Lincoln Townscape Assessment. Bunkers Hill Inherited Character Area Statement

Transcription

1 Lincoln Townscape Assessment Bunkers Hill Inherited Character Area Statement Residential houses and apartments in Bunkers Hill Character Area. The buildings are made from a variety of brick colours and the houses have covered porch area. JULY 2009 Page 2 of 17

2 Table of Contents Page Overview 2 Historical Development 3 Urban form 4 Views 9 Condition of Buildings and Streetscape 10 Use 10 Relationship to City and Surrounding Areas 10 Key Townscape Characteristics 10 Appendix 1: Character Area Attributes 12 Appendix 2: List of RAZs 13 Appendix 3: List of Monuments 14 Appendix 4: List of Ecological Sites 15 Appendix 5: Historical Components which influence the current character 16 Page 3 of 17

3 Overview Bunkers Hill is a large suburban area lying approximately 3km to the north east of Lincoln city centre, and includes Modern [ AD] residential housing and a retail centre. The character of the townscape illustrates approaches towards the construction of large residential developments in the early 21 st century. Housing developments have overwritten former agricultural land within the north-eastern fringes of the city, and few historic features remain observable in the current townscape. The western boundary of the Character Area broadly follows the former boundary between Greetwell Parish and the city, which may date to the Early Modern Era [ AD]. A number of streets in the area follow the orientation of some former field boundaries associated with the area s enclosure by Act of Parliament. The Lincolnshire Poacher Public House on Wragby Road was formerly a farmhouse built around the time of parliamentary enclosure. Most of the area consists of very large urban blocks, with the remainder of the area divided into small-to-medium irregular-shaped urban blocks, many of which are defined by cycleways and/or footpaths. The overall grain of open space and buildings is coarser in the west of the Character Area than in the centre, south and east. Changes of building scale are a key characteristic of the Character Area, and often serve to differentiate particular parts of the area from others. Residential development is composed of a small number of build units, which vary from individual house builds to an expansive phased development. In the west, large detached apartment blocks, rows of flats and the Carlton Centre are arranged around a geometric pattern of curvilinear streets. Buildings have unclear plot boundaries and sit within a wider open landscaped area. Properties are two to four storeys in height and up to sixteen bays in width. Buildings are mostly built of brick with synthetic stone dressings, and incorporate some imitated traditional style features. Buildings face the street and have active façades with medium solid-to-void ratios; however, there are few doors leading out on to the streets. Three-storey properties facing Carlton Boulevard and Venables Way are arranged in comparatively longer rows, which closely adhere to the profile of the street, often forming crescents or gateways to inner parts of the estate. The taller houses and stronger building line form strong and impermeable features along the southern extent of the build unit, and create a largely impermeable buffer between the larger squat apartment blocks and the smaller houses to the east. The remainder of the area consists of high-density residential housing arranged around an irregular and sinuous pattern of crescents, cul-de-sacs and closes. The majority of properties are part of a large phased build unit, and two large developments of affordable housing. There is a high density of housing throughout resulting in a high sense of enclosure for a suburb. Houses are two to three storeys in height and two to three bays in width and are mostly detached or semi-detached, although there are many short rows of between 4 and 9 properties. Houses are set back 2-5m from the footway with a hard standing or grassed verge, and frequently have indistinct public/private boundaries to the front. Building lines are mostly stepped, but often retain a common orientation parallel to the main direction of roads, forming broadly continuous building lines along streets. Properties face the road and are built at the front of their plots, and have small gardens to the rear. Houses are brick-built with regular doors and windows resulting in a medium solid-to-void ratio. Roofs are mostly gabled with their ridgelines running parallel to the road, and are roofed with flat synthetic rubber/plastic roof tiles, and some clay pantile. The affordable housing differs slightly from other housing as properties are laid out around loose grid pattern of streets. Buildings are generally three storeys in height and two bays in width and set close to, or at the back of, the footway, resulting in an increased sense of enclosure and strong continuous building lines. Apartment blocks and houses are generally plainer in decoration, are built of more similar materials and show less variation in form. Buildings have high solid-to-void ratios with small windows especially at ground floor level. Apartment blocks in the Pitcairn Avenue development are linked by covered external flights of stairs. The form and size of properties in the Character Area are generally similar within build units, which appear to be designed using a limited number of standard building plans. As a result, individual houses of the same form along streets are often differentiated through the incorporation of a varying number of decorative elements or simple changes in form. Decoration on houses includes a combination of imitated traditional features, including neo-vernacular, Victorian, and neo-classical style elements. Properties frequently have dormer windows or blind dormers set in varying positions on the front façade. The varied character of houses in the Character Area illustrates a move by developers to design and construct individual properties, aimed at satisfying the desire of potential homeowners for a distinctive and personalised home. However, the use of a range of standard designs, details and materials within build units demonstrates the economies of scale of mass developments and their construction with a finite set of building materials. Detached or semi-detached properties frequently have single-storey garages to the side or integrated garages. Short rows of Page 4 of 17

4 houses have communal blocks of three to four garages or open car parking areas in the centre of urban blocks. Many of the communal garage blocks are two storeys in height with a flat above. Vehicular movement in and out of the area is restricted to a single run of slightly larger through roads linking Carlton Boulevard and Hawthorn Way. With the exception of through roads there is no clear street hierarchy in the area, often making the townscape difficult to navigate. Many cul-de-sacs are surfaced with red block paving, serving to differentiate them from connecting roads. Pedestrian and cycle paths are well established in the Character Area, and link up to provide good access between residential areas and the retail development in the west. From the south of the Character Area there are good rural views of the south escarpment and the Witham valley to the west. There are also intermittent views of the west façade of the Cathedral from the Carlton Centre. Historical Development Bunkers Hill Character Area is a large residential housing development with an associated retail centre located to the north east of the former Roman and Medieval city. The development, which remains ongoing, was begun in the latter part of the Modern Period [ AD] and has overwritten former agricultural land within the north-eastern fringes of the city. Land within the Character Area may have been cultivated, if not grazed, from the Prehistoric Era [10,000 BC-90 AD]. Although no visible evidence of early field boundaries currently exists, the remains of a triple ditch run, which may have demarked political boundary or been used to contain livestock, runs through the area. During the Roman Military [60-90 AD] and Roman Colonia [ AD] Eras the area may have been part of the Roman territorium, an area of land surrounding major Roman fortresses in which agricultural production and services were dedicated to the service of the legion rather than the local population. The northern boundary of the Character Area is formed by the rear plots of properties along Wragby Road, a route which was first established during the Roman Military Era. Economic decline of the city during the Early Medieval Era [ AD] may have resulted in much of the Character Area becoming less intensively farmed, although it is likely that heathland in the area continued to be grazed. During the High Medieval Era [ AD] the majority of land in the Character Area was part of Greetwell Parish. The western boundary of the Character Area broadly follows the former boundary between Greetwell Parish and the city, which may date to the Early Modern Era [ AD] if not earlier. The boundary, which divided the city of Lincoln and Greetwell Parish, amongst other parishes in the north and east of the city, was originally marked by a feature in the landscape, probably a ditch and bank perhaps enhanced by a hedge, known as Nettleham Mere. During the Early Modern Era land was probably part of a large common field associated with the village of Greetwell, and would have been divided into small strips shared between many of the villagers. During the course of the Early Modern Era land may have become amalgamated into larger fields, which were possibly subdivided during the enclosure of Greetwell Parish by private treaty in the Early Industrial Period [ AD]. The orientations of former field boundaries are retained in several places in the current townscape, such as the rear plot boundaries of numbers Flaxley Road, the north-west/south-east line from number 5 Marrat Close to number 4 Venables Way, and the north-west/south-east line from 7 Buck Close to 140 Carlton Boulevard. A short stretch of the north side of Carlton Boulevard between Lace House and number 2 Venables Way also follows a former field boundary. The Lincolnshire Poacher Public House on Wragby Road was formerly a farmhouse built around the time of parliamentary enclosure during the Early Modern Era. The current rear plot of the pub and the original garden plot of the farmhouse (now occupied by numbers Wragby Road) forms part of the north boundary of the Character Area. The far south-eastern boundary of the Character Area also follows the line of a wood and former footpath which originally led to a farmhouse located to the east of the Character Area on the current site of the Stocking Way residential development. Land within the Character Area appears to have changed very little during the remainder of the Early Industrial Period [ AD] and the later Post-Railway Expansion [ AD] and Late Victorian/Edwardian [ AD] Periods. Open-cast quarrying took place to the south of the area, and continued until the Modern Period. It is likely that quarrying for materials such as ironstone and limestone took place within and to the south of the area since the foundation of Lincoln in the Roman Military Era. Stone extraction in Greetwell Quarry, which forms the majority of the southern boundary of the area, continued until the early 21 st century. During the Inter-War [ AD] and Post-War [ AD] Periods ribbon development, in the form of detached and semi-detached middle class housing (e.g. numbers 2-110) developed along the Wragby Road and Hawthorn Road. The rear plots of the houses form the western and northern boundaries of the Character Area respectively. Land upon which the development is located remained rural until its development during the latter part of the Modern Period [ AD] for housing and a retail centre. The full extent of the development (including that outside of the Character Area) straddles the modern city boundary that, because of the re-organisation of Local Councils in 1974, was extended north-eastwards to incorporate parts of the former Greetwell Parish. Page 5 of 17

5 Urban form Bunkers Hill Character Area is a large suburban area lying approximately 3km to the north east of Lincoln city centre, and includes Modern [ AD] residential housing, services and retail centre. The character of the townscape illustrates approaches taken towards the construction of large residential developments in the early 21 st century. The Character Area is mainly flat, except to the south where land falls gently towards the former Greetwell Quarry. The overall grain of open space and buildings is coarser in the west of the Character Area than in the centre, south and east. In the west, large detached apartment blocks, rows of flats and the Carlton Centre are arranged around a geometric pattern of curvilinear streets. The remainder of the area consists of a high density of residential housing arranged around a mainly irregular and sinuous pattern of crescents, cul-de-sacs and closes, which is occasionally loosely grid-like in layout in areas of affordable housing (e.g. Kirkstall Close). Residential development in the area is composed of a small number of build units which vary from individual house builds, such as along the south side of Blackfriars Road, to expansive phased developments which dominate either side of Carlton Boulevard and the east of the Character Area. The majority of the Character Area consists of a very large irregular urban block which incorporates a high proportion of the most extensive residential build unit in the area, as well as the larger buildings in the west. The northern part of the block includes ribbon development along Wragby Road and Hawthorn Road. The remainder of the area is divided into small-to-medium irregularly shaped urban blocks, many of which are defined by cycleways and/or footpaths as well as roads. Changes of building scale are a key characteristic of the Character Area, and often serve to differentiate particular parts of the area from others. Large squat properties in the west of the area including the Carlton Centre, Bunkers Hill Care Home, and three apartment blocks (Navona House, Palantine House and Olsen Court), are up to sixteen bays in width and two to four storeys in height. With the exception of the Carlton Centre, the buildings are arranged around an open park, which is bordered on the other side by continuous rows of three-storey houses. The rows, which are arranged in crescents, form a strong and largely impermeable buffer between the larger squat apartment blocks and the smaller houses to the east, which make up the remainder of the estate. In addition, the continuous rows, including those along Carlton Road, define the edge of the largest residential build unit in the area, and serve as a gateway to housing at the junction of Carlton Boulevard and Padley Road. Figure 1 Map showing changes in building scale across the Character Area: Large squat buildings in the west of the Character Area (orange) are arranged around a central park (green) which is bordered by continuous rows of three storey houses (red), which in turn act as buffer to smaller scale housing to the east (yellow) In the west of the area, the Carlton Centre is mainly two storeys in height and consists of large retail units facing an area of car parking to the west, and an L-shaped arrangement of smaller shops along a central passageway and Carlton Mews. Through a reduction in the size of retail units from west to east, the Carlton Centre provides a transition from the larger retail and industrial units along Outer Circle Road to smaller more locally-based shops. The Centre itself consists of two wings of steel frame construction with corrugated steel roofs, either side of an avenue of brick-built shops with tiled pitched roofs. The front and rear of the two wings also have brick-built features which conceal the steel construction within. The centre has a low solid-to-void ratio at ground level, with regular shop fronts, although many are inactive as a result of the interior screening of windows. The Page 6 of 17

6 solid-to-void ratio at first-floor level is comparably higher, with regular square wooden sash windows. Shopfronts frequently incorporate many classical or traditional features such as canted bay windows, loose classical style pilasters and cornices, and a short length of covered walkway with simple steel framework. Large buildings to the east and north of the Carlton Centre include Bunkers Hill Care Home and Olsen Court assisted living residences, Lace House, and two large private apartment blocks, Navona House, Palantine House. The associated plot boundaries of the properties are mostly unclear as buildings mostly sit within a wider open landscaped area to the east of the Carlton Centre. The Care Home consists of two buildings facing a central grassed courtyard, and Olsen Court is a linear L- shaped building. The two apartment blocks, which are almost identical in style and form, are T-shaped in plan, and, alongside the Carlton Centre, enclose a landscaped precinct and car parking area. Properties vary from two to four storeys in height and are multiple bays in width. The buildings are brick-built and have some synthetic stone dressings including windowsills, lintels, and quoins. Windows are upvc casement or imitation sash windows, square/rectangular in shape, and include some patio windows with Juliet balconies on larger apartment blocks. There are regular windows looking out on to streets; however, the lack of doors leading out onto the streets gives a feeling of inpermeability and inactivity in places. Roofs are hipped except on Olsen Court and Lace House, which are gabled. Rooflines are frequently broken by gabled wings, which project varying distances from the façade, or as the height of buildings reduce from three to four storeys. Smaller-scale residential development in the area includes an extensive build unit running from Venables Way in the centre of the area to Whitefriars Road in the far east, a large development of affordable housing around Pitcairn Avenue, and two smaller build units which include houses along the south side of Blackfriars Road and the properties around Sympson Close. There is a high density of housing throughout all residential development units in the Character Area. Properties are two to three storeys in height and two to three bays in width. Houses are mostly detached or semi-detached, although many are built in short rows of between 4 and 9 properties, or are joined with neighbouring properties by a garage. Apartment blocks within the Pitcairn Avenue development are linked by covered external flights of stairs with open sides. Figure 2 Properties joined by open stairwells within the affordable housing development around Pitcairn Avenue Properties in the Pitcairn Avenue development are arranged around a straight geometric pattern of roads and cul-de-sacs, as is affordable housing in the centre of the Character Area around Kirstall Close and Byland Close. Buildings in these areas are mainly arranged parallel to the roads, and are set close to, or at the back of, the footway, forming strong and often continuous building lines, increasing the sense of enclosure along streets. The remainder of residential properties in the Character Area are closely spaced along an irregular sinuous pattern of streets, resulting in a broadly continuous building line in most areas. Properties are often arranged in stepped lines along streets; however, façades often retain a common orientation parallel to the main direction of roads (e.g Padley Road). Properties are mostly laid out in a loose rectangular pattern around cul-de-sacs (e.g. Sympson Close and Buck Close). Stepped building lines and sinuous streets often emphasise the individual aspect of properties and permit greater privacy, as houses are often less overlooked by facing and neighbouring properties. To the front, properties are mostly set back 2-5m from the footway with a hard standing or grassed verge to the front. The sense of enclosure is high for a suburban area. Page 7 of 17

7 Along the south side of the area, taller three-storey properties facing Carlton Boulevard and Venables Way are arranged in comparatively longer rows, the orientations of which more closely adhere to the profile of the street, often forming crescents (e.g Venables Way) or gateways to inner parts of the build estate, such as numbers Carlton Boulevard. The taller houses and stronger building line form strong and impermeable features along the southern extent of the build unit. Figure 3 Continuous rows of three storey buildings along Venables Way, which form a buffer between the larger squat apartment blocks to the west and the smaller houses to the east Housing plots along roads are broadly rectangular with their short axis aligned parallel with the road, although several plots on corners or curves in the road are more irregular in shape, often with small wedge-shaped gardens to the rear. Properties face the road and are built at the front of their plots. The majority of properties in the Character Area have indistinct public/private boundaries, which often take the form of a border of low planting, thin steel hoop fencing, or a vague transition from grass/hard standing to the footway. Boundaries between properties are also frequently indistinct, and are usually similar in style to the public/private boundary at the front of plots. Houses have small gardens to the rear, which are mostly bounded by wooden garden fencing or hedging. Where the sides of plots lie adjacent to roads, plots are more clearly defined by brick walls or high wooden fencing or, in a small number of cases, by stoneclad walls with dry stone wall style capping. The form and size of properties in the Character Area are generally similar within build units, which appear to be designed using a limited number of standard building plans. As a result, individual houses of the same form along streets are often differentiated through the incorporation of a varying number of decorative elements or simple changes in form. By and large, affordable housing shows less variation in decoration and form than other properties in the area. Houses are built of load-bearing brick walls. Brick colours vary throughout much of the Character Area (e.g. grey/brown/red/orange), but are more coherent within areas of affordable housing within the Pitcairn Avenue development and around Kirstall Close and Gabriel Crescent. Properties within the same build unit are often differentiated from neighbouring houses though the varying use of projections or decoration. Projections on properties are commonly found on the front of buildings, and include frequent bay windows at ground-floor level with swept fibreglass or tiled roofs, and a small number of two-storey bay windows, and frequent brick or wooden porches. Many houses incorporate shallow projecting gabled wings at each end of the building, or within the main façade. Properties are generally plain, and commonly have simple decoration, including many traditional elements, such as neo-classical columns on porches and/or neo-vernacular tiled corbelling in the eaves. Page 8 of 17

8 Figure 4 One-piece moulded imitation of neo-vernacular tile corbelling typical of early 20 th century houses Other decoration includes different coloured brick in stringcourses (e.g. Cornwood Close) and window surrounds. A small number of properties have artificial stone cladding (e.g. 1 and 19 Ploughmans Court), are painted, or are partially rendered, including many properties facing Carlton Boulevard and those within the Pitcairn Avenue development. Porches have plain hoods, or are projecting with some form of decoration including neo-classical columns or gabled wooden frames with finials. Some porch roofs are integrated with bay window and/or adjacent garage roofs. Several buildings have small date stones inscribed in synthetic stone. Despite variation in the form and style of properties, many architectural components such as windows, doors, and other fixtures and fittings, remain highly similar (e.g. Stukeley Close and Byland Close), resulting in a coherent townscape in many areas. Front façades on properties generally appear active, and have medium-to-high solid-to-void ratios with regular upvc casement windows overlooking the street, creating a feeling of safety throughout much of the area. Properties within areas of affordable housing often have higher solid-to-void ratios than other houses in the area, with smaller windows particularly at ground floor level. Windows are mostly vertical or square in orientation, and often have traditional elements such as mock sash windows and/or glazing bars. Windowsills and lintels are often accentuated in brick or synthetic moulded stone. Several properties throughout the Character Area have patio doors with Juliet balconies at first- and second-floor level. Front doors are located in various positions on the front façade, and are mostly partially glazed upvc panelled or plain doors. Page 9 of 17

9 Figure 5 Low solid-to-void ratio on short row of 4 affordable houses. Dormer windows with curved roofs and small windows at ground floor level. Roofs on buildings are pitched, the majority of which are gabled, although a small number of houses have hipped roofs, in particular single-storey garages. Roofs are generally shallow in pitch, and have their ridgelines running parallel to the street, although a limited number of properties, (e.g. 1 and 3 Flaxley Road), have gable ends facing the street. Roof materials include various types of flat synthetic rubber/plastic tile, and some clay pantile. Two- and three-storey properties frequently have dormer windows set in varying positions including wholly within the roof space, above the eaves, and through the eaves on properties above garages. Dormers generally have shallow or curved single pitched roofs or are gabled. Several properties have blind gabled dormers built into the eaves line. Eaves are mainly shallow with upvc or wooden soffits and fascias, and plastic rainwater goods. A small number of houses have corbelled brick eaves. Properties have plain closed or shallow verges, or, where gable ends face the street, shallow verges with simple upvc bargeboards. The varied character of houses in the Character Area illustrates a move by developers to design and construct individual properties, aimed at satisfying the desire of potential homeowners for a distinctive and personalised home. However, the use of a range of standard designs, details and materials within build units demonstrates the economies of scale of mass developments and their construction with a finite set of building materials. Detached or semi-detached properties frequently have single-storey garages attached to the side or integrated within the main ground floor of the house, some of which are open parking spaces beneath carriageway arches. Short rows of houses have communal blocks of three to four garages or open car parking areas in the centre of urban blocks. Many of the communal garage blocks are two storeys in height with a flat above. In addition, several garage blocks have imitated blocked windows on façades facing the street, resulting in a high solid-to-avoid ratio and a feeling of inactivity in places. Page 10 of 17

10 Figure 6 Imitation blocked up windows on the rear of two storey garage blocks with first-floor apartment Vehicular movement in and out of the area is restricted to Carlton Boulevard and St. Augustine Road, as access to internal parts of the area is confined to a series of unconnected branches of crescents, cul-de-sacs and closes (e.g. Marrat Close and Gabriel Crescent). Streets are connected by a single run of slightly larger through roads linking Carlton Boulevard and Hawthorn Way. With the exception of through roads there is no clear street hierarchy in the area, often making the townscape difficult to navigate. The majority of roads in the Character Area are surfaced in tarmac, and mainly consist of narrow two-lane width residential streets, with the exception of through roads, which are wider. Many cul-de-sacs are surfaced with red block paving, serving to differentiate them from connecting roads, defining them as a more private space (e.g. Buck Close and Lealand Close). Roads within the Pitcairn Avenue development are surfaced with tumbled concrete sets, and bordered by allocated car parking spaces surfaced with red block paving. Streets and pedestrianised areas around the Carlton Centre are surfaced in a wide variety of materials, often arranged in a geometric pattern. Materials include concrete paving, red block paving, tumbled concrete setts and grey granite setts. Residential streets carry little traffic during the daytime, and streets remain mostly clear of parked cars. Carlton Boulevard carries a higher volume of traffic throughout much of the day, and has public bus stops with raised concrete kerbs along its length. Pavements are also tarmac, with modern concrete kerbs. Pedestrian and cycle paths are well established in the Character Area, and link up to provide good access between residential areas and the retail development in the west. Paths often run to the rear of houses, and as a result are frequently bordered by high garden fencing resulting in a heightened sense of enclosure and lack of security. Street furniture is minimal throughout much of the Character Area, and includes concrete and steel bollards, modern steel lampposts, and freestanding metal street signs at ground level. Children s play areas have benches, bins and playground facilities which are usually enclosed by black steel hoped fencing. There is a notable lack of telegraph poles as a result of sub surface wiring throughout much of the area. There is comparatively more street furniture around the Carlton Centre and within the park to the east, including steel bike racks, lampposts and bollards, CCTV cameras, bins and benches. Public open space in the Character Area includes a network of footpaths and cycle paths running through the area, many of which link playgrounds and areas of open grassland. In the centre of the Character Area there is a large landscaped park with low planting and grassed areas with gravel paths. In the east of the area there are a small number of verges along some roads, some of which are deep and form small greens (e.g. St. Augustine Road). The remainder of the Character Area mostly consists of private spaces such as front and rear gardens, and driveways. There are no public or landmark buildings in the Character Area. Views Page 11 of 17

11 From the south of the Character Area there are good rural views of the south escarpment and the Witham valley to the west. There are also intermittent views of the west façade of the Cathedral from the Carlton Centre. Within the remainder of the Character Area views are generally confined to those along streets and paths, as well as across areas of open space. Condition of Buildings and Streetscape Due to their recent construction buildings are in good condition, although the build quality of some houses is poor in some parts. Use The majority of the Character Area is residential housing in the form of flats, terraced, semi-detached and detached dwellings. The west of the area is dominated by large apartment blocks and retail facilities within the Carlton Centre. Relationship to City and Surrounding Areas The Character Area is a modern suburban area with an associated retail centre on the fringes of the city of Lincoln. Houses lie to the rear of earlier ribbon development along Wragby Road, but face outwards towards rural areas and Greetwell Quarry to the south. The Carlton Centre acts as a transition point between the large-scale retail outlets along Outer Circle Drive, and is an important commercial centre for passing traffic and residents of Bunkers Hill alike. Key Townscape Characteristics Large suburban area lying on the northeastern fringe of Lincoln, and includes Modern [ AD] residential housing and retail centre The character of the townscape illustrates approaches taken towards the construction of large residential developments in the early 21 st century Housing developments have overwritten former agricultural land within the north-eastern fringes of the city, and few historic features remain observable in the current townscape: o The western boundary of the Character Area broadly follows the former boundary between Greetwell Parish and the City, which may date to the Early Modern Era [ AD] o The orientations of some former field boundaries associated with the area s enclosure by Act of Parliament o Lincolnshire Poacher Public House on Wragby Road was formerly a farmhouse built around the time of parliamentary enclosure Majority of area consists of very large urban block, with remainder of area divided into small-to-medium irregularly shaped urban blocks, many of which are defined by cycleways and/or footpaths Overall grain of open space and buildings is coarser in the west of the Character Area than in the centre, south and east. Changes of building scale are a key characteristic of the Character Area, and often serve to differentiate particular parts of the area from others Residential development composed of a small number of build units which vary from individual house builds to an expansive phased development In the west, large detached apartment blocks, rows of flats and the Carlton Centre are arranged around a geometric pattern of curvilinear streets: o Buildings are two to four storeys in height and up to 16 bays in width o Unclear plot boundaries sit within a wider open landscaped area o Brick-built with synthetic stone dressings o Some imitated traditional style features o Medium solid-to-void ratio, but few doors leading out onto the streets Three-storey properties facing Carlton Boulevard and Venables Way are arranged in comparatively longer rows, which closely adhere to the profile of the street, often forming crescents or gateways to inner parts of the estate. The taller houses and continuous building line form strong and impermeable features along the southern extent of the build unit, and create a largely impermeable buffer between the larger squat apartment blocks and the smaller houses to the east Remainder of area consists of high density residential housing arranged around an irregular and sinuous pattern of crescents, cul-desacs and closes: o Majority built within large phased build unit o Includes two large developments of affordable housing o High density of housing throughout o Houses are two to three storeys in height and two to three bays in width o Mostly detached or semi-detached, although many short rows of between 4 and 9 properties o High sense of enclosure for suburb o Set back 2-5m from the footway with a hard standing or grassed verge o Stepped but broadly continuous building lines along streets; however, façades often retain a common orientation parallel to the main direction of roads o Properties face the road and are built at the front of their plots o Small gardens to the rear o Indistinct public/private boundaries o Medium solid-to-void ratio o Built of load-bearing brick walls o Gabled roofs with ridgelines parallel to the street o Flat synthetic rubber/plastic roof tiles, and some clay pantile o Frequent dormer windows set in varying positions Affordable housing differs slightly from other housing: Page 12 of 17

12 o Houses laid out around loose grid pattern of streets o Set close to, or at the back of, the footway o Generally three storeys in height and two bays in width resulting in more vertical emphasis o Increased sense of enclosure o Generally plainer in decoration and show less variation in form o More coherent use of materials o Higher solid-to-void ratios o Strong and often continuous building lines o Apartment blocks in Pitcairn Avenue development linked by covered external flights of stairs The form and size of properties in the Character Area are generally similar within build units, which appear to be designed using a limited number of standard building plans. As a result, individual houses of the same form along streets are often differentiated through the incorporation of a varying number of decorative elements or simple changes in form Decoration on houses includes a combination of imitated traditional features, including neo-vernacular, Victorian, and neo-classical style elements The varied character of houses in the Character Area illustrates a move by developers to design and construct individual properties, aimed at satisfying the desire of potential homeowners for a distinctive and personalised home. However, the use of a range of standard designs, details and materials within build units demonstrates the economies of scale of mass developments and their construction with a finite set of building materials Detached or semi-detached properties frequently have single-storey garages to the side or integrated garages. Short rows of houses have communal blocks of three to four garages or open car parking areas in the centre of urban blocks. Many of the communal garage blocks are two storeys in height with a flat above Vehicular movement in and out of the area is restricted to a single run of slightly larger through roads linking Carlton Boulevard and Hawthorn Way. With the exception of through roads there is no clear street hierarchy in the area, often making the townscape difficult to navigate. Many cul-de-sacs are surfaced with red block paving, serving to differentiate them from connecting roads Pedestrian and cycle paths are well established in the Character Area, and provide good access between residential areas and the retail development in the west From the south of the Character Area there are good rural views of the south escarpment and the Witham valley to the west. There are also intermittent views of the west façade of the Cathedral from the Carlton Centre Page 13 of 17

13 Appendix 1: Character Area Attributes Character Area Type: Residential Predominant Period: Modern (1967 to Current day) Secondary Period: Mixed Average Building Density: Medium Location Type: City fringe Average Building Type: Mixed Page 14 of 17

14 Appendix 2: List of RAZs Quarries in the cliff face east of the city Nettleham Mere and contiguous features The city's arable fields Open fields of the parishes of Nettleham and Greetwell Middle Class house building between the Wars Stone and clay quarries in the cliff face east of the city Ditched boundaries to west (and north?) of the city Limestone uplands Legionary 'prata' and 'territorium' Iron Age ditch system Roads beyond the Canabae Roads entering the city The Greetwell villa The Late Pre-Roman Iron Age ditch system Greetwell villa estate and potential wic Triple boundary ditch Nettleham Mere and contiguous features Lincoln common fields Fields of the parishes of Nettleham and Greetwell Page 15 of 17

15 Appendix 3: List of Monuments Quarry, Wragby Road / Bunkers Hill (53.243, -0.51) Boundary ditch, Bunkers Hill (53.244, -0.50) Boundary ditch, Bunkers Hill (53.243, -0.50) Roman pits, Bunkers Hill (53.244, -0.50) Roman track, Bunkers Hill (53.244, -0.50) Prehistoric post holes/pits, Bunkers Hill (53.243, -0.50) Prehistoric ditch, Bunkers Hill (53.244, -0.50) Prehistoric triple linear ditch system, east of the city (53.243, -0.50) Ridge and furrow, Wragby Road/Bunkers Hill (53.244, -0.50) Page 16 of 17

16 Appendix 4: List of Ecological Sites Greetwell Hollow Greetwell Quarry Bunkers Hill Pond Woodland Copse at Bunker's Hill Page 17 of 17

17 Appendix 5: Historical Components which influence the current character Field Boundary / Early Industrial Parish Boundary / Early Modern Quarry / Immediate post-war Page 18 of 17