The Supplementary Planning Document was adopted by Leicester City Council in April 2007 following full public consultation. The document focuses on proposals for the Abbey Meadows area of the city.
You can view the SPD and the sustainability appraisal by clicking the links at the bottom of this page. Please contact the Urban Design Team for further information.
Abbey Meadows is an area identified for major regeneration proposals for the following sites:
-
Science Park – the former John Ellis school (excluding playing fields)
-
Abbey Meadows West – A ‘U’ shaped site north of Abbey Park Road
-
Wolsey Island – the peninsula to the north of Abbey Park Road bounded by the River Soar and canal
-
Former B.U.S.M. site – north of Abbey Park Road
The purpose of the guidance is to protect, facilitate and promote the regeneration of the site as an attractive place to work, live and visit. The document identifies design, highway network and planning policies. The main objectives are as follows:
-
Provide for 45,000 square metres of Science and Technology floorspace in a phased delivery programme
-
Include sixty small and medium sized businesses
-
Create a new neighbourhood of high quality design consisting of a mix of housing sizes, types and tenures. Schemes should seek to reflect current and future housing needs and demands within the city.
-
The retention of historic and significant buildings and features
-
The formation of new cross-river linkages to improve connectivity between east and west communities. These will be by way of new road connections serving each of the development areas and strategically positioned bridge links for cycle, pedestrian and vehicular access
-
Enable and promote public transport permeability and accessibility to the new and existing neighbouring developments
-
Retain and enhance the quality of the riverside and canal side corridors for biodiversity, recreation and commuting, and provide for their long term management
-
Incorporate a level of high quality publicly accessible open space, reflecting the needs of the new development and adjacent communities
-
Provide the highest quality environmental and landscape infrastructure within and fronting the public realm
-
Ensure that the development is highly accessible to the city centre on foot, by cycle and all public and private traffic modes
-
Improve landscaping and environment
-
Enhance pedestrian walkways and cycle paths from Abbey Park Road stretching northwards to link with new pedestrian bridges over the river
-
Ensure that the streets and spaces are safe and convenient for everybody
-
Provision of a new primary school or improvements to the existing school, and provision of other community facilities
-
Provide the planning backing for land assembly by negotiation or Compulsory Purchase as part of the delivery and land acquisition programme
-
Create places that generate appropriate levels of activity. This is particularly important along main routes where active uses convey vibrancy and provide safe routes for pedestrians
-
Encouraging a mix of uses that will contribute to the economic and social ‘health’ of the Abbey Meadows area. A varied and lively street life is one of the key indicators of a successful urban place
-
Stipulation of the building density, heights, form and massing to all proposed development sites to create quality public realm and clarity
-
Stipulate the requirement for high quality building design
-
Enable good public transport penetration and convenient access
-
Provide a level of high quality and equipped public open space that meets the immediate needs of the development and adjacent and adjacent communities
