L17 + 18 gloucester docks urban regeneration

• gloucester was always a small port, but shipping had to navigate the treacherous tides of the river severn
• in 1827, the gloucester and sharpness canal was opened and that significantly increased trade through, and development in, the docks
• as ships have become ever larger since the victorian times, the port of gloucester has declined in importance
• nowadays, visiting narrowboats, the occasional yacht and other pleasure boats have replaced the working ships and barges and the old victorian warehouses on the quayside have been transformed
• what was once a busy working port is now a major tourist attraction, home to gloucester quays designer outlet, gloucester quays antiques centre, museums, waterfront bars, restaurants and coffee bars
• Additional warehouses were built around the Main Basin to cope with the greater than expected trade and an

  engine house was constructed to increase the canal’s water supply by pumping it from the River Severn. Bakers

  Quay was built alongside the canal to increase the quay space and this was mainly laid out for timber storage

  yards. These were vital as the timber loading ports inconveniently iced-up during the winter.
• In the 1840s, it was recognised that further developments were needed as the docks became very crowded at peak times and vessels had to wait their turn for a berth. There was a national movement towards reduced import duties too, especially after the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, and the Canal Company expected there to be a massive increase in foreign imports. Victoria Dock, constructed to the east of the Main Basin with a narrow cut linking the two, opened in 1849
• By the early 20th century, the docks were being used by both steamers and sailing vessels. The continued increase in the size of ships meant that more goods arrived in Gloucester from Sharpness or other ports within the Bristol Channel. Warehouses in Gloucester were needed less as corn was sent straight to the Midlands.
• gloucester docks is one of the seven major investment projects identified by the gloucester heritage urban regeneration company
• the regeneration scheme is happening in the main docks area and the land to the south of the docks - including gloucester quays, bakers quay and monk meadow dock
• the docks needed to be regenerated, due to the decrease of the number of ships entering the docks after the victorian times, this meant less and less people used the docks, the area became very rundown and huge warehouses were left neglected, it was then decided that gloucester docks needed regenerating
• in 2003, planners were employed by the south west regional development agency to prepare a master plan for the regeneration of the main docks, this created the framework, within which the developers of individual sites could carry out their detailed proposals
• the plan consisted of refurbishing buildings, and suggested that new buildings could have shops, cafes or business units on the ground floor and residential accomodation above
• furthermore, car parks would be located on the ouskirts of the docks, leaving the central area traffic-free - which will benefit not only tourists, but also the people living nearby
• it was also planned that the public areas will be of high quality - including visual arts features and durable street furniture attracting people to the docks
• regeneration is the process of improving an area that has been experiencing a period of decline or neglect
• the city of gloucester is located in the south west of england near the welsh border. it is on the river severn and is between the cotswolds (east), the forest of dean (south-west) and the malvern hilld (to the north and west)
• in bakers quay:

  • a designer outlet shopping centre
  • a multi story car park
  • offices and business units
  • a number of large warehouses and industrial buildings being refurbished for new units
• in llanthony:

  • a new bridge to carry st ann way over the canal
  • a 90 bed hotel
  • offices, business units and housing to the south of llanthony
  • a new campus for gloucester college in the open area around llanthony priory
• in monk meadow:

  • a food superstore (sainsburys)
  • a large car park to the north of monk meadow
  • 1000 new homes - containing a mix of house sizes, styles and density and including affordable housing
• the regeneration project of gloucester docks has been very successful so far, there has been a considerable investment from the public - setting a high quality feeling to the docks and making it one of the citys most visited tourist destinations (3 million per year)
• it has completely transformed the area and it is no longer viewed as an eyesore, it provides many entertainment opportunities for both residents and tourists
• economically, the regeneration of gloucester docks has been successful as shops and businesses will receive a lot of money because all the tourists which come to visit, and it is an upmarket area
• furthermore, the regeneration has provided over 3000 jobs and employment opportunities for local people (for example in the designer outlet, the many waterfront bars and shops, the local museums and the pleasure boats
• although the regeneration project itself costed £248 million, it has been very successful and raises a lot of money
• the gloucester docks regeneration scheme has also been successful socially for example it has enabled brand new communities of people to interact with each other - residentially and commercially
• the tall ships event brings in around 200,000 visitors and £11 million each year
• environmentally, the scheme has been successful - however not quite as successful as the economic and social sides
• the docks is no longer seen as an eyesore by the people of gloucester and it looks completely transformed, however all of the building works will have had negative impacts on our environment due to the large amounts of buildings and machinery needed for the regeneration
• gloucester quays outlet (including sainsburys and gloucester college) was built on 25 hectares of brownfield land
• the up-coming plans for the regeneration of gloucester docks include the redevelopment of the remaining historic warehouses, a new water-based regeneration programme and many individual site regenerations including bakers quay
• the scheme in the southern half of bakers quay, will include a new hotel, a drive through coffee shop, 166 apartments and commercial places for shops