The delivery of an improved High Street, with a new southern side to strengthen its attractiveness for shoppers and visitors, is a fundamental element of this brief. The High Street improvements will need to address a number of issues:
- Facilitating the movement of traffic, including when the High Street is operational for Race Days;
- Improving the Car Parking arrangement to make spaces easier to use and more effective;
- Wider pavements, areas for people to meet and relax;
- Two-sided High Street that can be used for small independent shops, small businesses, cafes and restaurants;
- The delivery of a new Community Hub – a purpose built space that can serve the community in a variety of ways – from a Parish Council office through to a space that can be hired for parties, clubs and activities;
- New community square outdoor events and markets;
- A new village green.
Illustrative view towards village square from High Street
The brief outlines detail as to what this might look like, including additional planting and enhanced surfacing, a new Village Square close to the Station Hill roundabout, a Village Green at the Winkfield Road end of the High Street and a range of new retail and outdoor spaces making the High Street an attractive place to shop and visit.
Overall, up to 3,120 square metres of retail, office and restaurant floorspace (excluding the Community Hub) will be provided. To encourage smaller shops, individual units have been mapped out as:
- one unit shall be up to 800 sqm (of which 500 sqm can be active retail)
- one unit shall be up to 500 sqm
- majority of units to be between 50 sqm and 200 sqm
Illustrative view from Station Hill roundabout towards High Street
Illustrative view along High Street