Part Two: Centres and Site Allocations (Regulation 18)
Design and Public Realm
Design
2.31 Policies DLP4 and DLP39 provide the overarching context for considering design quality. Regard should also be had to DLP policies for the historic environment. This section sets out those characteristics of the most importance to the Dudley Town Centre inset plan area and town centre specific policies.
(2) Policy DLPD3 Dudley Town Design - Landmarks, Views, Vistas and Gateways
- All new development should have regard to Policy DLP4, Policy DLP39 and Policy DLP55 to deliver high quality design. Developments within and in the setting of the Conservation Areas should have regard to Policy DLP56.
- New development and proposed alterations to existing buildings should:
- Enhance the sense of arrival by improving existing gateways and where appropriate create new ones (see also Policy DLP D4).
- Create architectural corner features and new landmark features to improve the understanding of the town where appropriate.
- Safeguard and enhance local and important views, vistas, landmarks and gateways within and at the edges of the town centre.
- Protect key gateway buildings that give the town character and respect building lines, where appropriate, to assist the continuity of the town's heritage and help secure and improve views and vistas.
- Respect the height and mass and visibility of existing Dudley landmarks. Such landmarks should not be overwhelmed by new development, nor their setting compromised. Consideration of the effect on setting has regard to the importance of the landmark, the extent of any harm, and the benefit arising from development.
- Ensure that new buildings have a scale, mass, height and impact that is responsive to its context and sensitive to its roofscape/skyline.
- Create variations in roofscape that will respect important local and strategic views.
- Ensure that larger development facades and rooflines should reduce their scale and massing by subdividing into smaller architectural elements.
- Where new development is likely to have an impact on an identified view, skyline or landmark, accurate visual representations will be required as part of any development proposals. Choice of materials and finishes need careful consideration in order to protect and enhance the existing design context.
- The following landmarks, gateways, views and vistas should be protected and enhanced where possible in accordance with the above Policy considerations:
- Strategic Landmarks (Positive)
- SLP1- Dudley Castle and Zoo and Castle Hill Woodland
- SLP2- St Thomas & St Luke Church (Top Church)
- SLP3- St Edmund King & Martyr Church (Bottom Church)
- Local Landmark (Positive)
- LLP1- Priory Ruins (within Priory Park)
- LLP2- Dudley College (original campus building) – The Broadway
- LLP3- Kudos House – former Dispensary – Ednam Road
- LLP4- Apollo Fountain – Coronation Gardens
- LLP5- Dudley College – "Evolve" building/Former Dudley Fire Station – Tower Street
- LLP6- Earl of Dudley Statue – Castle Street
- LLP7- Dudley Zoo & Castle entrance – Tecton structure
- LLP8- Former Cinema – Castle Hill
- LLP9- Station Hotel – Castle Hill / Trindle Road
- LLP10- St Thomas of Canterbury RC Church – Trindle Road
- LLP11- Metro Pub – Porters Field
- LLP12- Dudley Council Offices – Priory Road
- LLP13- Dudley Town Hall and 1st World War Commemorative Tower – St James's Road
- LLP14- Dudley Public Library – St James's Road
- LLP15- Saracens Head – Public House & Stone Street Square
- LLP16- Former Dudley Museum & Art Gallery – St James's Road
- LLP17- Drinking Fountain & Fountain Arcade – Market Place
- LLP18- Former Crown Public House – Wolverhampton Street
- LLP19- Copper roofed buildings – Wolverhampton Street
- LLP20- Former Post Office – Wolverhampton Street
- LLP21- Magistrates Court – Inhedge
- LLP22- Former Co-op
- LLP23- Ye Olde Foundry Public House
- LLP24- Three Crowns Public House – Upper High Street / Stafford Street
- LLP25- Former Gypsies Tent Public House
- LLP26- Lamp Tavern Public House – Blowers Green Road
- Roofscape View
- RV1- Inhedge Gardens towards Castle Hill
- RV1- Inhedge Gardens towards Castle Hill
- Edge Gateway
- EG1- (Castle Gate Island) Birmingham New Road, Tipton Road and Dudley Southern Bypass/Castle Hill
- EG2- (Dudley Interchange) Trindle Road/Hall St/Birmingham St/King St
- EG3- (South West Gateway) King St/Upper High Street
- EG4- (Flood Street island) Dudley Southern Bypass/Flood Street
- EG5- (Priory Road island) Priory Road/Broadway
- EG6- Claughton Road North/Pedestrian Bridge over Duncan Edwards Way
- Inner Gateway
- IG1- Castle Hill/Castle Street
- IG2- Bus Station
- IG3- Stafford Street/Upper High Street
- IG4 - Ednam Road/Priory Road
- IG5 - Ednam Road/The Broadway
- IG6- Castle Hill/Birmingham Street
- Strategic Landmarks (Positive)
- Development should have regard to and respect the following important views and vistas:
- Panoramic View (view cone) in/out of Dudley
- PV1- Top of Trindle Road looking towards Castle Hill
- PV2- Birmingham New Road, Castle Hill looking towards Castle and Hill
- PV3- Top of King Street pedestrian bridge to south (Netherton Church & Hill)
- PV4- Upper High Street/King Street westwards
- PV5- From bridge over Dudley Southern bypass towards castle
- PV6- View from St Thomas's Church (Top Church)
- Skyline Views:
- SK1- From the pedestrian bridge over Duncan Edwards Way looking north east along the ridge of Castle Hill, taking in Dudley Castle and Zoo
- SK2- From Tipton Road looking southwest towards Castle Hill
- SK3- From Tipton Road looking southwest towards Castle Hill
- SK4- From Tipton Road looking southwest towards Castle Hill, Dudley Castle and Zoo
- SK5- From Birmingham Road/Castlegate island looking westwards towards Castle Hill, Dudley Castle and Zoo
- SK6- From Duncan Edwards Way/approach to Flood Street island looking northwards towards Castle Hill, Dudley Castle and Zoo
- SK7- From Stafford Street looking northeast towards Castle Hill, Dudley Castle and Zoo
- SK8- From Priory Road island looking eastwards towards Castle Hill, Dudley Castle and Zoo
- Strategic View
- SV1- Top of Trindle Road looking towards Castle Hill
- SV2- Birmingham New Road, Castle Hill looking towards Castle and Hill
- SV3- Top of King Street pedestrian bridge to south (Netherton Church & Hill)
- SV4- Upper High Street/Queens Cross to St Thomas's Church (Top Church)
- SV5- Grazebrook Park & War Memorial Gardens
- Vista
- V1- Castle Street to New Street
- V2- Stone Street to High Street
- V3- Lower High Street to Upper High Street
- V4- Upper High Street to Stafford Street
- V5- Wolverhampton Street to High Street
- Local View
- LV1- Broadway towards College and Castle
- LV2- Ednam Road towards Castle
- LV3- New Street/Tower Street towards Castle and Hill
- LV4- Tower Street towards Castle and Hill, including St Edmunds Church (Bottom Church)
- LV5- Stepping Stone Street towards St Thomas's Church (Top Church)
- LV6- Bourne Street towards St Edmunds Church (Bottom Church)
- LV7- Churchfield Street southwards
- LV8- Tipton Road towards the Hill
- LV9- Tipton Road towards the Castle and Hill
- LV10- Priory Park (Paganel Drive) towards the Castle and Hill
- LV11- Priory Road (edge of Coronation Gardens) towards the Castle and Hill
- LV12- Castle Hill towards the Castle and Hill
- LV13- Castle Hill towards Tecton Structure (former Zoo and Castle Entrance)
- LV14- Zoological Drive/turning circle towards the Castle and Hill/Zoo Entrance
- LV15- Corner of The Broadway, across Coronation Gardens towards the Council House
- LV16- Inhedge Gardens towards Priory House
- LV17- Stone Street/Tower Street towards Stone Street Square
- LV18- High Street into the Market Place
- LV19- New Street/Tower Street towards the Market Place
- LV20- New Street/Castle Street into the Market Place
- LV21- High Street/King Street towards Queen's Cross (south west)
- LV22- King Street/New Mill Street towards Duncan Edwards Leisure Centre
- LV23- King Street/Flood Street towards Flood Street Metro Stop
- LV24- King Street/north east corner of The Mambles along King Street (westwards)
- Panoramic View (view cone) in/out of Dudley
Justification
2.32 Dudley Town Centre has a distinguished heritage as a planned medieval market town set out along a limestone ridge with distinctive landmarks that can be identified from distant views e.g., the spire of St Thomas's (Top) Church at the western end of the town and the remains of Dudley Castle to the east. On each side of the linear connection of High Street, Market Place and Castle Street connecting these landmarks, lies the streets, lanes and alleyways whose course has altered little since their medieval layout. The medieval town layout is centred on the Market Place, with a strong connection to the Castle and the buildings contained along the street that connects Top (St Thomas') and Bottom (St Edmund's) Church, namely the Historic Central Spine.
2.33 Whilst the remains of the medieval buildings have substantially changed, the patterns of connection, burgage plot and the topography of the town is clear in many places and provides a structure to both respect and inspire new development.
2.34 Dudley town centre has a prominent skyline and roofscape, accentuated by the topography and defined by bold built form such as the spire of Top Church and the tower of Bottom Church, and the memorial tower on the town hall. The castle provides a unique backdrop and outlook from many viewpoints in and around the town centre. It was intended to always be conspicuous from the time of its construction in the 11th century with its tower positioned to dominate Dudley, enabling it to control the approaches to the town. Historic paintings and drawings of Dudley from the early 19th century onwards always depict the topographical dominance of Dudley Castle, Top Church and Bottom Church and it is this 'historic view' that has managed to be maintained to the present day. These features are not only significant historic landmarks but are also of huge communal value as they help people to navigate or identity with a particular location.
2.35 Some aspects of the current built form (e.g., those areas backing onto some parts of the town) are however weak, especially where servicing areas face the street. There is also a lack of prominent built form to address the gateways of the town centre, arrival points and visitor attractions. Good urban design at these entry points is particularly important in providing first impressions of the town.
2.36 Improving the sense of arrival and the way people move and find their way around the town centre is important as it reinforces a sense of place and creates better connections to other distinctive places and heritage assets. Significant to the Dudley Town Centre Inset Plan area are its unique historic and environmental assets and its tourism role, therefore, it is essential that these components are connected to ensure residents and visitors can navigate their way from place to place effectively.
2.37 Views and landmarks within Dudley help people find their way around and add variety and interest to the townscape that reinforces its sense of place and gives local identity. When buildings are designed poorly, or when they are out of scale or sited within particular sight lines, it can have a detrimental impact on the quality of the view and amenity it offers to local people and visitors. The Dudley Urban Historic Landscape Characterisation (UHLC) and the Conservation Area Character Appraisals for Dudley Town Centre and Castle Hill are of direct relevance when considering views, landmarks and vistas into, out of and within the boundary of the two Conservation Areas or that could affect their setting.
2.38 Managing change in the town will be carried out at different scales from very small scale opportunities to larger projects. In all cases attention to scale, mass, height, building form, building frontage, roofscape, impact on skyline, views and vistas will need to be taken into account and considered within the context of the whole landscape to ensure that development complements the many areas of good built structure and overall townscape character.
Figure 2.2: Dudley Town Landmarks, Views, Vistas and Gateways Plan
Public Realm
2.39 The town's character is greatly influenced by its public realm, with some locations in need of upgrading. Public open spaces provide a focus for community activity and form connections within the town centre.
(1) Policy DLPD4 Public Realm in Dudley Town
- The quality of streets and open spaces will be improved through development or local initiatives having regard to the following measures:
- The provision of high quality landscaping, floorspace material palette, furniture, lighting, signage and public art to help create a clear identity for the Town Centre.
- Mature tree planting and other landscaping will assist the 'greening' of the Town Centre and provide multi-functional green links to areas of nature conservation significance.
- Streets and spaces will be designed so that pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles can mix safely, with priority given to pedestrians where possible. Ease of movement can be improved by encouraging low-vehicular traffic speeds. Dudley requires additional pedestrian priority areas to improve its sense of identity as a major town centre.
- Creating attractive 'gateways' to mark and enhance the main approaches to the town centre to achieve a sense of arrival and identity.
- Preserving and integrating historic routes into Dudley town centre to enhance its identity, as appropriate and taking account of the requirements for modern development and infrastructure improvements.
Justification
2.40 'Public realm' can be defined as all areas that the public have access to including streets, squares and open spaces. It is considered necessary to introduce greenery into the towns' urban environment and resolve the competing needs of vehicles and pedestrians moving through the town centre. The quality of the public realm encountered, along with signage and legibility for visitors to understand and enjoy, is an important part in the role of the town centre.
2.41 Key design principles for the public realm include:
- Quality of the Public Realm: increase the adaptability of spaces for future use; create legible spaces and routes that add to the 'sense of place' of an area; relate public spaces to surrounding buildings and vice-versa; and improve continuity and enclosure.
- Active Frontages: a common building line creates continuity of frontage and provides definition and enclosure to the public realm. Minimising set back distances increases the ability of a building to interact with the public realm. In the Town Centre buildings should be built adjacent to the pavement.
2.42 Passive, active, and incidental open spaces play a significant role in urban design. These different types of open spaces within Dudley Town centre are crucial for creating liveable and vibrant communities. Passive spaces offer moments of tranquillity and respite, active spaces promote physical well-being and social interaction, and incidental spaces provide opportunities for leisure and engagement. Improving pedestrian links in Dudley town centre should take account of safety, accessibility, aesthetics, and the overall urban experience.
2.43 Within the town centre, the Market Place forms a key central focus and major area of public realm which has been renewed through a high-quality public realm landscape project. New paving, brand new stalls, canopies, feature lighting and new street furniture, as well as the relocation of the Duncan Edwards Statue to a more prominent place at the New Street end of the market, creates a vibrant and attractive space at the heart of the town centre.
2.44 Significant development projects, such as the campus buildings of Dudley College, have provided quality public realm. Stone Street and its connections via Priory Street and St James's Road is a significant public space for Dudley. Wherever there is likely to be a concentration of people, major public spaces make a vital contribution to the structure of a town centre. Protection and enhancement of key squares and public open spaces within Dudley Town Centre is important to enhance activity and require high quality landscape treatment.
2.45 At Castle Hill the public realm has undergone major investment and improvements. This assists in the development of the visitor economy and in particular an expansion in visitor numbers at the Zoological Gardens, The Black Country Living Museum and The Dudley Canal Trust as well as facilitating the development and regeneration of Dudley Town Centre as a centre for entertainment, leisure and recreation.
2.46 There is the potential for the creation of new, high quality public realm in the town centre, particularly associated with the forthcoming Metro line and the individual Priority and Opportunity Sites. Where opportunities present themselves, the development of new 'pocket parks' should be encouraged for people to relax and enjoy the town centre.
Figure 2.3: Dudley Town Legibility and Public Realm Plan
