Transport advice for Didcot Orchard Retail Centre extension
- Client Name
- Hammerson
- Location
- UK
Challenge
The £50 million expansion and revamp of Didcot's retail park, the Orchard Centre, added 150,000 sq ft of shopping and leisure space to the existing 200,000 sq ft Orchard Centre. It provided 24 new shops, a Marks and Spencer's food hall, a gym, six restaurants and 105 extra parking spaces.
Solution
We were retained by Hammerson to provide transport advice on the consented extension of the Orchard Centre, supporting the wider regeneration of the town centre.
We provided transport advice for the planning application as well as extensive transport input for the post consent transport elements of the scheme, including stopping up, traffic regulation orders, S106 negotiations and the S278 Agreement. We also undertook detailed design for all S278 works.
The principal issues were enhancing the pedestrian permeability and connectivity, maximising the accessibility for bus users and reviewing the existing car park provision and vehicle access.
Impact
We worked closely with Oxfordshire County Council as highway authority and South Oxfordshire District Council as planning authority to develop the right solutions.
