Introduction
Maintaining and
enhancing the site
The masterplan provides an opportunity to create a new knowledge quarter which puts sustainability, inclusivity and wellbeing at the heart of its design. The proposals will define new and positive relationships between people and landscapes with new public spaces and routes.
Knowledge Park
Sports and Community Hub
Arrival Gardens
Arrival Place
Woodland Edge Meadows
Academic Accommodation
Main Vehicle Entry
Cycle Connection – South
Cycle Connection – North
Pedestrian / cycle entry
Multi-storey car park
Exploring the mix of uses
Below is a plan of how the land uses could potentially evolve within the framework of an outline planning consent and is for illustrative purposes only.
Central hall
Nursery
Retail
Hotel
Workplace
Research and development
Academic and associated uses
Event space
Café
Food and beverage
Visitor centre
Exhibition space
Meeting space
Wellbeing hub
Cycle hub
EV charging hub and parking
Gym
Sport centre
Indicative active frontage
A sustainable place to work and visit
Our proposals seek to maintain and enhance the site through the relationship of the buildings, landscape and open spaces. Existing open spaces in the north of the site will be retained and protected and new nature-rich, accessible spaces created. These will optimise healthy living, connectivity with nature and social interaction. The proposals prioritise walking, cycling and public transport, capitalise on views to the surrounding landscape, and create new spaces for the public to gather and play sports.
Delivering social value
The site will continue to be a much-loved local asset and will be made accessible to local communities. We are examining a range of supporting amenities such as a gym, food and beverage, sports and meeting places for use by workers and residents alike. There will be opportunities for on site nature education activities, developed in collaboration with local colleges and schools. In addition, a varied range of employment, research and academic spaces will be provided to meet the needs of the local economy and emerging business sectors.
Well connected
Our design seeks to maximise connectivity between Winchester and the communities surrounding the site, including Badger Farm, Oliver’s Battery, St Cross and Compton. This will create an area which is easy to get to by foot, bicycle and public transport, has clear and legible pedestrian access to surrounding areas and limits vehicular access.
Enhancing biodiversity
Bushfield will make a significant investment in green infrastructure. The masterplan and associated management will both deliver a net gain in biodiversity within the site and strengthen ecological networks and linkages to surrounding areas. In doing so, it will deliver wider benefits to the biodiversity of the city, helping to make the existing ecological networks more resilient to climate change.
Sustainability
The Bushfield sustainability framework identifies eight areas for change which, when combined, will have positive social, environmental and economic impacts.
These areas respond to both the climate emergency declared in 2019 and the nature emergency declared 2023 by Winchester City Council, addressing Winchester’s nature and loss of biodiversity, wellbeing, and the local economy.
Sustainable movement
Bushfield will make it easier for people to walk and cycle and choose alternative modes of transport to private cars. It will create new walking and cycling routes, improve connections to public transport, and introduce a Mobility Hub. Cycling needs will be met through dedicated cycling routes running through the site, which will connect with an emerging network of city-wide routes as Winchester City Council implements its sustainable movement strategy and Mobility Hub at the railway station.
Creating a knowledge environment
The masterplan will create places for social interaction to specifically encourage the spread of ideas and innovative thinking in learning and business. The streets and spaces provide social space, but in addition, the buildings should be ‘turned inside out’ so that the divide between inside/outside and public/private is broken down.
The facades should therefore relate to the street, with social functions grouped on the ground floors. To support social activity and encourage people to linger at the perimeter of buildings, we have proposed support spaces at ground level. These are sheltered spaces that will be provided around entrances, while balconies and roof terraces will be used on upper levels.
Celebrating views and the landscape setting
Bushfield occupies a spectacular location overlooking the Itchen River Valley, Winchester Cathedral and the Hospital of St Cross, facing St Catherine’s Hill and the South Downs National Park. The masterplan seeks to sensitively integrate the development into its landscape context. It will define new harmonious and positive relationships between people and landscapes, with new public spaces and routes oriented to open up and frame views to the surrounding landscape and city.
Join the conversation
We want your thoughts
Let us know what you would like to see incorporated as part of the 26 hectares (circa 60 acres) of legacy land that will be retained as publicly accessible and biodiverse green space.