Epsom and Ewell Borough Council have adopted and published their new Town Centre Master Plan, prepared by David Lock Associates. The master plan has informed the emerging local plan as it seeks to address increasing development pressures and housing need.
This was a joint commission, with Latcham Associates providing highway and transport advice. We were supported by Future Fox who delivered an innovative online engagement process through the Prop Tech initiative.
Our master plan adopts a context-led approach to change and regeneration across several exciting opportunity sites within the town centre, recognising its rich and diverse character and the importance of protecting heritage assets. The design process was informed by a townscape analysis, and a 3D digital model from Joanna James was employed to test the potential impact of tall buildings.
Working closely with Latcham Associates, we prepared a public realm concept scheme for the principal street network to identify opportunities to redress the balance between cars and pedestrians.
Engagement with local members and site owners formed a central tenant of the project, ensuring a wide cross section of views and aspirations were considered. The public and stakeholder engagement for this was extensive, including an in-person exhibition in the Ashely Centre and an online PlaceBuilder questionnaire which enabled interactive mapping to find key areas of local concern and interest in the Town Centre. Nearly 2,000 responses were received, with 1,973 people in the community actively engaged in the process. Responses were independently analysed by our team, and local knowledge helped to identify local opportunities for change..
David Lock Associates Partner Stephen Haines reflected ‘The opportunity to engage with the community added real value to the master plan. Epsom Town Centre has such a rich history and so much potential; we’re excited to see how the master plan is implemented.’
You can view the Town Centre Masterplan on the Epsom and Ewell Borough Council website.