News: CABE review Waverley plans

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has published their design review of UK Coal's plans for Waverley. CABE is the government's advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. The review states that "a new community, well integrated into the existing context, could create a vibrant place to live and work for thousands of people. We think that a scheme of this scale should be driven by the highest aspirations for housing, public spaces, design quality and sustainability." However, CABE concludes that: "we do not think that the potential to create a successful, sustainable community has been fully used" and urged UK Coal to reconsider the approach to land use, phasing and planning and encouraged Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to demand an ambitious development. CABE's main concern is the separation of the residential and the business zones and advises that to create a more vibrant urban atmosphere, it might be beneficial to place some of the offices closer to the waterfront instead of creating a separate business park. They add that it may be interesting to develop a more integrated approach with interspersed green areas and houses. CABE also add that the "new community appears to lack connections and it feels isolated from the surrounding villages." Tim Love, Development Director for Harworth Estates, UK COAL’s property arm, said: "The whole Waverley project has the potential to provide up to 6,000 new jobs , 4,000 homes, a Park and Ride and a country park. Everybody involved is focused on establishing a sustainable, mixed-use development which complements the strong urban renaissance programmes in Sheffield and Rotherham."
Waverley Community website
CABE website
Rotherham