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A PLACE PLAN FOR RYDE



AMOENITAS SALUBRITAS URBANITAS

The town’s motto dates from the incorporation as Ryde Borough in 1868. It can certainly be read as meaning, ‘A Healthy, Beautiful Place’, but its phrasing, deliberately

ambiguous, allows for another interpretation, ‘A Community That Celebrates A Healthy and Beautiful Way of Living’. This subtle shift between place and person, between the quality and resilience of the town’s architecture and public realm, and the wellbeing of those who inhabit it, seems as pertinent now as it must have done then, at another time of great political and social turmoil. It was an acclamation that demanded, and promised, inspiring vision, effective partnership and practical action for change.


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CONTENTS

4. INTRODUCTION

5. RATIONALE AND METHOD

PART 1. THE COMPOSITION OF RYDE

9. CULTURAL CAPITAL

17. NATURAL CAPITAL

22. COMBINING BUILT AND NATURAL HERITAGE

25. SOCIAL CAPITAL

35. SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE

41. FUTURE RYDE

45. PUBLIC OPINION

PART 2. DIAGNOSIS AND EVALUATION

50. FINDING THE THREADS

53. KEY THEMES

PART 3. PRIORITIES AND ACTIONS

58. FIVE CHALLENGES

THE DOMINANCE OF TRANSPORT THE URBAN EXTENSION SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THE IMPACT OF GRANT FUNDING A PLACE-BASED VISION

64. FIVE SOLUTIONS

A MANIFESTO FOR RYDE

A THIRD SECTOR COMPACT

A REVIVIED COASTAL COMMUNITY TEAM

A NETWORK OF PROJECTS TO ENRICH PUBLIC REALM SOCIAL ENTERPRISE ZONES

96. CONCLUSION

99. SOURCE DOCUMENTS B - 3



INTRODUCTION

Arc has been commissioned to prepare a Place Plan for Ryde, providing actions for positive change and regeneration across its priority retail and seafront areas and setting the whole within a context that characterises the town.


The methodology for the work is a literature review covering the last 15 years, extracting consistent and coherent themes, topics and public opinions that can be applied to place-based regeneration in Ryde.


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RATIONALE AND METHOD


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The Place Plan for Ryde is derived from a hierarchy of publicly available

data sets and published information.


National Data

applying to Ryde

County data

applying to Ryde

Ryde Parish data

Ryde Public

Comment

National data is sourced from the Office of National Statistics and UK Government departmental reports as they apply to the town and parish of Ryde.


County data is sourced primarily from the Isle of Wight Council Core Strategy (2012), the Draft Island Plan (2015 on wards) and their collected supporting and technical documents and reports.


Parish data comes from electoral ward and local super-output area information published on the Isle of Wight Council website, local plans and policies published by Ryde Town Council and supporting documents and reports considered and referred to by the town council in decision making.


Public comments, opinions and suggestions are sourced from town council consultations on budget and policy statements, work undertaken by and commissioned through the Isle of Wight Council Regeneration team as part of the ‘Wight We Want’ consultation.


All reference documents are listed in the appendix, page 101. B - 6

Ryde Geography

and Demography

Ryde Foundation

Capital

Ryde Land Use

Policy

Ryde Governance

The Place Plan identifies a set of strategic challenges to the town and its future. These are predicated on the conclusions and recommendations of the reference and source materials referred to in the appendix.


The challenges and solutions proposed are organized around core

elements of place-based regeneration:


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PART 1. THE COMPOSITION OF RYDE


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CULTURAL CAPITAL


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Ryde’s Historic SettlemeBn-t1s3

Source: OS 1:25000 1937 - 61

important. The Esplanade’s holm oaks and planes are Edwardian landmarks but are not protected.


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Tree Designations

Source: IWC Island Plan Draft Proposals Map


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COMBINING BUILT AND NATURAL HERITAGE


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the strongest constituency it can for a sustainable future.



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Combined Designations

Source: IWC Island Plan Draft Proposals Map


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SOCIAL CAPITAL


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Amenity Space

Source: IWC Infrastructure Delivery Plan


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Public Greenspace

Source: IWC Island Plan Draft Proposals Map


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Public Footpath ‘vacuum’

Source: The Land App



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combining and coordinating between the various services.

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Wreath Making at Ryde Library (courtesy of Ryde Arts)

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SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE


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"In order to begin to resolve the problems facing both the Esplanade and the High Street/Union Street areas (and the interface between them), the Panel considered that a town-wide traffic review will be necessary. As is the case for Newport, the Council might experiment with temporary road closures or narrowing on certain parts of High Street/Union Street and Lind Street to test the impact which pedestrianisation might have upon vehicular

movement, the retail economy and people’s perceptions about the quality of their shopping experience.“


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Town Centre (black) and Tourism Opportunity Zone (yellow) policy areas

Source: IWC Island Plan Draft Proposals Map


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The hovercraft from Ryde Pier B - 40


figure.


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Centres of Non-Domestic Public Revenue

Source: IWC business rates and car park income data (annual figures)


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FUTURE RYDE


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challenges, for example Southern Housing’s new extra-care development at Haylands has no bus service. Access to a community bus scheme that brings together the various existing providers would contribute to infrastructure planning. The presence in the town of a bus museum active in its community is a part of this discussion.



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PUBLIC OPINION


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PUBLIC CONSULTATION UNDERTAKEN BY RYDE TOWN COUNCIL AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL DURING 2017 AND 2018, REACHED OVER 2000 PEOPLE AND GENERATED AN INVALUABLE DATABASE OF LOCAL OPINION, MEMORY AND EXPERIENCE.

THE ‘CALLS TO ACTION’ CAN BE GROUPED INTO DOMINANT THEMES…

isolation, poverty and income inequality.


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A FEATURE OF PUBLIC FEEDBACK TO THE TOWN COUNCIL’S BUDGET AND POSITION STATEMENT CONSULTATIONS IS A TENDENCY TOWARDS MUTUALLY ANTAGONISTIC POSITIONS. THIS TENSION BETWEEN COMPETING OBJECTIVES IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF RYDE’S REGENERATION DISCOURSE.



TOWN FABRIC



FOUNDATIONS


GOVERNANCE


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PART 3. PRIORITIES AND ACTIONS


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FIVE CHALLENGES


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  1. THE DOMINANCE OF

    TRANSPORT

    Fixing the mismatch between decisions made in the interests of the five transport operators/owners (including Island Roads) and the resulting impacts on a public realm (especially greenspace) that is in deficit both in quantity and quality.

    The interchange dominates essential public space where the Town Centre meets the Esplanade. The plans for new investment via SEHRT represent a critical test of vision and will to see commercial and community interests considered as coactive in the context of shaping a better Ryde. Whatever the constraints of project criteria applying to the Pier, and the layout and infrastructure of the interchange, good design must at least protect public space, and should endeavour to enrich it.

    The plans for public realm improvements that will come from the HSHAZ in the town’s High Street will take place within the highway estate controlled by Island Roads. New projects will have to be assessed as improvements to, or exemptions from the network and these decisions will have consequences for deliverability.

    These are just two current examples amongst others that illustrate why a new relationship between Ryde Town Council, as the major custodian of the town and its parish, and the five transport bodies, is urgently required. The extension of this dialogue to the bigger picture of transport infrastructure and service planning, including integration with pedestrian and cycle alternatives must be the ambition.


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    Understanding, influencing and steering the impact of Ryde’s urban extension. This profound change to the shape and life of the town is already set in place, but its impact on the public realm, pedestrian permeability and civic quality of the town can still be shaped by Ryde Town Council working in partnership with its partners and allies.


  2. THE URBAN EXTENSION

    Not all of the permissions, current and proposed allocations, may be fulfilled or not, but they will affect and change the life of Ryde nonetheless. Population estimates for these areas have already influenced the reform of IWC wards which will be used in the 2021 local elections. Sites allocated but undeveloped can fall into disuse and dereliction.


    The relationship between the town council and the IWC Regeneration

    and Planning teams is vital, to set out the local requirements (‘Ryde

    Rules’) for the determination of development applications and for the delivery of public benefit through supplementary design guidance, planning conditions and s106 agreements.


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    Applying Ryde’s unique concentration of cultural and natural capital to the benefit of everyday life in the town, with particular regard to its core of worsening deprivation. This is a Biosphere priority.



  3. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

    The outstanding quality of Ryde’s ecology, arts pedigree and built heritage is the raw material for enterprise. As assets for a year-round visitor economy, as a priority pathway for national and regional investment in the emerging green economy, as opportunities for new creative industry, as ‘pull’ for new business location, and as a source of

    new specialist training and skills development, these natural and cultural

    resources have the power to build sustainability.

    Creating and supplying these opportunities so that they are accessible and relevant to the most deprived and disadvantaged communities requires a strongly localized approach utilizing a patchwork of neighbourhood sites that integrate with centres of public and voluntary intervention.


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    Getting more from the town council’s exemplary investment in public life via the £230K of grants and contributions, to ensure a year-on-year accumulation of visible civic gains driven by a bold, coherent, proactive and locally-driven enrichment of public experience.



  4. THE IMPACT OF GRANT FUNDING

    Ryde Town Council supports both new grant applicants and regularly funded organizations and has thus built up a considerable portfolio of projects, programmes and initiatives in which it has a stake on behalf of the residents of Ryde. Helping to sustain local charities and underwriting important local events is an important service in itself but more can be done to accumulate year-on-year civic gains by aligning the outputs of funded work to a coherent plan for the town. This need not change the small grant facility with its easy entry requirements for smaller sums which is such an important scheme for individuals and small or unincorporated groups.


    Such an approach is likely to attract other funding to accelerate progress by providing a ‘match’ towards clear and consistent outcomes for public and community benefit.


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    Enshrining these priorities in a clear, compelling vision for Ryde and its communities, driven by the town council and shared by an active partnership of local organizations.



  5. A PLACE-BASED VISION

    Ryde Town Council is the catalyst for place-based regeneration across its neighbourhoods and communities. There is a sense in which Ryde is a town driving with its hand-brake on; there is so much goodwill and determination to see it succeed, so much data and material to inform and guide action, and so much work being done across such a spread of organizations, but the release of its full momentum can only come from a central driving force.


    Ryde Town Council is the essential body through which the governance and impetus for a place plan, and the long-term, patient delivery of sustainable progress will be delivered, through positive partnership and enterprising collaboration.


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    FIVE SOLUTIONS


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    1. A MANIFESTO FOR RYDE

      • The Town Council’s Vision for Ryde is:

        “To support and enhance the health, well-being and economy of Ryde to the benefit of residents, local businesses and visitors within a culture that makes best use of our heritage and the beauty of Ryde”

      • This statement can be developed into a more specific public statement of significance and intent, a Manifesto for Ryde.

      • The foundations for such a document, taken from local consultations over the past 2 years would include :

        • Protecting and enhancing free, accessible public space with a

          special focus on green infrastructure.

        • Breaking the dominance of traffic in the public realm.

        • Protecting and celebrating Ryde’s iconic buildings and the

          skyline and streetscape they compose.

        • Protecting and celebrating Ryde’s landscape and wildlife.

        • Creating and sustaining activities and opportunities for young people.

        • Creating and sustaining opportunities for all, to live and work in Ryde.

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          THE MANIFESTO PUT INTO ACTION

          • Once written and agreed, the manifesto can form the basis for a series of essential partnership agreements with stakeholders who have significant control over or effect upon life in Ryde. It is fundamental to the co-design of services to meet a public intent.

          • These agreements might be in the form of Memoranda of Understanding, or Agreement, (MOU, MOA); types of provision that establish an important public statement of cooperation, but do not (at first) constitute a legally enforceable obligation.

          • The transport estate partnership agreement should be between RTC and the 5 owners and operators of the transport infrastructure that dominate Ryde seafront: Wightlink, Island Line, Hovertravel, Southern Vectis and Island Roads (and Isle of Wight Council)

          • The regeneration partnership agreement should be between RTC, IWC (Regeneration and Planning), Ryde Business Association, IW Chamber of Commerce, The Ryde Society and Ryde Arts CIC as the basis for the resurrection of the Ryde Coastal Community Team.

          • The health and wellbeing partnership agreement should be

          between RTC, NHS/CCG, and the North-East Locality Hub.

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    2. A THIRD SECTOR COMPACT

      • Ryde Town Council invests £230K annually in the work of local voluntary, community, arts and youth organizations. The capacity of this contribution to build year-on-year public benefits in the civic life of the town is unfulfilled because there is no guiding plan or manifesto that underpins funding decisions. General support for important local organizations, aiding their survival and sustaining their work, is an important objective, but without a framework for ensuring a wider, planned, social and community benefit, the full impact of the town council’s investment cannot be realised.

      • The networks of public realm project locations proposed, and the 6 zones that connect them, provide a convenient and effective route to cumulative public gains. If a performance organization is asked to deliver some part of its event programme at one or other of the public project sites, for example, or a community advice team a public drop-in, then both the cultural capital of the town’s third sector, and the social capital of its neighbourhoods, are increased.

      • One approach would be to establish compacts with relevant grant recipients such that there is an agreement that they will contribute an amount of their time and work to building a more coherent shared endeavour. The connection made by RTC between Network Ryde and the management of the skatepark is an example of this approach that could be expanded.

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    3. A REVIVED COASTAL

      COMMUNITY TEAM

        • Strong local partnerships, federations between public, private and community sectors, are an essential support to the delivery of the sustained positive change to be set out in the Town Council’s manifesto. Ryde’s great advantages, in the depth and breadth of community engagement in its way of life, have been very recognised, and rewarded, through the successful HSHAZ bid. A collaboration between the town council, the business association, Ryde Arts and the Ryde Society, amongst others, has therefore already been successful.

        • An independent, democratic structure to support such a partnership is an important step in enabling successful actions to progress and extend. In the case of Ryde, such a vehicle already exists in the form of its Coastal Community Team, established in 2015 as part of joint working between Ryde Town Council and the Chamber of Commerce.

        • Coastal Community Teams across the country have proven to be useful in resourcing local projects and programmes, through the Coastal Revival Fund, the Coastal Communities Fund, and as a recognised grant recipient for other funds, including Section 106 contributions.

        • CCTs are fundamentally economic regeneration entities, and so a revival of the Ryde team (which has already published an economic plan) would potentially offer a way forwards for the work of the Ryde Regeneration Group, as well as establishing a strong local civic partnership to shape better outcomes for the town and its communities, from development proposals, public infrastructure works, NHS and CCG planning, and effective engagement with regional organizations such as the SolentBL-o7c0al Economic Partnership.



    4. A NETWORK OF PROJECTS TO

      ENRICH PUBLIC REALM

      • By selecting key public places (such as those raised through recent consultations), small enough individually to be significantly improved, even with modest funds, but together extensive enough to create a coherent network of civic enhancements and each a short walk from the next (300m or less), it is possible to deliver visible positive change across the whole of the priority Town Centre and Seafront domain, extending up through the Monkton Brook corridor to join the urban extension land south and east.


      • Public realm enhancements comprise landscape, art, information, orientation, seating/meeting, play, opportunity for event and spectacle and interventions for wildlife.


      • Each project provides an opportunity to combine natural and cultural content through the active participation of, for example:

        • Ryde Arts CIC and the National Portfolio Organizations.

        • The Ryde Society and the Historic Ryde Society.

        • The IW Biosphere, Solent Bird Aware and Natural Enterprise.


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          A NETWORK OF PROJECTS TO ENRICH PUBLIC REALM

          • There are existing and prospective initiatives ready to connect these projects and give them context and extension:

            • The High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) for the High Street (a significant success and great credit to the bidding partnership).

            • Potential public asset investments: the Town Hall, the Arena, the Harbour, Appley Tower.

            • The England Coastal Path, the first National Trail in a decade, running the length of the Esplanade.

            • The Ryde Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) linking Elmfield and Oakfield to the coast through the Monkton Brook corridor.

            • The South East Hampshire Rapid Transit (SEHRT) bid shared with Portsmouth City Council, proposing improvements to the interchange and its public realm.

            • The urban extension to Ryde in approved, allocated and proposed residential and employment developments.


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          1a. Network Ryde 1b. Ryde Library

          1. Minghella Square

          2. Town Square

          3. Ryde Town Hall

          4. St. Thomas’ Square

          5. Western Gardens ‘Plaza’

          6. The Arena

          7. Ryde Skatepark

          8. Ryde Harbour

          9. Rose Garden

          10. Ashley Gardens

          11. Eastern Gardens

          12. Memorial Gardens

          13. North Walk

          14. Appley Tower

          15. Appley Park

          16. Simeon Recreation

          17. Monkton Street


            Public Project Locations 1


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            1. The Arc playground and woodland

            2. Pig Leg Lane Village Green

            3. Nicholson Road community field



            Public Project Locations 2

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            • The project network proposed, drawn from key public sites referenced in existing literature and community consultation, can next be grouped according to common themes, identities and actions.


          THE PROJECTS FALL NATURALLY INTO ZONES OR ‘NEIGHBOURHOODS’ OF ACTION

          • This ‘neighbourhood’ approach fits well with the economic infrastructure of Ryde, creating opportunities for closer combinations of amenity and enterprise, public assets and livelihood.


          • 6 zones have been identified and are indicated and described and

            explained in the following pages.


          • The Esplanade is the largest, and most challenging of the project zones but captures and encapsulates every priority for regeneration and revival that is identified for the town as a whole. It is therefore truly talismanic in its impact and influence. If the Esplanade is set to work, to fulfil its potential as high-performance public realm, then the whole town benefits, by direct effect, or by positive precedent.

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          ESPLANADE ZONE


          ST. THOMAS’ ZONE

          APPLEY ZONE


          HIGH STREET ZONE

          MONKTON VILLAGE ZONE


          Project Zone Locations 1 B - 76


          HIGH STREET ZONE

          1. Both existing civic centres as well as public spaces. (a) Network Ryde. A centre of youth work and an important public anchor point at the top of the High Street, linking with Ryde Academy in particular. Opportunities to support HSHAZ community and cultural programmes. Opportunity for public investment in property, securing flats above to support key worker, affordable rent, affordable workspace, emergency accommodation support and project income. (b) Ryde Library, home of the Citizens Advice Bureau and a significant centre of arts and community activity. There is an important opportunity to further invest in the buildings and resources here as part of HSHAZ outreach and engagement, furthering the work of the library in supporting life chances and life quality in Ryde as well as protecting the right to participate in a shared community.


          2. Minghella Square. Scope for concentrated public realm enhancement

            within the ‘dwell time’ enrichment work of HSHAZ.


          3. Town Square. High footfall area with important orientation potential through to Ryde Library. Existing markets and events can be supplemented with a calendar of free public events through HSHAZ. Both the cultural and community engagement programmes can play a significant role in this programming. A role of central hub for public space enhancement through the commissioning of public art (from sculpture to decorative detailing and imaginative wayfinding) is possible. B - 77

            Star Street B - 78


            ST. THOMAS’ ZONE

          4. Ryde Town Hall and Theatre. An opportunity for public purchase as an investment asset (yellow colour coding is used for all such projects). The work of the Ryde Empty Buildings Group under the

            title ‘Creative Ryde’ has clearly established a justification for public acquisition and regeneration through makerspace and affiliated industries. Ryde Town Council continues to explore this possibility through lottery funding. A partnership with the IWC commercial property acquisition strategy, or a locally created version of it, provides an alternative, or complementary approach. The importance of active and visible intervention to save, revive and actively and positively utilise Ryde’s critical cultural capital cannot be overstated. The town hall is one of four such opportunities identified in the project network.


          5. St. Thomas’ Square. The centre of the town, marking old and new boundaries between upper and lower Ryde, the home of the town council, and a prominent civic space. The cultural programme to be delivered through HSHAZ may offer an opportunity to programme new activity and spectacle and better draw out a coherent space that incorporates the pedestrian crossings the plaza and the town hall area.

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            ESPLANADE ZONE

          6. Western Gardens. This area includes the lower part of Union Street, together creating a third town square or plaza. The essential task here is to connect infrastructure changes to the transport interchange planned by SEHRT with equivalent and simultaneous enhancement to public realm. Improvements to landscaping, seating, signage and orientation to achieve easier, safer and more pleasant pedestrian access between appealing open spaces must be a condition of public investment in the interchange. A new link from Union Street to Western Gardens across St. Thomas Street would assist in the revival of interest in the Western Sands’ four beaches (accessibility improvements also required), and the development of a key anchor point between town centre and esplanade.


          7. Ryde Arena. A visible centre of decay on the seafront and in public ownership. One solution to the protracted and expensive stalemate with the current tenant might be, as with the Town Hall, to buy back the lease as a commercial investment decision. This would provide options for a reworking of the Quay Road public estate to secure rental and car parking income, better use redundant spaces, restore and expand public amenity, integrate the England Coastal Path and create new and affordable opportunities for local enterprise.

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            Under The Pier event B - 81


            ESPLANADE ZONE

          8. Ryde Skatepark. An important resource for in a suitable and accessible location. Its lease expires in 2020. The role of the skatepark, as part of an enhanced recreational space that stretches from Western Gardens to Puckpool, is essential. Its loss, following the closure of the Arena, would further demoralize and disaffect Ryde’s young people. There is an immediate opportunity to integrate the future of the skatepark with the leasehold arrangements for the adjacent harbour, establishing an active centre of sport and leisure activity run by the town, for the town.


          9. Ryde Harbour. RTC has taken very positive steps towards establishing and running a community harbour, looking to expand the range of recreational, educational and economic opportunities that the facility can provide. The harbour is one of four bellwether public asset

            investment projects that together would establish RTC as an ‘Enterprise Council’.


          10. The Rose Garden. A small public space in the flow of people using the Esplanade and interchange, with great potential to concentrate enrichment for visitors , residents and workers alike. Improvements to seating, planting for wildlife, boundary treatments and the architecture of the space (all easily rose-themed), can be delivered to create a place that is sought out within the seafront public estate. B - 82


            ESPLANADE ZONE

          11. Ashley Gardens. A small but important public space. This well-maintained and formal garden includes a town pond, a rare feature on the Island. There is scope to make better use of this attraction as waymarking and orientation between the Esplanade and the Monkton Street neighbourhood. Landscaping for increased ecological value can be incorporated into both the beds and the pond, emphasising Ryde’s status as a coastal nature haven and increasing the possibilities of wildlife encounter for visitors and residents alike.


          12. Eastern Gardens. Another in the series of gardens that punctuate Ryde’s seafront. A formal landscaped greenspace with potential for boosted wildlife value (as part of a coastal garden/seafront rewilding effort), public art commissioning, public events, public information and orientation connecting with the England Coastal Path.


          13. Memorial Gardens. The same mix of ecological gain (in both planted and built environments), orientation between seafront and hinterland, England Coastal Path and LCWIP routes to the south, small-scale arts interventions and public information, will help to increase the cumulative impact of the sparse and fragmented green infrastructure

            that characterises Ryde.

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            ESPLANADE ZONE

          14. North Walk and the Canoe Lake. The lake and its margins are designated as a Site of Importance for nature Conservation (SINC C214A). There is an opportunity here to emphasise the relict dune ecology and manage the sandy slopes to reduce invasive plant cover and restore a coastal flora. The lake also provides a winter refuge for wildfowl, with a feral population present the year round. By actively managing the site as an urban nature reserve, interpreting its wildlife value, providing information on what to look for and when, increasing and improving coastal habitats and removing degraded areas, it is possible to combine recreational and conservation functions and to connect this work with the wider narrative of Biosphere that is exemplified by Ryde.


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            Ivy bees in the North Walk dune B - 85


            APPLEY ZONE

          15. Appley Tower. Work is being undertaken by Natural Enterprise, with support from the Coastal Revival Fund, to assess options for sustainable redevelopment of this Grade II listed building. The potential for its use as a tourism venue, café, bar and restaurant is being developed in more detail. There are important opportunities to incorporate the building’s ‘observatory’ appeal also, looking out onto the European protected sites of Ryde Sands, backed by the Repton landscape of Appley Park, a perfect Biosphere combination.


          16. Appley Park. An important public space in itself, with cultural and ecological value for recreation, education and tourism. Appley connects the town’s seafront esplanade with the outposts of Puckpool and Harcourt. The latter’s existing development history has embedded a requirement for extensive new public green infrastructure, better connecting Appley and Puckpool. In this way Appley’s influence over Harcourt’s design creates an essential bridge into the eastern and southern arc of proposed and permitted development, potentially prompting the creation of continuously connected new public realm from Harcourt to Puckpool, Westridge and Smallbrook.


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            MONKTON VILLAGE ZONE

          17. Simeon Street Recreation Ground. A public greenspace significantly and unfavourably altered by recent flood defence works. The Rec is another example of the lack of connection between infrastructure works and the shared life of the community affected. There could, and should, have been investment in the recreational value of the site as part of the agreed programme of public works, but the prompt for this intervention must come from the town itself. This is why a Manifesto for Ryde, and its implementation through strategic agreements with key stakeholders (which would include the Environment Agency and Southern Water given their prominent presence in the life of the town) is required. There is an opportunity to revisit the site and begin to repair damage done to its utility and appeal as a public park. The Rec is an important orientation point between the Esplanade and the Oakvale corridor.


          18. Monkton Street. The Monkton Street neighbourhood has a strongly individual character, with its mix of shops, cafes (such as the new Monkton Arts Café) , small industrial estates and dense streetscape. It connects easily, via Park Road and St. Johns Wood Road, with the Oakvale green corridor to the south (a route also featuring in the town’s draft Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan). There is great potential to emphasise the locally distinctive sense of place in and around Monkton Street, establishing both destination and linking roles within the project network. B - 87



            OAKVALE ZONE


            Project Zone Locations 2 B - 88



            OAKVALE ZONE

          19. The Arc play area and woodland. These areas are owned and managed by Sovereign Housing Association as part of their Slade Road estate; both the playground and the river valley wood are publicly accessible at all times, from public footpath/bridleway R54 and from Nicholson Road. A report produced (by Arc Consulting) for Sovereign in 2018, proposed enhancements to the open space and green infrastructure, focussing in particular on the opportunity to create a greater mix of use:

            By strengthening the connections between the Nicholson Road commercial district, the Slade Road/Oakvale neighbourhood, footpath R54, and bringing these connections together around the play area and its surroundings, a strong sense of shared space can be created. This work encourages a diversity of interactions between people of all ages and helps to develop local routines that incorporate The Arc. A greater and more diverse presence can serve to build security and safety (less forbidding, more observers and participants) and help drive behavioural change towards a more optimistic view of the space. It becomes a place worth caring about, less prone to littering, dog-fouling and damage.”


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            Aspire seen from The Arc B - 90


            OAKVALE ZONE

          20. Pig Leg Lane. One of the Island’s few Village Greens (Swanmore Meadows) and one of two in Ryde (with Play Lane Millennium Green). It is also designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC 213A) and is managed on behalf of Ryde Town Council by the charity Natural Enterprise as part of their Gift To Nature programme. Pig Leg Lane forms a continuous accessible greenspace of over 14Ha with the Sovereign Arc sites and Nicholson Road’s proposed community space creating one of the largest such areas on the Island, essentially a country park. This combined area sits in the centre of the Ryde urban extension, comprising the redevelopment of the adjacent vineyard, Pennyfeathers to the south and Nicholson Road to the east. Its significance to ‘Future Ryde’ scenarios is therefore significant.


          21. Nicholson Road. This is a priority IWC site in the Island’s Regeneration Strategy. Much of the site will remain accessible green infrastructure and particular attention is being paid to the northern section to be given over to community facilities. Included in this is the field bisected by footpath R55 which will remain as public open space. The point at which this site meets the Arc woodland to the north and the Swanmore Village Green to the west is also the junction of six public rights of way, making it a significant landmark and orientation point into ‘Future Ryde’ neighbourhoods. B - 91


          THE ZONED ‘NEIGHBOURHOODS OF ACTION’ ARE CONNECTED AND PROVIDE A BRIDGEHEAD TO THE RYDE URBAN EXTENSION

          • The six project zones are all positioned along existing rights of way and pedestrian and cycling routes recommended in the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) as well as the England Coastal Path (ECP).


          • The Oakvale and Appley zones also form essential connectors into the future urban extension along the south and east of Ryde, comprising permissions and allocations that may be developed.


          • A new route is therefore possible between these zones, running through the green infrastructure provision of current and future development schemes if they are delivered. This must be a high-quality walking and cycling route that encourages and facilitates the flow of people between zones.


          • It is essential that Ryde Town Council and its partners ensure, should developments be approved within this south-east belt, that greenspace and public realm are integrated between them so that maximum permeability is achieved for existing and new communities.


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            THE ZONED ‘NEIGHBOURHOODS OF ACTION’ ARE CONNECTED AND PROVIDE A BRIDGEHEAD TO THE RYDE URBAN EXTENSION

            The creation of flow and movement within and between the zones is fundamental to building social capital in Ryde and is based on three key principles for shaping better places:


          • Create a public realm that improves the quantity and diversity of human interactions and everyday meetings and so increases the likelihood of future positive events.


          • Combine and connect public spaces to make coherent networks for communal living.


          • Build social life by making it easy for shared activity to happen in a public context, encouraging collaboration and participation that adds value to neighbourhoods.


            This combination of locally distinct districts and neighbourhoods, with strong individual sense of place, well connected and permeable for pedestrians and cyclists, fostering the meeting of people and the exploration of a wide and varied public realm, must be at the heart of planning for Ryde.

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            Connecting the Zones

            LCWIP routes

            and ECP


            LCWIP

            routes

            Ryde Urban Extension areas


            Project Zones


            Future

            connector


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    5. SOCIAL ENTERPRISE ZONES


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CONCLUSION


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THE TOWN WITH ALL THE GIFTS

In plans and policies for 15 years and more, Ryde is the town ‘most likely to succeed’. Its extraordinary setting, the depth and breadth of its cultural and natural content, its public assets, its architectural beauty, its role as both Island destination and Island gateway, and the active participation of its community in so much of its shared and civic life, are all the ingredients for success. Yet Ryde’s great potential to deliver the commonwealth of public wellbeing that it promises remains unfulfilled. This is not for want of resolution or conviction, there are so many individuals, groups and organizations committed to the town. It seems truer to say that what is needed is that single focus of purpose, consistently and repeatedly applied, and designed to be effectively shared between agents and across sectors.


A catalyst is needed for change, and there has never been such active chemistry in Ryde as now. The focus on regeneration, the evolving Island Plan, projects for public estate and buildings, national funding successes and the award of Biosphere, are all overlapping and interacting.


There is a unique opportunity now, in the hands of the Town Council, to set in motion a plan that will celebrate the distinctive characteristics of place while demanding the best of the new, so that quality and authenticity adds richness to a life in Ryde. B - 102


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APPENDIX

List of Reference Documents


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The Wight We Want ‘Island Conversation’ results 2017

Budget Consultation Responses RTC 2018

Comments of Draft Outline Position Statement RTC 2018

Ryde Conservation Area Conservation Area Appraisal Adopted April 2011 Isle of Wight Council Retail Study May 2018 WYG

Planning for Ryde, Ryde Town Council’s position statement final : 24012019


DOCUMENT LIST

Full Ryde Town Council, 28 January 2019 Paper by: Saskia Blackmore and Ady White, Town Clerk Ryde Harbour – Options Paper

Register of Assets held by Ryde Town Council - Value exceeding £100

Ryde Town Council budget 2019-20

Grant agreement in relation to Isle of Wight: community connections, between Isle of Wight Council and Ryde Town Council 2019

1st March 2018 List of possible Town improvement projects identified by the RTC Planning Committee

Public Spaces Protection Order Proposals for Ryde 2019

Ryde Town Council public realm budget allocation guidance and prioritisation framework 2018

Public Realm Funding Application Form RTC

Ryde Town Council Public Realm Strategy, delivering co-ordinated improvements to the Public Realm in Ryde. March 2018 CCT

RTC Property land registry

Creative Ryde: acquiring and developing Ryde Town Hall as a landmark cultural centre feasibility study

– final version Ryde Empty Buildings Group 28th February 2019


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DOCUMENT LIST

Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2015, 2019, ONS Island Plan, Isle of Wight Core Strategy 2012

IW Green infrastructure Mapping Study Halcrow 2010

2009 Open Space, Sport and Recreation Audit Halcrow 2009

Area Action Plan Informal Discussion Document The Ryde Plan 2014 The Ryde Plan Consultation Draft 2015

Key Ward Information, Ryde Cluster , IWC

Ryde Coastal Community Team bids and documents

Ryde -Isle of Wight | vision & objectives stage1 and 2 march 2015, IW Chamber of Commerce Area Regeneration Workshops Ryde, The Bay, West Wight, West Medina and East Medina Island Infrastructure Investment Plan Final Report Solent Local Enterprise Partnership May 2018 Ryde Town Council outline position statement draft: 18092018

Interim Solent Recreation Mitigation Strategy First Annual Report on Implementation October 2015 Interim Solent Recreation Mitigation Strategy Second Annual Report on Implementation June 2016 Interim Solent Recreation Mitigation Strategy Third Annual Report on Implementation June 2017 Ryde Car Park Income 2018 IWC

The Ryde Consultations 2018 Arc

High Street Heritage Action Zone EOI RTC 2019

Historic Places Panel review paper, The Isle of Wight 2019


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Solent Recreation Mitigation Strategy Fourth Annual Report on Implementation June 2018 Solent Recreation Mitigation Strategy Fifth Annual Report on Implementation June 2019 Comments on Island plan Ryde regeneration area statement 2019

DOCUMENT LIST

Island Planning Strategy Draft 2018Consultation

Inspiration Island Isle of Wight Regeneration Strategy ISSUE 1 June 2019

Ryde Gateway to the Isle of Wight, MA student work, Portsmouth University 2018 undertaken as a part of the University of a Portsmouth school of architecture, MUD Studio (Making Understanding & Doing) programme, with Isle of Wight Council Regeneration Team 2018

Ryde Nicholson Road Member & Key Stakeholder / Pre-application Presentation August 2019 Ryde Public Realm Strategy 2004 Atkins/RDT

South East Hampshire Rapid Transit Bid, Ryde Transport Hub update June 2019 Vision for Ryde, paper to full council – 9 April 2018

Portsmouth School of Architecture design research Collaboration with The IoW Regeneration Team 2018

Transforming Place, Transforming People, Aspire Ryde Community Consultation Review 2016


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