Bedford Town Centre
Open Ideas Competition
Bedford
is facing an exciting future in the new age of global communication
and technology. A home of free thought, education and industry, the
former coaching town is reconnecting with the world. Existing transport
infrastructures including fast train connections to London and Europe
and the M1 will increasingly attract businesses and bring visitors.
A revitalised Castle Lane Area will provide a new focus for Bedford
and its visitors. New high quality housing that is secure, well-connected
and reasonably priced will bring life back into the town centre.
Extending the Cultural Quarter
Re-evaluating the historic centre of Bedford is a key to this process.
The Castle Lane area is the cradle of Bedford’s foundation where
many essential elements of the identity and history of the town are
to be found– the Castle Mound, the Bunyan Meeting House and Museum,
the Howard Congregational Church, Bedford Museum and the Cecil Higgins
Art Gallery.
At present the area is lying fallow. The site of the former Inner Bailey
is a car park and connections from the town centre to the museums or
river are far from ideal. The site has the quality of a large back yard
overlooked by the rear of many businesses. There is a high degree of
disused buildings and a distinct lack of density, movement and life.
At night the area can feel unsafe. The area needs people, life and public
enjoyment. In the national context of a growing demand for new housing,
together with the fact that more reasonably priced units can be found
in Bedford, we suggest that the most appropriate land use for the site
is residential. We do not consider it appropriate to introduce large-scale
office, retail or commercial developments.
Description of the Project
We believe the best possible use for the site is to connect it to the
Town Centre, to strengthen and reinforce the cultural/museum quarter,
and to extend the network of speciality markets. This can be achieved
by the creation of a new public square that will be a focus and destination
for the town and its visitors. The development of a reasonably priced,
high quality residential area providing up to 100 new units will sustain
the development economically and make it a safe and attractive place.
The introduction of a flexible mix of activities such as high quality
shops, cafes, small workshops, offices and live/work units at ground
level add to the success of the scheme. A new multifunctional cultural
building will provide a further focus. The redevelopment will be a landmark,
high quality design.
A Landmark for Bedford - the Urban Ribbon
We introduced a ribbon structure to connect and link the fragmented
cultural and built fabric existing around the site. This structure defines
the perimeter of the site drawing people through it at different points,
gathering them together and then directing them to the museums, the
Castle Mound and the river. The ribbon is a twisted horizontal banding
of different programmes and activities. It responds both to the new
public square and to the alleyways and small courtyards that lead from
the High Street. These yards and empty buildings can be regenerated
into small commercial units.
