Apartments and rooftop garden planned above Stratford shopping arcade
A DRAMATIC plan has been unveiled to create 19 new homes in the heart of Stratford with a rooftop winter garden as the centrepiece – though police are worried one aspect of the design will not help their fight against antisocial behaviour.
The vision now with the district council and awaiting a decision, is for 18 apartments to be built on two floors above the Bard’s Walk shopping centre – with the ground floor staying for retail.
The final home would be in Meer Street, filling in part of the gap originally opened up as an access to the service yard behind the existing development.
Bard’s Walk was developed in the early 1990s with an angled walkway linking Wood Street with Henley Street/Cooks Alley.
This created an arcade environment with shops and cafes but that was eventually changed when an extra shop was created at the Henley Street end, which Pandora relocated to from the neighbouring property that is now home to Pret.
The Wood Street access survives with a dead end just past the shops that currently flank it and has no real purpose – but from it you can still see the elaborate roof that sits above it.
The new plan would see the rooflight retained to allow the creation of the winter garden with further small terraces for the residents of the apartments the developers want to create from the existing first floor, plus additions at the second floor level.
These latter apartments will be of what the planning statement calls a lightweight and modern design and finish.
But despite the more modular style, it adds they will not be visible from street level from surrounding roads.
There would be five parking spaces created in the current service yard and a cycle store.
This latter aspect is what has drawn criticism from Warwickshire Police’s crime prevention design adviser Ian King, who has sounded a cautionary note about the design.
He said in his official response to the council: “I am concerned that the parking area may become a target for rough sleepers and an area where people can secret themselves out of public view and engage in activities that may amount to antisocial behaviour such as alcohol and drug abuse.
“What provision is being put in place to prevent this?”
Early feedback has also been logged from the Stratford Society, which says it welcomes the plan to provide more town centre housing.
It adds: “While it is regrettable it would not reopen Bard’s Walk as a thoroughfare between Wood Street, Henley Street and Meer Street, it should regenerate this long-neglected area.”
“It will, of course, be important to retain unaltered the exterior appearance of the buildings fronting Wood Street.”
The plans show only minor changes to the Wood Street elevations, with the addition of two rooflights.
Full details of plan reference number 23/03277/FUL are available on the council’s website.
