Leamington Spa is not alone in facing some of the greatest changes in the way people use town centre’s in their lifetime. The rise of on-line retailing, accelerated by the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, has led to many of the larger traditional national High Street retailers no longer being able to continue in the same way as they always have. This is leading to many of the traditional ‘anchors’ of the High Street changing. This does however open up opportunities for new uses to move into the town centre. The retail dominance is changing and more mixed and varied uses are moving in.
The High Streets Taskforce draws together best practice and learning across all the nation's High Streets and town centres. It is from this body of knowledge and experience that the concept of a Transformation Framework has been developed. The Oxford Street District in London for example has followed this approach and been successful. A Framework is a forward-looking plan for the future which is flexible and able to quickly adapt and change as circumstance change in what can be very dynamic times for town centres.
The approach in Leamington builds on the Vision for Leamington Town Centre undertaken in 2018. This set out a Vision for Leamington Town Centre and six ‘big ideas’:
‘Our vision for our town centre is to build on our rich legacy of creativity and innovation, providing a welcome to visitors and residents alike, and offering a great experience for shopping, leisure, culture, eating, working and living.’
- A thriving town centre
- A connected town centre
- Places to meet in our town centre
- Revealing Leamington’s waterways
- A hub for creativity
- Enhancing the old town
This vision and the six big ideas still hold and will be reviewed as part of the Transformation Framework process and updated and elaborated on as required. Any new approaches or policies will have Member endorsement from all 3 levels of Councils.
Transformation layers
This will be complimented by a series of layer plans developed for the various component parts of the town centre including walking, cycling, buses, movement, development, and projects. These layers overlap and form the overall comprehensive Transformation Framework.
Download a PDF map showing the draft in progress walking, cycling, bus, vehicles, and developments transformation layers which are currently under development:
Transformation projects
The Projects layer currently has 22 individual projects, which will be co-ordinated at the strategic level via the LTB.
A summary of each project and its current development status is below:
- Covent Garden Health & Wellbeing Hub – Structural surveys currently underway to inform future options.
- Mini Holland – WCC led feasibility study looking at what traffic movement and parking options there might be for making the town centre area easier for walking/cycling and safer/more attractive, whilst also maintaining essential access for buses, deliveries and blue badge users.
- Leamington Wayfinding – Now completed and installed ready for the Commonwealth Games 2022 and is a lasting legacy for the town centre.
- Spa Centre Public Art – Now completed and installed next to Newbold Street.
- Clarendon Ave Bus Interchange North – Part of the Mini-Holland feasibility considerations, looking at a potential option to focus bus stops around Clarendon Avenue near Christchurch Gardens, alongside other options within the overall town centre movement considerations.
- Victoria Park – Improvements as part of hosting the Bowling event for the Commonwealth Games 2022. Now largely completed with some minor works after the Games.
- Station Forecourt – Improvements as part of hosting the Bowling event for the Commonwealth Games 2022. Now largely completed with some minor works after the Games.
- New Commonwealth Park – An idea to create a new park by relocating the Edmondscote Athletics Track to link Leamington’s parks and gardens along the River Leam to Warwick’s St. Nicholas Park, improving walking and cycling linkages between the two.
- Bath Street Improvement Scheme – Extensive baseline work has been prepared by WCC to inform a series of options currently under technical development. Public consultation will follow on the options and will dovetail with options in the north of the town centre via the Mini-Holland work.
- Bath Place Bus Interchange South - Looking at a potential option to re-focus bus stops currently around Victoria Terrace at All Saints’ Church by re-developing the Bath Place car park area and improving links to the rail station as part of wider highways improvements works.
- High-line – An idea to re-use a section of dis-used former rail line arches at the Bath Place car park to improve linkages from the station and support other interesting new creative uses and opportunities.
- Spencer Yard – The flagship Creative Quarter project to deliver new high quality office space for the town’s important digital creative industry is currently under construction and is supported by Future High Street Funding. Looking to complete by the end of 2023.
- New Pedestrian Bridge – Looking at the feasibility of a new bespoke pedestrian bridge to link the Pump Rooms to Spencer Yard as part of a new direct route between the town centre and the rail station.
- Former Stoneleigh Arms – The second Creative Quarter project is currently undertaking survey work to assess the potential of this building to deliver a range of creative uses at the heart of Clemens Street with links through to Court Street.
- Town Hall Creative Hub – The Creative Quarter’s anchor on the Parade is seeking to renovate parts of the Town Hall, including the main entrance and staircase, in order to welcome people into this public space with newly refurbished meeting rooms to again support the digital creative industries and others who use the town centre.
- Sorting Office – Discussions with Royal Mail Group around the potential to relocate the sorting office enabling re-use of this site in a key strategic town centre location for additional support to the Creative Quarter.
- Althorpe Street Area Plan – A high level assessment of the potential of the area east of Clemens Street including Court Street and Althorpe Street to be re-developed over time as a vibrant new mixed-use neighbourhood area, close to the rail station and at the heart of the Creative Quarter.
- FHSF East/West Cycle Route - Part of the Mini-Holland feasibility considerations, funding has been secured via the Future High Streets Fund to deliver an east-west cycle route across the town centre to link wider cycle routes to the east and west.
- Car Wash / Car Showroom – Approaches are being made to the owners of these sites directly adjacent to the rail station to explore the possibility of bring forward their appropriate development given the sites prominence next to the station.
- Christchurch Gardens / Pinnacle – An idea to enhance and strengthen the area at the top of the Parade by placing a new pinnacle to terminate the vista which references the former church tower that once stood there.
- Grand Union Canal Towpath Improvements – The Canal & River Trust hope to improve the canal towpath to provide a high quality pedestrian and cycle route along this link from Leamington to Warwick.
- All Saints Church green space – An idea to explore the potential to improve the green space south of All Saints’ Church to improve its attractiveness and enable a variety of uses to take place there.
Download a PDF map showing the draft in progress transformation projects which are current under development:
Get in touch
We would welcome your views and ideas on the Framework and all of the layers as it develops – contact us about the Transforming Leamington Framework.