Bodmin Masterplan – Update October 2009
Priorities within the Emerging Vision
Work has been progressing on the preparation of the Bodmin Vision. This has been informed by the content of existing baseline information and a number of consultation and engagement events with key stakeholders and the local community between April and June 2009. This process has established consensus on ten key issues and priorities for the future of Bodmin:
Promoting growth in the town centre
An attractive and expanded town centre is essential to support an increased population and workforce. Previous studies have helped to establish the importance of the town centre as the focus for new retail growth, office development, and new leisure and tourism attractions. All scenarios for growth must therefore prioritise the continued regeneration of Bodmin town centre. The area between Dennison Road and Fore Street, currently characterised by poor quality buildings and underutilised land, is a potential expansion area that is identified for new shops, leisure and office development. It can provide larger units for national retailers, smaller shops for local and specialist businesses and space for cafes, bars and restaurants, which are lacking in the town. Importantly it will strengthen Fore Street by creating better pedestrian links and a ‘shopper circuit’. A Development Brief has recently been adopted by Cornwall Council to help guide this regeneration opportunity. More housing in Bodmin should help attract more leisure facilities to the town centre, including the potential for a cinema and uses to develop the attractions for the evening economy.
Improving arrival to the town
Clear points of arrival will be critical for Bodmin to fully capitalise on the strengths of its location. Strategic gateways to the town must be improved to successfully announce Bodmin, its town centre, and its attractions to define a welcoming sense of arrival. Areas adjoining the A30
are a priority for enhancement, where new development should present a positive frontage for the town and ensure Bodmin marks its presence sufficiently on this key route. Providing easy, reliable and regular access to and from the town centre from Bodmin Parkway station is vital for Bodmin to help support employment growth, particularly for offices in the town centre, as well as establishing a network for sustainable movement across the town. Improving arrival points and onward connections from ‘tourism gateways’ such as the Camel Trail will help to attract more visitors into the town centre. Key spaces within the town centre, such as around St Petroc’s Church, can be enhanced to encourage visitors to stay longer within the central area and support local businesses.
Improving the quality of jobs
Bodmin is an important employment and service centre serving both north and east Cornwall. The town is however currently too reliant on a limited range of job types, offering low wage levels. The strengths of Bodmin’s existing employment areas should however continue to be supported to safeguard existing jobs, but also to create new opportunities. The strong employment locations are close to the A30 and can deliver new, good quality workspace to encourage diversification in the local economy. Priority project areas have been identified in locations such as the Walker Lines Industrial Estate and Callywith to provide larger, higher quality units, specifically targeting the high growth sectors. Evidence suggests that there is also a shortfall of good quality office accommodation in Bodmin, including ‘start up’ units. Delivery of new office and employment opportunities in Bodmin town centre will be fundamental for successful regeneration. The centre has been identified as having potential to support over 500 new jobs in retail and services and should be a focus for new offices, small businesses and training space. Sites have already been highlighted with the potential to deliver up to 1,600 sqm of new office floorspace. New office accommodation is also planned for the BeaconTechnologyPark to the west of Bodmin town centre. This area is an important opportunity to establish an attractive office environment and encourage new occupiers to the town. The area could help to meet the requirements of agencies in bringing ‘knowledge’ / skilled based jobs to
Bodmin. Improving access and connections to and from this area, particularly to the town centre will be essential to support this anticipated growth.
Improving training and education
Ensuring the local communities have access to education and training opportunities will be critical to ensure that the local workforce is able to meet the requirements of new job opportunities, particularly those associated with growth employment. Currently the population of Bodmin performs below the county, regional and national averages in relation to qualifications and there is a danger that the local skills base will be out of step with desire to diversify the economic base. BodminCollege provides education and training for approximately 1,200 11 to 16 year olds and a further 300 sixth form students, and as part of the Specialist Schools Programme it offers a variety of specialisms including business. Supporting this key educational facility will be a priority for Bodmin, and exploring opportunities to expand and improve facilities at the College will be important to meet current and future needs of the growing population. Engaging the Combined Universities Cornwall (CUC) will be important for Bodmin to find ways to address the gap in the higher education sector in Bodmin. The masterplan must explore potential opportunities to help deliver higher education courses to not only meet local needs, but ensure Bodmin is an attractive and sustainable location for families.
Addressing air quality issues in the town centre
Traffic congestion and the resulting air quality concerns in the town centre are major issues for Bodmin to address in seeking to establish the town centre as a safe and attractive environment for shopping, working, living and leisure. The single vehicular route through the town is currently used for a number of purposes including trips through Bodmin which have no origin or destination in the town. The opportunity of new growth reinforces the agreed aim for Bodmin to find ways to reduce traffic in the town centre, particularly through traffic and the negative impact of HGVs. Provision of a new link road north or south of the town will need to be considered to help accommodate cross-town traffic and remove
unnecessary traffic from the town centre, significantly reducing the impact on air quality. In addition, car parking provision is primarily located within the eastern side of the town which can cause problems with traffic movement around the town with implications for air quality. A parking strategy has already identified the opportunity to enhance town centre parking at Fore Street south which will improve facilities for shoppers, but consideration will also need to be given to the potential for better parking facilities on the western side of the town to capture trips entering from the west and reduce the impact on the town centre.
Improving the provision of public transport
Delivering the planned level of new growth for Bodmin will require significant improvements to existing transport infrastructure, alongside improvements to encourage greater use of public transport, cycling and walking. Bus usage in the town is increasing, but the traffic congestion in the town centre, particularly along Dennison Road, affects journey times and the overall attractiveness of the main town service. A number of bus services are actually routed to avoid the traffic congestion in the town centre. The opportunity of new growth reinforces the agreed aim for Bodmin to find ways to reduce traffic in the town centre and consideration of a new link road north or south of the town could enable bus priority measures to be introduced. This should help to improve access to and across the town centre by public transport and improve connections between key residential, employment, education and leisure destinations. Bodmin Parkway station is an important strategic connection for the town. It is a priority for the masterplan to explore improved links to and from the town centre and wider residential and employment areas to ensure sustainable development and improve Bodmin’s profile to attract new investment.
Improving the tourism offer
Bodmin’ strategic location and accessibility, good quality historic assets and surrounding natural beauty mean the town should be a successful tourist destination in its own right as well as an excellent base for the wider exploration of Cornwall. Increasing the number of visitors to the town and encouraging people to stay longer and spend more money in the town will help the local economy, including the creation of new jobs, investment for local businesses and support for an evening economy. More needs to be made of existing attractions and destinations through combined marketing and physical improvements to reinforce the tourism potential of the town. Previous studies have highlighted the potential to enhance the setting of St Petroc’s Church and integrate it with the eastern side of the town centre. Potential has also been identified for the provision of a hotel with the town centre on Dennison Road, which would have close links to the Camel Trail, boost family and business tourism and provide an improved road frontage for Dennison Road. Improving connections between key tourist attractions and the town centre is a priority for Bodmin. The Camel Trail is an important and popular part of the tourism market in Cornwall and the benefits are already being realised in nearby towns of Wadebridge and Padstow. Bodmin’s connection to the Camel Trail is very poor, with the route transferring to the main road with poor signage. There may however be the opportunity to extend the town centre further to the west and connect Dennison Road to Sainsbury’s and embrace the connection to the Camel Trail and improve this key arrival point. This would help encourage more visitors from the Camel Trail and the Jail into the heart of the town centre to ensure Bodmin realises the full potential of this asset.
Improving access to affordable housing
Ensuring Bodmin fits together well and works effectively for its community is a priority. New growth presents significant opportunities to improve community services and facilities, including better access to high quality, affordable housing for both new and existing communities. Evidence shows an existing need for more affordable housing/shared ownership
schemes within Bodmin, even with recently completed or planned developments at Canyke Fields, Priory Road / Gilbert Road, Northey Road, Victoria Park and within a mixed use development at The Central, EastCornwallHospital. Bodmin must seek to provide affordable accommodation to retain and attract families to the area, with research suggesting a demand for two / three bedroom houses with garden space. New growth also provides the opportunity to create more sustainable communities, with a critical mass to support their own range of local facilities, helping to reduce pressure on the town centre, but also establish attractive neighbourhoods for families.
Improving access to green space
The natural beauty of the countryside surrounding Bodmin is an asset for the town. Improving community access can help to raise the ‘quality of life’ for residents and Bodmin’s profile as an attractive, sustainable and healthy place to live. Distinct landscape features such as Beacon Hill are not just a landmark for the town, but valuable community resources for recreation, leisure, and educational activities, and also enabling food production through community gardens and allotments, helping to encourage healthier lifestyles and wellbeing. It is a priority therefore for Bodmin to improve linkages to the surrounding landscape and existing green spaces to establish a connected network of ‘green infrastructure’ across the town. Improved green linkages will help to reduce the need for car travel and the impact this currently has on the town centre. Bodmin is already benefiting from initiatives such as the ‘Walk to Work’ project which links residential areas to workplaces and schools, and these and other routes can be further developed to support the growing residential and employment areas as sustainable locations to live and work.
Improving potential for sustainable / renewable energy generation
The surrounding countryside presents significant potential for Bodmin to explore opportunities for energy production and establish a reputation as a high sustainable location. New growth can help to deliver a landscape that supports the people of Bodmin, providing space to produce biomass
material, utilises the topography to harness wind power and existing water sources, such as the Leat to generate hydroelectric power. The landscape can also help to facilitate development through the management of flood risk in providing space for Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDs). The ‘Green Infrastructure’ network also offers important potential in supporting essential energy infrastructure. Elements such as parks are often surrounded by large numbers of potential ‘energy customers’ and are often also ‘easier dig’ areas for installing cheaper, new energy distribution infrastructure. There is the combined potential for these routes to carry renewable electricity and low carbon heat whilst delivering a profit to help support the management of the green infrastructure.
The Next Stages: development of strategies and testing of Masterplan scenarios
The issues and recommendations identified will now be taken forward in the next stage of this study within the development and testing of contrasting masterplan scenarios, alongside the development of individual strategies for land use, transport, infrastructure, green infrastructure, urban design, conservation, surface water/drainage and energy conservation strategies.
A further workshop will be held in November which will enable the stakeholder group to once again be actively involved in assessing future growth scenarios for Bodmin.Once the outcome of the workshop has been fed into the process there will be a second public exhibition.
Paul Webber
Senior Planning Officer
Cornwall Council
Tel: 01872 322633
E-mail: