The general public realm technique was solid as one overarching imaginative and prescient. This preliminary research-led course of concerned workshops, displays, public session occasions and non permanent installations to have interaction with the area people and converse about means to enhance, join, promote pedestrian precedence and implement a greener, more healthy city centre. The mission extends alongside the size of the city centre, connecting Bromley’s two railway stations, Bromley North and Bromley South. The important thing areas delivered alongside this route had been East Avenue, Market Sq. and Bromley Excessive Avenue.
Every area was complicated and difficult in its personal means. Our proposals reworked East Avenue from a automobile dominated double parked highway, to a shared floor with area for cafes and eating places to spill out. Proposals additionally included planting of latest avenue bushes to create shade, seasonal curiosity and to determine a inexperienced hall of avenue bushes operating by the city centre. For East Avenue specifically, discussions with the Kent Affiliation for the Blind led to design evolutions, leading to a transparent and legible tactile route as a part of the footpath design. This then meant that outside seating areas had been separate from the restaurant or café that might serve them. This barely much less standard format required one on one session with store and restaurant house owners to determine the extent and format of out of doors seating area which was so essential to creating animation and avenue exercise.
Market Sq. and the excessive avenue additionally concerned session, this time with the market merchants. Our proposals recognized a brand new avenue market format that might create extra legibility for the general public realm, present higher pedestrian move and likewise rationalise the present format and create a extra environment friendly format with a larger total capability for present and new merchants.
The excessive avenue itself had develop into pedestrianised within the early 1990’s, with little thought given to public ream design. In truth the camber of the previous carriageway was nonetheless seen when wanting alongside the road because it had been relaid with brick paving. Little else had been accomplished to advertise dwell time, no planting, few seating alternatives and no shade or shelter.
As a part of the broader public realm technique we recognized the sunniest a part of the excessive avenue, the place the place in good climate folks may wish to sit. This area was at the moment occupied by non permanent market stalls 3 days per week which offered produce that in the summertime would danger spoiling on this uncovered location. As such stalls had been relocated additional north to Market Sq., we created the chance for a excessive avenue backyard of their place, with substantial planting areas in raised beds to keep away from interfering with shallow providers under the previous carriageway. To supply native distinction, these curvaceous planter shapes mimic the motif of the ‘Bromley Broom flower’, and every mattress is crammed with a layered planting neighborhood that features a vary of tree varieties, structural shrubs, seasonal curiosity crops and decrease stage floor cowl.
The results of our work in Bromley has adopted lots of the wholesome avenue rules, accommodating versatile makes use of, selling pedestrian precedence and inspiring human interplay with areas by constructing a panorama that’s nice, protected and engaging.
Mission Knowledge
Panorama Structure, City Design: Studio Egret West
Shopper: London Borough of Bromley
Highways Engineering: London Borough of Bromley
Design 12 months: 2011 – 2019
12 months Constructed: 2019
Pictures: Jarrell Goh
Producer of city tools:
Furnishings: Vestre
Bespoke Raised Planters: Kinley
Paving: Hardscape
