New era for the Riverside

FOR the best part of a century Woolston residents have been largely barred from the river.

Although the mighty mouth of the Itchen flows just yards from their front doors, a high fence and a forest of grey sheds blocked the view.

Not any more.While the community deals with the pain of losing a century of fine shipbuilding tradition, the blow is softened by the vista the wrecking ball has left in its place.

Now renamed Woolston Riverside, the £15m former Vosper Thornycroft shipyard is the focus of one of the biggest development projects seen in the city for years.

A cherished aim of the plan has always been to give residents access to the riverbank.

"It was always a first principle. VT had occupied the site for 100 years and the community had never had access to the waterfront. It was important to open it up," said Ken Glendinning of the South East England Development Agency, which snapped up the site from VT.

"It is important for the area because it effectively completes the town. It has never been able to have a relationship with the waterfront."

But there are plans for far more than just a nice view.

The 31-acre scheme will provide up to 1,500 new homes and much of the northern end of the site will be kept for industry, creating jobs.

VT's old deepwater quay is a rare maritime industry resource and companies are apparently queuing up to take advantage.

But business aside, there are hopes the site can be a flagship example for high density living.

Project architects the Richard Rogers Partnership have built the Millennium Dome, Paris' Pompidou Centre and the Welsh national Assembly Centre in Cardiff among other high profile buildings and have been scouring Europe for inspiration for Woolston's regeneration.

Award winning high-density waterfront housing in Amsterdam and trophy projects in Barcelona have been visited by Woolston delegations keen to take the best bits and apply them in Southampton.

Mr Glendinning said: "We went to Amsterdam because it was a good example of a European city that has redeveloped brownfield land with high density housing. They have managed to make it work very well and it was helpful to us.

"In Barcelona there were a number of good examples of public open space and so we have been influenced by good European design. But, we are not trying to create another Amsterdam or Barcelona in Southampton but we are trying to refer to examples of best practice to inform what we are trying to do and put Woolston on the same footing."

RRP Architect Andy Young has a special relationship with the site because he grew up there.

"Our aspirations are that this should be a fantastic place," he said. "You can expect something special."

But what do locals make of this ambitious project right on their doorsteps?

The results of a public consultation on the outline plans have just been revealed and show residents have mixed feelings, though the swift regeneration of the site is broadly welcomed.

Now they've got the river back, Woolston people are keen to keep it that way and have asked not to have tall buildings on the site that would block their new view. But project organisers, seeking to make a visual statement, reckon low rise would be a waste of the site and argue tall blocks will frame views rather than shut them out.

As ever, the impact of the extra traffic that comes with hundreds of new homes is of major concern. The council is in the process of undertaking a full study but is already considering building a minimum number of car parking spaces and introducing a water taxi to the other side of the river as an innovative solution. If the area can't cope with the traffic generated by all the new homes, the number built will be reduced.

Similarly, local hopes voiced in the consultation for extensive green areas are set to be disappointed. The official view is that nearby Weston Shore offers a "substantial" amount of open space, meaning Woolston Riverside will be predominantly urban but will link with its leafier neighbour.

People got into the spirit of the consultation when asked what uses they wanted to see on the site.

"There appears to be every shade of opinion expressed about the uses on the site," reads the council report.

Favourites included calls for a marina, early years education facilities and a library.

Many people also called for a major maritime and heritage centre to be built but bosses reckon that is unlikely to be financially viable.

Once councillors approve the results of the public consultation, architects will get to work on fine detail plans for the site. If the planning process runs smoothly, workers could be on site by autumn 2005.