JERICHO WHARF NEWS ITEM

Expert report confirms the square is too small

The solid blue line indicates major circulation routes. The dashed lines are minor routes to entrances. The yellow lines indicate the square’s ‘usable public space’.

Urban design consultant, Noel Farrer, concludes that the Jericho Wharf square does not have enough usable public space

Posted - Sep 10, 2020

The Jericho Wharf Regeneration Company has put forward a welcome and impressive planning application – and one which can deliver exciting opportunities. Jericho will have a working boatyard and a modern community centre – both sustainably sized – and a new bridge across the canal. And in Cornerstone Land, which has become a partner in the development, we have a reputable local company with whom we can work closely.

The main weakness at present is the public square – the ‘piazza’. This should be the centrepiece of the development – buzzing with life during the day and a landmark venue for regular markets and public events such as drama and concerts. But in the current plan it is small and hemmed in by housing, which confines the open space and cuts off views from the canal of the Grade 1-listed St Barnabas Church.

The limitations are starkly revealed in a new report commissioned by the Jericho Wharf Trust from Noel Farrer, a landscape design expert who has been Chair of the Oxford Design Review Panel – which evaluates planning applications for the City Council for their design quality. He concludes that the proposal fails to “provide a design solution that in my opinion will deliver on the planning policy as well as the community and Oxford’s aspiration for Jericho Wharf”.

The core problem is “usable space”. This comprises the areas “where it is possible to pause or sit without inconvenience from those travelling through the square and accessing the buildings.” The total area of the square is 645 square metres. But after deducting the areas for pedestrian and cycle flows, Farrer estimates the usable public space at only 160 square metres. As a consequence, the square could at most fit ten market stalls.

Another issue is overlooking by houses which could inhibit its use for events and concerts. In the previous proposal for the site, given planning permission in 2015, the south side of the square was occupied by a restaurant. Farrer says: “Home occupiers may justifiably be able to have the market, or indeed any noisy or intrusive activities, stopped.” Houses also reduce the locations for benches: “Opportunities for seating are limited by the smaller square and the need to ensure that those seated are not looking directly into homes at ground floor level.”

JWT chair, Phyllis Starkey says. “This report confirms our own concerns. We understand the need for commercial viability, but at its heart Jericho Wharf needs an open and active space for all to enjoy. We are therefore determined to work with the developer to ensure that this wonderful setting gets the public square it deserves.”

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The full report by Farrer Huxley is available via this link.

Join in the public consultation. The City Council has extended the public consultation until September 16.  You can make a comment by going to the City Council Planning Site and entering the reference number 20/01276/FUL