PJA was commissioned by City & Country to provide transport planning advice for the conversion of two former Victorian prisons to residential apartment developments.
Former HMP Kingston is located to the east of Portsmouth City Centre, in a residential area close to the Portsmouth City Football Club. PJA provided extensive advice on the internal layout of the site, along with the access strategy for the development. The historic nature of the prison buildings, along with the restrictions of the perimeter walls present challenges in achieving effective vehicular access.
The site lies close to a busy roundabout junction and the area suffers from significant parking pressure, so it was important to model the development impacts accurately and devise any necessary mitigation measures on local junctions. Local junction improvements and pedestrian crossing facilities were proposed and agreed with the local highway authority.
A Transport Assessment and Travel Plan was prepared to accompany the successful planning application.
Former Blackfriars Prison in Gloucester is located adjacent to the docks area and close to the city centre. The development again presented challenges of access through sections of listed wall along with a highly constrained local highway network. Internally, a number of historically significant remains were discovered on the site of the prison including a medieval keep which presented additional challenges for establishing a workable internal layout for vehicular circulation and parking whilst being sympathetic to the archaeology.
Establishing good pedestrian and cycle permeability through the prison walls was important to demonstrating the sustainability of the site close to the city centre.
A comprehensive Transport Assessment and Travel Plan was produced to accompany the successful planning application.
PJA also participated in extensive public consultation events at both sites, addressing local residents’ and members concerns on the impacts of the development.
