Silver Hill ‘would destroy heritage’ (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Silver Hill ‘would destroy heritage’

3:49pm Thursday 24th August 2006 in Silver Hill By Andrew Napier

THE proposed multi- million-pound redevelopment of Winchester city centre is a monstrosity that could ruin 1,000 years of history, according to two leading architects.

Huw Thomas and Robert Adam have slammed the proposed Silver Hill development, saying they have no idea how the plans got as far as they did.

The designers, who work for firms that did not bid for the contract, say it is now up to planning chiefs on Winchester City Council to stop the development in its tracks, adding that if they do not then one of Europe's most historic city's will be destroyed.

But the city council says it is happy with the way the consultation process was going, and developer, Thornfield Properties, added it was inevitable that there would be differing viewpoints about such a major project.

The plans for Silver Hill would see the bus station, the medical buildings in Friarsgate and Tanner Street, Kingswalk, Sainsbury's and the multi-storey car park, torn down.

In their place up to 90,000 square metres of shopping space, 350 new homes, at least 279 car parking spaces and a new civic square and bus station would be built.

Work began in 1998, and after six years of talks Thornfield Properties was signed up as the exclusive development partner with Winchester City Council.

A 3D model of the plans is now on show in the council's Chesil Street offices, while formal plans for the scheme have been submitted to the council for a decision in November.

Mr Thomas said: "It is totally and utterly monstrous.

"It's so out of scale with the rest of the city, I can't believe it has even got this far and if it goes through it will completely ruin this historic city.

"It has absolutely no sensitivity for the city's setting."

Mr Adam added: "This is a matter of the utmost seriousness because this scheme has the potential to destroy 1,000 years of this city's history and character.

"Those in charge need to realise the long-lasting effect their decisions will have on everything from tourism to preserving a city of worldwide cultural importance, and only the planning committee can stop it now.

"The proposals don't fit the original brief. I don't care how much lipstick you put on a gorilla - it's still a gorilla."

A spokesman for the City of Winchester Trust, added: "We have concerns and we have a lot of questions that need answering on issues such as the cityscape, landscaping and the height of the proposed buildings."

A spokesman for Winchester City Council said it would not comment on an active planning application, but added: "The consultation process has met all the statutory requirements and has gone beyond that to ensure that the people of Winchester know what's proposed and have the chance to comment on it."

Thornfield's managing director, Mike Capocci, said that while the project had its critics, it had also received positive feedback.

"There will be people who like it and support the scheme, while others have reservations and others passionately dislike it, but that's democracy," he told the Chronicle.

He added that most generations - all the way back to Roman times - left their architectural mark on Winchester.

"What we want to do is to leave something from the early 21st century. Yes, it will be different, but is that necessarily a bad thing?"

Margaret Newbigin, Group Director at housing association, A2 Winchester, supports the scheme.

"We believe that Silver Hill marries the contemporary and traditional, and will bring much needed homes back to the heart of Winchester city centre, ensuring it remains a vibrant place to live and work."

The council is due to make a decision on Thornfield's application in November.

The 1:500 wooden scale model is on show until next Thursday at Avalon House, which is open from Monday to Friday, between 8.30am and 5pm.