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SNEINTON SQUARE AND WAREHOUSES

Sneinton Markets are located in Sneinton which was once a village on the outskirts of Nottingham City Centre. As time has moved on the City Centre has built into the Sneinton way making it a stone throw away.

The area is bounded by Nottingham City Centre to the west, Bakersfield to the north, Colwick to the east, and the River Trent to the south. Sneinton now lies within the unitary authority of Nottingham, having been part of Nottinghamshire until 1877.

Sneinton has existed as a village since at least 1086, but remained relatively unchanged up until the industrial era, when the population dramatically expanded. Further social change in the post-war period left Sneinton with a multicultural character.

Sneinton residents with significance to history include William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army, and mathematician George Green, who worked Green's Mill at the top of Sneinton Hill.

“Everyone who grew up in Nottingham can remember Sneinton Market; the crockery sellers, the huge sweet stalls of the 1980’s, the lace, fabrics, and just about anything else imaginable. There was always something interesting to look at, bargains to be had, and a piece of Nottingham's heritage to savour.

Over time, however, modern day changes affected trade. The moving of the wholesale market further out of town, restrictions to parking, and perhaps most significantly, changes in shopping habits in favour of the big supermarkets. The City Council wanted to close Sneinton Market in 2005, but the traders successfully bid to keep it open forming Sneinton Community Traders Ltd.”

Image courteousy of Google Maps

Nottingham City Council have announced the latest plans for the redevelopment of Sneinton Market, with work due to start on site in late October and be completed by the end of 2015.

Since purchasing the Sneinton Market site in November 2013 Nottingham City Council has been working to improve this important part of the city’s heritage and move forward its plans to reinvigorate the site as a focal point for Nottingham’s emerging creative sector.

The units on the site will be refurbished into workshops and studios for use by creative enterprises – helping to establish a vibrant creative business community and revitalise Sneinton Market as a visitor destination.

Nottingham City Council has been working closely with existing businesses based at Sneinton Market since taking ownership to enable them to input to the future plans for the site.

In order to start construction on site, the Council has had to formally terminate their current tenancies, and has been working closely with the individual businesses to help them find alternative accommodation either on the Sneinton Market site or elsewhere in the city.

BACKGROUND

Image courteousy of Nottingham City Council

SPATIALQUALITIES, ATHMOSPHERE AND SENSORIAL QUALITIES:

• Lighting: The warehouses have potential for vast amounts of light to enter the space, the space have skylights and thee shutters which can be opened. The space is quite dark inside but if the windows weren’t hoarded up they would allow for more light into the space.

Object: The warehouses are dilapidated and decaying. The Market site underwent redevelopment in 2013 with a design by Patel Taylor. Before turning into a square the site was used as Parking spaces. And the warehouses were rented by small businesses and interweaving business and pleasure and so increasing the square’s ability to foster a sense of being. The warehouses however have been left and an oversight. The roofs of the warehouses could be utilised to build a viewing deck or outdoor space that inks the inside with the outside.

•Materials: the warehouses inside are split into separate lots which are rented and each plain and decorated to suit the business inside the space. There was a pub which would usually open at4am for the traders to use to get food and hot beverages. The area has water and electric supply. The materials are raw, comprising of bricks and steel structures where mezzanine floors have been adapted into some units.

•Sound: the tectonics of the space are echoey as the space is long and narrow the sound travels and bounces off the walls. With the shutters when the wind blows against the shutters you can hear the metal clinking.

•Air: the units are fully enclosed so the air which enters the space is adaptable. Can be warm or cold/

SNEINTON VISION

Sneinton Vision was a project funded by CABE (Commission for the Built Environment, part of the Design Council) and carried out by OPUN (the architecture centre for the East Midlands) in collaboration with Sneinton Alchemy as the community partner.

The project created a Neighbourhood Design Vision for Sneinton, based on the ideas and vision of the people, groups and businesses of the area. You can find out more about what a Neighbourhood Design Vision on CABE's website; they have a section on localism and planning, and plenty of resources on neighbourhood planning.

• Cuts are reducing services- changing the way buildings and spaces are used in our area.

• The planning system is changing- development will be made easier, and local opinion needs to be clearly heard.

• We'll have to do more for ourselves- the Government's localism agenda is placing more demands on the community.

• Big developments are happening all around- Eastside Gateway and Waterside have had major regeneration proposals, The Island Site, the former Carlton Road Coop and Daleside Road laundry site are all proposed major supermarket sites. How do these link to and affect Sneinton? No one seems to have thought through the impact on Sneinton people and businesses.

• There is no current Design Vision or Neighbourhood Plan for Sneinton, other than the Sneinton Market area.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR SNEINTON

SNEINTON HAVE A 5 STEP DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

1: The Sneinton we love and want to improve. Finding out from Sneinton people the best and worst bits of Sneinton as it currently is.

2: Sneinton as we imagine it COULD be: Capturing the dreams and hopes of Sneinton people for the future of their neighbourhood

3: The draft Sneinton Vision: Analysing the responses of people to our questions to produce a Vision Statement

4: Testing the Vision: Getting feedback from local people about the draft Vision- have we got it right? Test the usefulness of the vision in assessing development proposals for Sneinton

5: Finalise the Vision: Make adjustments from Step 4 and get buy-in from local groups and people.

Image courteousy of Nottingham City Council

CURRENT USE OF SPACE

Upon my visits to the site, I was able to see how people use the space, there are seven warehouses altogether. My scheme would be a three part development of this site, starting on Freckingham street.

I have chosen this site as it is in close proximity to the City Centre and on level ground which is what makes it perfect for a scheme based heavily on compliancy to the Equality Act 2010 and the regulations in Part K and Part M that affect accessibility and disability.

As seen in the image to the right people used the space on the approach on Gedling Street mainly because it acts as a short cut to Lace Market connecting to the main city centre.

VICTORIA SHOPPING CENTRE

CITY CENTRE CENTRE

BROADMARSH SHOPPING CENTRE

LACE MARKET & HOCKLEY

SNEINTON WAREHOUSES

PROXIMITY TO CITY CENTRE

MY PROPOSAL

The development that is to be proposed has been considered very carefully to accommodate all the issues raised by the research. The following state the improvements that are to be made:

• retail complex / leisure facility which is universally accessible and designed to heavily meet the regulations set out in Part M and Part K of the Building Regulations/

• insertion of a mezanine floor to be suported by the existing envelope structure of the warehouses

• connect the space between the warehouses with planting and communal rest points

• Redesign of roof structure and amendents to the current use of materials to be made good

• Incorporation of sustainable technologies within the warehouses to be cost efficient and provide a green and sustainable solution

• Exterior façade of the warehouses to be made good

The development of the retail complex ahs to take into consideration the existing envelope and structure of the building. Where areas such as the existing toilets are to be retained and made good.

The proposal will allow the Retail complex to increase the amount of users by attracting the local community. The retailers will build revenue to be generated that will allow self-sustenance and opportunities to further develop the other warehouses in a three stage development. It will also promote interaction within the community. Serving as a mutual space for people from all backgrounds.