condition<br />

Industrial <strong>and</strong> commercial l<strong>and</strong> uses have<br />

varied levels <strong>of</strong> management with some<br />

areas in poor condition, although more<br />

recent business park developments show a<br />

higher level <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong>scape management.<br />

Within the older developments verges <strong>and</strong><br />

boundaries are <strong>of</strong>ten in neglected condition.<br />

Older buildings <strong>of</strong>ten have a weathered<br />

appearance, particularly where non<br />

galvanised or ferrous metals have been used<br />

for cladding/framing. <strong>The</strong>re are no areas<br />

that are in particularly notable for their<br />

condition or intactness within the Ascots.<br />

Poorly maintained boundaries in older developments<br />

(example from Sunninghill).<br />

Forces for Change<br />

Stability <strong>of</strong> this type is variable, with<br />

redevelopment <strong>and</strong> upgrading <strong>of</strong> existing<br />

sites <strong>of</strong>ten visible.<br />

Key forces for change which were evident<br />

during the site visit are as follows:<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

Continued extension <strong>and</strong> expansion <strong>of</strong><br />

existing industrial estates, in particular<br />

to cater for more ‘prestigious’ business<br />

park type development, including some<br />

larger scale buildings. This includes<br />

intensification <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong> uses within<br />

existing industrial estate footprints.<br />

Incremental redevelopments <strong>and</strong><br />

additions have resulted in a variety <strong>of</strong><br />

scales, orientations <strong>and</strong> use <strong>of</strong> materials.<br />

<strong>The</strong> low level <strong>of</strong> maintenance to building<br />

elevations, site boundaries <strong>and</strong> verges in<br />

older estates result in continuing gradual<br />

decline in condition.<br />

Ongoing repairs/replacement <strong>of</strong><br />

streetscape features e.g. paving <strong>and</strong><br />

infrastructure such as gas <strong>and</strong> water<br />

mains.<br />

<br />

Gradual/piecemeal intensification <strong>of</strong><br />

parking, which has occupied all areas <strong>of</strong><br />

open l<strong>and</strong> up to building footprints.<br />

Guidance/Opportunities<br />

It is recommended that the following<br />

principles are taken into account in the<br />

RBWM Townscape Assessment 98 Final Report 2010: Volume 3

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