Tower Gardens: Draft Open Brief

11^th August 2020

Through My Castle Gateway we’ve been talking about Tower Gardens since 2017. Yet Tower Gardens is the area where the least active masterplanning work has been done so far. This was in large part due to the controversy created by the idea in the draft masterplan of putting a boat-shaped building close to where the Arts Barge is due to be (don’t worry, that idea has long passed into the Castle Gateway ‘archive’ file) but also the unresolved issues of flooding, of flood recovery and, especially, of trees.

We are returning to Tower Gardens now as there is the possibility of using a specific pot of money for a limited scope of work (Section 106 money from development nearby in the city). The challenge is the work needs to have been committed by October. The strategy the masterplanners are adopting is to draw up proposals for the gardens as a whole, within which some elements can be carried out to this tighter timescale and budget.

Here we draw out information from the previous three years’ work to create a working draft brief for Tower Gardens. Specifically, we identify the areas where there seems to be an emerging consensus, and other areas where there are still pretty large question marks and where further conversations and maybe some experimentation are necessary.

What people want to be able to do there – areas of consensus:

• Sit and watch the River
• A place to linger
• Visit the Arts Barge
• For Tower Gardens to remain a green space
• To walk through and enjoy Tower Gardens as soon as possible after flooding
• For a more direct crossing point into the Eye of York and for the impact of Tower Street severing the two areas to be minimised.
• To be able to connect Clifford’s Tower to the Ouse (visually, via views, or in other ways, see below)
• To eat and drink – either bring your own or to buy from one of the cafes, each of which would have outside seating.
• To be sheltered from traffic noise and the visual impact of traffic
• Walk and cycle across to get from New Walk onto Tower Street
• For geese to be discouraged
• Be aware of and enhance the Anne Frank memorial

What people want to be able to do there – outstanding questions:

• Peaceful or active – and if both, how to manage them to avoid conflict?
• Trees: Shade or sunlight? What impact do trees have on health of the grass, and how much does more sunlight help with flood recovery?
• Do trees block the view or is it ‘the trees which are the view’? Views towards Clifford’s Tower are expressly explored in the York Central Historic Core Conservation Area Appraisal but there might be others we need to consider too in terms of future landscaping, not least to the river. Are there ways in which trees can signal sightlines from Clifford’s Tower to the Ouse? There is also the visual connection between Clifford’s Tower and Baile Hill to consider.
• Can we make more of the trees? For example, could there be a tree walkway?

Design Challenges – for the areas of consensus:

• Flood recovery: ensure that falls enable water to drain off Tower Gardens without pooling. Ensure silt can be hosed off without damaging surfacing or planting. See conversation with Dave Meigh.
• Closer connection to the river: Make it possible for people to sit and walk closer to the Ouse.
• More seating: enable more people to sit and spend time in Tower Gardens
• Entrance from Tower Street: make the entrance to Tower Gardens more open and easy to navigate, avoiding conflict between cyclists and pedestrians. Also consider the route from the bus stops.
• Minimise the impact of roads: Create a strong connection to Clifford’s Tower and the Eye of York, minimising the impact of Tower Street.
• Minimise the impact from traffic: Shelter the Gardens from traffic noise; how can planting do this?
• Planting: Create an environment which is less “geese friendly”
• Clear navigation routes: combine playfulness with accessibility for people who are blind and partially sighted.
• Clear cycle route across Tower Gardens

So, where does this get us with design proposals?

There seems to be broad agreement that the area close to the river – which currently contains pedestrian and cycle routes, plus a lot of silt and the riverside – can be looked at by the design team with the aim of addressing the challenges above around riverside access and flood resilience and recovery:-

• probably more hard surfacing
• more space for seating and tables
• more careful handling of levels to ensure water run-off and reduce problems with silt deposits

There is also broad agreement on the need to rationalise the area around the connection with Tower Street to improve movement and legibility for all sorts of users. There are also links between this area and the riverside which should form part of this design process to ensure it all works in a connected way. Again, this will be looked at by the design team:-

• re-modelling the railings and openings for better movement consideration of features such as the flood level marker and providing space to linger
• thinking about views of the river and the connection with Clifford’s Tower and Eye of York – all the while considering the role of the gardens and its boundaries in flood protection.

Where there remains greater uncertainty is the central part of the gardens – the shaded lawns and the plinth and seating where the paths meet. The aim here is to take longer and to explore options in ways which make it easier to see what works and is popular, but without making any permanent changes until there is greater certainty and has been lots more public engagement. This might include:-

• Using temporary surfacing to explore the impact of different activities/uses
• Trying different locations and arrangements of seating
• Holding pop-up events to see what works well there
• Continuing public discussion about the trees and increasing understanding about their history, their role and their health.

How to be part of this design process

There are many ways to engage with this conversation. The deadline for comments on the draft brief is: 31st August 2020. You can…

• Simply reply to this blog with your thoughts/ideas, or with questions
• Use the feedback form
• Tweet us @mycastlgateway or post on Facebook