Placemaking and Quality Development

  Contains Options

Southampton as a place is physically defined by the rivers Test and Itchen and their undulating valleys, creating a varied landscape of expansive and contained views. The River Itchen further bisects the city, creating two separate but inter-dependant urban areas, with bridging points.   

The city centre and historic port lie at the confluence of the two rivers, which has created a tapered road network leading into the city centre, with town, district and local centres located at the intersections of cross connecting routes. 

The dramatic impact on the city centre of bombing in the Second World War and subsequent rebuilding in the mid-20th Century destroyed much of its intrinsic architectural character. In addition, land reclamation in the west of the city centre has led to a series of low-density mid to late 20th Century developments with little design merit and poor connectivity. Many of these post war buildings will be redeveloped or refurbished over the plan period.   

The design quality of new development is paramount to re-establishing a high-quality identity for the city. The city centre is defined by distinctive high-quality assets, including the water, the Old Town, Town Walls, Civic Centre and Central Parks. The wider city is also defined by high-quality open spaces, including Southampton Common, the parks and greenways, Green Grid and a range of varied and established residential areas. These assets create a context to which new high-quality development can respect and enhance.