Draft Hosier Street Area Development Framework

Overview

The Council has published the Draft Hosier Street Area Development Framework for consultation and is seeking your views on document and the proposals set out in the document for the future development of this important town centre area.

The Hosier Street area is an area of significant change as a result of:

• The demolition of the Council offices which leaves a large vacant site;
• Ambitious proposals being developed by the owners of the Broad Street Mall for the remodelling of the Broad Street Mall, particularly through the development above the existing roofline; and 
• The review by Thames Valley Police of their existing headquarters buildings operations.

The area is the subject of a policy in the Submission Draft Local Plan. However, with the various sites, and other adjoining land being in different ownerships, and likely to come forward at different times, there was a need for a detailed framework to be prepared to guide and co-ordinate the various developments and to ensure the most appropriate form of development to serve the wider area.  

The draft framework for the Hosier Street area has therefore been prepared. This provides a comprehensive masterplan and urban design framework for the area with a particular emphasis on creating high quality public realm around which various mixed uses will be located. It seeks to reconnect and integrate the area with adjoining parts of the town centre recognising the historic character of the area with the adjoining Conservation Area and numerous listed buildings. In particular, it seeks to integrate the area with St Mary’s Butts proposing new public realm to complement the existing St Mary’s Churchyard and to make better use of the wide carriageways in the area. It also seeks improvements to other frontages of the Broad Street Mall, in particular the Oxford Road frontage.

The Draft Hosier Street Area Development Framework is now published for a consultation. The consultation formally starts on 20th July 2018 and will close at the end of the day on 28th September 2018.  

Relevant information is provided in the Related section at the bottom of this page. 

Two exhibitions/drop in events will be held in the Hexagon Theatre. These will be manned by Council officers who will to help explain the proposals. The events will take place as follows:

•    Tuesday 31st July 2018 between 3.00 and 7.00
•    Wednesday 5th September 2018 between 3.00 and 7.00

If you would like to make comments on the proposals and documentation, please fill out the online survey by clicking 'Give us your views'.

Why your views matter

The Council wishes to inform all those interested in its proposals for the development of the area and to ensure that the public have an opportunity to comment on those proposals.

The Council seeks the involvement of interested parties, the local community and the public to help shape the future development of this important town centre area.

The Council is required to consult on the draft development proposals that are contained in a Supplementary Planning Document and to consider any comments raised by consultees before formal adoption. Such consultation and the fact that the council has considered and taken account of the results of consultation adds to the weight given to the document in the determination of relevant planning applications.

What happens next

The results of the Consultation will be considered and taken into account in redrafting the development framework.   Subject to resources, it is intended that the results of the Consultation will be presented to the Council’s Strategic Environment Planning and Transport Committee on 22nd November 2018, when formal adoption of the final version of the development framework will be considered.