Part Two: Centres and Site Allocations (Regulation 18)
3. Stourbridge
Introduction
3.1 This chapter sets out how Stourbridge Town Centre will develop and change over the plan period. A vision for the town centre is set out, which will be delivered through the Local Plan policies and site allocations (up to 2041)
3.2 Stourbridge, on Dudley Borough's south-west fringe, is a popular and attractive Town Centre close to open countryside, including the Clent Hills and Kinver Edge. With a compact and easily accessible Town Centre, it offers a pleasant shopping environment in the High Street and the Ryemarket shopping centre. The town is home to many smaller, specialist shops.
3.3 Stourbridge still retains many of its later medieval market town features which contribute to its unique character. Lower High Street housed the market which gained its charter around 1482 and the Town Hall was built in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Students have been educated at King Edward VI College since 1430, and the present buildings date back to 1861. The Foster and Rastrick Iron Foundry (now Lion Medical Health) and the Bonded Warehouse, Canal Company Offices and Weighbridge in Canal Street are reminders of the industrial significance of the town throughout the 18th and 19th century. Stourbridge has been home to the world's finest glass designers and makers since the 17th century forming part of the well-established Glass Quarter and today it still boasts the highest concentration of artists in the Dudley Borough.
3.4 This chapter aims to make the most of Stourbridge's valued and distinctive local character and further improve its vibrancy, attractiveness, and economic health.
The Stourbridge Town Centre Inset Plan Boundary
3.5 This inset chapter covers Stourbridge Town Centres, including its conservation area and also encompasses the Stourbridge Wharf and wider Canal Wharf, also designated as a Conservation Area.
Vision and Objectives
"By 2041, Stourbridge will be a vibrant and inclusive town with a thriving and prosperous Town Centre, which offers a wide range of shops and services, including exceptional leisure facilities and a varied evening and entertainment economy.
Stourbridge will retain its unique market town character whilst embracing the arts and creative industries. It will offer excellent cultural facilities and sustainable urban living, utilising the riverside and canal-side settings.
Connectivity to the town centre will continue to be improved, creating a network of safe and attractive routes across the ring road for pedestrians and cyclists.
A high-quality built environment and public realm will be created which will preserve and enhance the historic character and local distinctiveness of Stourbridge."
The following specific objectives for Stourbridge have been identified –
- To provide, protect and enhance a well-connected setting of streets, other routes, and Green and public spaces that are attractive, lively, pleasant to use, safe and secure.
- To continue to increase the awareness, visibility and 'rediscovery' of the River Stour, returning it to a more natural state and providing continuous footpath and cycleway linkages along its length. Green wildlife corridors will be encouraged to improve the nature conservation value of the watercourse.
- To protect and enhance the locally distinctive character of Stourbridge with reference to its historic environment and cultural and built heritage.
- To facilitate and shape housing-led regeneration on the Opportunity Sites, focused on the River Stour and Stourbridge Branch Canal – ensuring the delivery of homes which meet the needs of the local community.
- To provide a network of well-connected and direct pathways and spaces for pedestrians and cyclists, and to reduce the severance effect of the ring road by providing enhanced permeability to the Town Centre.
- Create a liveable town centre that prioritises people, supports local retailers and services, and encourages walking, cycling, and public transportation while reducing through-traffic.
