Image: MBA.

New Archery Ground design to be unveiled

Gladedale’s revised scheme for the Archery Ground is ready for submission to the planning department, but will first be put on display to the public this Saturday in the Assembly Rooms in St Leonards, writes Nick Terdre.

After the original scheme was refused consent and the appeal against the decision was turned down last year, Gladedale has got its project back on track not least through the appointment of Marcus Beale Architect (MBA) as chief architect.

Building on the feedback provided in March at an exhibition showing its initial new designs and a pre-application forum, the developer is now ready to present the finished version of the revised scheme to the public, including a 3D model giving a good impression of how it will look.

A number of changes have been made since March, MBA head Marcus Beale told HOT. These include changes to the position of buildings and other elements to improve views and spaces around the development, while some roof forms have been revised and balconies made lighter.

New pedestrian and cycle access to the northern part of Archery Road has also been introduced. As well as the white stucco frontages, some brick has been introduced for upper parts. The plans, including entrances, pathways, refuse and parking provision, have been fine-tuned to ensure that they will work well in practice, he said.

Close contact has been maintained with Stag – Save The Archery Ground, the local residents’ group which was very critical of the previous proposal. It has been a useful dialogue throughout, Mr Beale said, thanking Stag for its engagement and participation during the design development.

“Marcus Beale has met us on numerous occasions, and has been very receptive to all the points we have raised,” Stag spokesman Lee Wilson told HOT. “We never met the architect for the first scheme once.”

With changes such as a reduced density of housing and more open spaces, Mr Wilson says the overall design has changed to make it more sympathetic to the area. “We haven’t seen the model yet, but we think it will look far superior to the earlier application,” he said. “We think we’ve got the best we could ever hope for.”

If the application comes up before the planning committee in the autumn, and is approved, work on the increasingly derelict former college site could begin early in the New Year, starting at the southern end and working northwards, HOT understands. 

Exhibition showing the new scheme for the Archery Ground: the Assembly Rooms, East Ascent, St Leonards, 10am to 4pm, Saturday 20 July.

Image: MBA.

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