SummaryOverall, the masterplan is to be welcomed. The intention to pedestrianise much of Dunfermline City Centre is in line with best practice elsewhere and will encourage visitors. However, the Civic Square proposal is not appropriate for the City as it risks an adverse visual impact, is remote from the established High Street, and will not attract the magnitude of retailer needed to act as a catalyst for regeneration. Also, it is disappointing that pedestrianisation does not follow the axis of the High Street down to the Glen Gates. Moreover, the masterplan is not at the strategic scale necessary to guide the future development of Dunfermline.
Overview of MasterplanThe Masterplan considers a number of issues before laying out proposals.
• Issues to be addressed
• Opportunities to be built on
• Background Research
• Site Survey and Analysis
• Consultation
• Urban Design
• Movement Routes and Permeability
• Mixed Use Development
• Active Frontage
• Frontage Detailing
• Vehicle management and ‘Dotto Train’
• Streetscape Approach
• Public Realm Masterplan
This is comprehensive but with two major failings and a number of other flaws.
Firstly, there is little assessment of the potential visual impact on Dunfermline’s historic skyline and architecture. An assessment of key views from, and across, Dunfermline, would be expected to highlight areas where visual impact could be a potential concern. This is particularly the case for the Bus Station area which is very prominent on the skyline of the city.
Secondly, the consultation process only included Fife Council officers and members plus BIDS stakeholders. If a design is to be advanced, it would be expected to develop a solution with wider consultation, given the public interest and unique built heritage of Dunfermline. The proposal for a civic square does not seem to have been an urgent priority in the past, for example.
Moreover, the urban design work in terms of movement and permeability seems to focus upon the Kingsgate and does not recognize the attractor that is Pittencrieff Park. This would be expected to draw pedestrians down from the eastern High Street, particularly during summer months. The Heritage Quarter is also a key attraction. Development should therefore follow the axis of the High Street towards the Glen Gates.
The Urban Design section focuses upon Randolph Street/Queen Anne Street as an opportunity. The detail of this proposal is scrutinized later, but this area has little history of retailing within Dunfermline, other than the former Co-op. There is a strong case for maximizing linkage between the Kingsgate and Bus Station (and also the new Tesco) but this area does not lend itself well to primary retailing.
Finally, the pedestrianisation proposal is admirable but should include Bridge Street at least as far as the Glen Gates. There is no need to route traffic to the Glen Bridge this way as there is a well-established dual carriageway system to the east of the City.
Notwithstanding these negative points, the detailed traffic management proposals and consideration of materials are very positive, as is the overarching principle of pedestrianisation.
A Civic Square?The need for a new civic square in Randolph Square is disputed. Dunfermline has a long heritage of public open space, and more use should be made of this. Indeed, the ‘father of modern town planning’ Sir Patrick Geddes put forward proposals for Pittencrieff Park, which included a civic space, at the beginning of the twentieth century, but his view was to balance heritage with regeneration, and this is the spirit that should be followed in this case.
There are a number of established civic spaces, whether formal or informal. The bulk of events take place throughout the Glen, including the Childrens Gala and the Bruce Festival. The Cenotaph is located to the south of the Monastery, within the Heritage Quarter. The pedestrianised precinct outside the Abbey has outstanding views across the Glen and West Fife. The traditional ‘city centre’ is the Cross at the northern end of Guildhall Street. The balcony of the City Chambers is the focus of the Childrens Gala procession. There is an outdoor pavilion within the Glen, and a bandstand within Queen Margaret Park. Finally, if there is a place which fits the general need for a civic space, it would be the Louise Carnegie gates at the bottom (west) of Bridge Street. The Glen Gates are identified as a ‘multi use public space’ in the Fife Urban Design Guide (page 17) and are the focus for events, including occasional Farmers Markets and Continental Markets.
A natural locus exists already, at the Louise Carnegie Gates, and this should be the centrepoint of any civic space proposal, and included in the pedestrianisation proposals. This also leads on to the issue of an ‘anchor retail’ presence.
RetailingDunfermline and Kirkcaldy have traditionally been the main retailing destinations in Fife. At one time, it was more common for shoppers to patronise Kirkcaldy than Edinburgh as an alternative to Dunfermline. A key feature of the retail heritage in Dunfermline was the Randolph Street Co-Op store. However, like many town centres, Dunfermline has declined as car-based out-of-centre shopping provision has increased, and the casualties of this decline include the Co-Op, which was once an anchor in Dunfermline, as well as shopping in general on the western High Street, dominated by charity shops and cash generator stores. Also, the small store formats of the Kingsgate Centre are likely to have been a deterrent to major retailers. Nevertheless, Fife Council has scored an enormous success in redeveloping the former Bus Station and attracting Debenhams to the Kingsgate, in a large-scale modern format store. This is the sort of shopping experience that needs to be attracted to the west of the High Street, to act as a counterbalance to the Kingsgate and also to continue the heritage of the former Co-Op store. Despite the downturn, there is significant retail capacity forecast for the Dunfermline area (according to the most recent Retail Capacity Study) and significant housing allocations in the Eastern Expansion area have already contributed to an upturn in the retail fortunes of Dunfermline. So, a major retail presence is required to ensure expenditure is attracted to the City Centre, rather than dissipated amongst out-of-centre retail parks.
There are few locations that could provide such a format. The new Tesco development to the north of the City Centre also has to be considered in any future relationship. The best location is perhaps the Bridge Street/ Glen Bridge car park, which covers a large area, behind an existing traditional frontage and with good access to the Glen Gates, to Bruce Street and to the new Tesco development, with a roadway under the Glen Bridge.
This would involve the reconfiguring or removal of car parking, but this could be retained under ground level or displaced northwards. It would also provide an opportunity to promote St Margaret’s Cave and to regenerate the Glen Bridge underpass and area, plus providing linkages to the new Tesco development to promote linked shopping trips. An arcade through to Bruce Street and the Bus Station could regenerate the Bruce Street area, which is potential
However, this is an outline proposal which would need to be consulted upon, potentially alongside other options. This leads on to a critique of the Randolph Square proposal.
Randolph SquareThe Randolph Square retail-led mixed use proposal is centred upon a civic square at a similar elevation to the Bus Station and Queen Anne street, linked to the High Street by covered escalators and stepped access, and composed of retail units and restaurants of small to medium size with a ‘gallery’ or ‘arcade’ feel.
There are three main problems with this proposal.
Visual impactThe civic square will be at approximately the same level as Queen Anne Street, surrounded by buildings on three aspects. The indicative drawing , as viewed from the bus station, shows three levels above the square. The square itself is approximately two levels above the High Street, and on the southern frontage the structure is likely to extend to at least five floors above ground level, on a downward sloping street on which the frontage is typically two to three floors. The ‘A’ listed spire of the City Chambers is to the southwest of the development and is in fact shown as overlooking the civic square in the indicative drawing, which is quite difficult to envisage. There are four notable spires and towers of the skyline of Dunfermline – the Guildhall, the two towers of the Abbey and the spire of the City Chambers, with key views from the south and west in particular. It is difficult to envisage how such a proposed development can avoid having a visual impact on the skyline and setting of these structures, and there is not enough evidence in the masterplan to persuade otherwise, in particular no explicit assessment of visual impact.
LocationThe site is removed from the High Street, in distance and in elevation, and centred around a bus station. Such locations do not make for good civic spaces and do not attract quality retail and food outlets. A comparator can be found in Kirkcaldy Bus Station. Although this is not a civic square, it is separated from Kirkcaldy High Street by distance and elevation, and accessed by two footways, also through a shopping centre. The shopping centre and especially the units fronting this Bus Station have a limited retail offer, in particular takeaway food and gambling. Aside from the visual impact, the elevation will discourage ascent from the High Street and may be exposed to prevailing westerly and northerly winds, and not a place where people may wish to linger, also because of the unattractive and busy bus station (which is well designed and functions well, but such vistas are not the best that Dunfermline has to offer) The modern mantra is ‘location, location, location’ and this site is one of the least attractive in Dunfermline City Centre, which perhaps answers the question as to why it remained undeveloped even in boom times and has never been mooted as a civic square. Consequently, market interest is likely to be limited and this undermines the nature of the proposal.
Potential Retail OfferThe location is poor because of separation, elevation and proximity to the Bus Station. This will deter retailers and restaurateurs. Moreover, the store format being promoted will not attract an ‘anchor’ retailer. The proposal is similar in some ways to the Multrees Walk development at Edinburgh Bus Station, which has attracted high-end retail and fashion in boutique-style shops. However, that development is anchored by an existing shopping centre and, in particular, a flagship Harvey Nichols department store. Without this sort of anchor, such a proposal is doomed from the outset. Moreover, there is significant retail capacity forecast for Dunfermline, and there is likely to be national multiple interest in a flagship development to mirror the Debenhams store in the Kingsgate. It is this magnitude of development which is required to encourage footfall down the length of the High Street, and the Randolph Square site will not deliver this. The Masterplan effectively admits to this eventuality, by including charity shops and ‘Cash Generator’ store in the indicative drawing for the High Street. The past development history of the proposed area should also be noted, in particular the Co-Op which remained unoccupied until replaced by the current Bus Station.
Other IssuesThe consultants consider the possibility of street furniture and materials, including a bronze relief map of Dunfermline. If the gap site on the High Street is not filled, then this could be a good area for such a modest public realm focus, with heritage artwork promoting the history of Dunfermline, as a gateway to the Bus Station and as a vantage point to view street processions and events passing by the City Chambers, such as the Childrens’ Gala. If trade is drawn down the High Street then the area could benefit in time from al fresco dining opportunities and nearby cafes and restaurants.
There is no comment on the ‘Dotto Train’ which seems an interesting concept.
Phasing of DevelopmentThe consultants have costed and phased the development, and this provides a good indication of costs, options and timescale. However, greater priority should be given to the pedestrianisation of Bridge Street as Phase 1 or Phase 2.
An Alternative ApproachThere is much to commend in this masterplan, in particular pedestrianisation and the attention to design and materials. However, the ‘civic square’ concept will not work for Dunfermline and should be reviewed, in particular the visual impact, location and retail offer. Alternatives should be investigated, in particular the Bridge Street/Glen Bridge car park as an opportunity for a flagship retail anchor, and the promotion of the Louise Carnegie Gates as a civic space at the end of a pedestrianised Bridge Street. This should be subject to far wider consultation, including with key heritage stakeholders (Historic Scotland and local heritage organizations) plus the general public, using visualizations and models to test options with the citizens of Dunfermline and West Fife. The scale of the Masterplan should also be revisited, to look wider at linkages with the new Tesco, the Heritage Quarter, Pittencrieff Park and towards the new community in the Eastern Expansion area.
IAIN PATON
BSc MSc MRTPI
Chartered Town Planner
