Design and Access Statement &
Heritage Statement
Kensington Gardens: Palace Gate
March 2014
A
14–17 Wells Mews
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United Kingdom
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+44 (0) 20 7467 1470
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www.lda-design.co.uk
LDA Design Consulting LLP
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March 2014
Palace Gate: Design and Access Statement &
Heritage Statement
3236L/DC
3236L/DC
March 2014
Palace Gate: Design and Access Statement &
Heritage Statement
Contents
1.0 Site context ................................................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1. Kensington Gardens Context and Location ........................................................................................ 1
1.2. Kensington Gardens –Brief History ....................................................................................................... 1
2.0 Palace Gate .................................................................................................................................................................. 2
2.1. Location and Use............................................................................................................................................ 2
2.2. Description....................................................................................................................................................... 2
2.3. Designation ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
2.4. Significance...................................................................................................................................................... 3
2.5. Palace Gate – Issues and the Case for Change .................................................................................... 5
2.6. Project Background, Aspirations and Objectives .............................................................................. 6
2.7. The Design Proposals ................................................................................................................................... 7
3.0 Impact on Heritage Significance........................................................................................................................ 8
4.0 Accessibility ............................................................................................................................................................... 9
4.1. Design Approach ........................................................................................................................................... 9
5.0 Appendix I – Drawings, Consultation Material and Photos .................................................................10
Version:
1.1
Version date:
March 2014
Comment
Draft for Planning submission
This document has been prepared and checked in accordance with ISO 9001:2000.
3236L/DC
March 2014
Palace Gate: Design and Access Statement &
Heritage Statement
3236L/DC
March 2014
Design and Access Statement &
Heritage Statement
1.0
Site context
1.1.
Kensington Gardens Context and Location
Kensington Gardens covers 97 Hectares/242 acres and is located within both Westminster
City Council and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, with the boundary between the
two running north-south down the centre of the Broad Walk, and therefore through the
centre of Palace Gate. The Gardens are bordered on the north by Bayswater Road and to the
south by Kensington Road. To its west is Kensington Palace and Palace Avenue, and the
boundary to the east is formed by West Carriage Drive, which separates it from Hyde Park.
Palace Gate is located at the south of the Broad Walk which forms the main north-south axis
in the west of the Gardens. The Gardens are the setting for Kensington Palace, the birthplace
of Queen Victoria who lived there until she became queen in 1837. The Palace is located
halfway down, on the west of the Broad Walk, which connects Black Lion Gate to the north
and Palace Gate to the south. [Location Plan: Dwg No 3727_001]
Kensington Gardens is registered at Grade I on the English Heritage register of Historic Parks
and Gardens. [List entry Number: 1000340] Palace Gate is not individually listed.
1.2.
Kensington Gardens –Brief History
Kensington Gardens were part of Hyde Park, Henry VIII's deer park for over 100 years, but in
1689, William and Mary took the first step to creating a separate park. They bought
Nottingham House, on the western edge of Hyde Park, renamed it Kensington Palace and
made it their main home in London. Queen Mary began to create a palace garden of formal
flower beds and box hedges, in what is commonly called The ‘Dutch style’ with clipped
hedges, topiary and rectilinear flower gardens. Queen Anne enlarged the gardens further in
1702. She took 30 acres from Hyde Park and asked Henry Wise and George London,
landscape designers, to create an English-style garden. In 1728 Queen Caroline, the wife of
George II, began to transform Kensington Gardens into the park which largely remains
today. She took another 300 acres from Hyde Park and employed Charles Bridgeman to
produce a new design. The focus of the new garden was Kensington Palace and the Round
Pond that Bridgeman created in front of it. Avenues of trees radiated out from the pond, each
giving it a different view of the palace. Bridgeman dammed the Westbourne Stream to create
a natural-looking lake called the Long Water. The gardens were open on Saturdays to
members of the public who was 'respectably dressed'. The main north-south path, the Broad
Walk, became as fashionable as the Mall in St James's Park had been during the reign of King
Charles II.
In 1837 Queen Victoria moved the court to Buckingham Palace, and the gardens became
increasingly open to the public during the mid-19th century, although the design has not
substantially changed since, with only a few changes made during the 19th and 20th
centuries. These include most of the ha-ha being filled in and West Carriage Drive became
the new boundary of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. The Italian Gardens were added in
1860 and in 1909 a new sunken garden was made outside Kensington Palace. The Albert
Memorial to Prince Albert is located on the southern edge of the Gardens, adjacent to
Kensington Road. i
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2.0
Palace Gate
2.1.
Location and Use
Palace Gate is one of the main pedestrian entrances to Kensington Gardens from the
southwest on Kensington Road, with the less prominent Victoria Road Gate and King’s Arms
gate to the west. These two more western entrances are both minor double leaved pedestrian
entrances at circa 1.8m maximum open width. Palace Gate is located on the southern
boundary of Kensington Gardens, and the main connection to Kensington Palace and Round
Pond to the north along the Broad Walk. Black Lion Gate is located at the north end. It is a
heavily used entrance for Park visitors due to its location near many bus stops and visitors to
Kensington Palace. It is also well used by commuters, both pedestrians and cyclists, and
people using the TfL bike hire stations just inside the gate.
There is a turnstile exit adjacent; to the east side of the gates to allow visitors to exit the park
with the gates are closed at dusk. This turnstile is not wide enough to accommodate
wheelchairs, and therefore not accessible.
The Gate is a popular entrance for cyclists as well as pedestrians, as it sits on the northern
end of the Broad Walk shared-use route. A London Cycle Hire station is located inside the
Park on the western side of the entrance, while park furniture including noticeboards, bins
and signage are located on the eastern side.
2.2.
Description
Palace Gate is of similar design to the other minor gates on the south side of Kensington
Gardens, as listed above. It comprises 15mm vertical bars with simple, Georgian style finials.
[Figure 1, Photos No 1-4]. But as the key, southern entrance to the Broad Walk, Palace Gate is
wider than the aforementioned gates, at 3.6m clear opening. This makes them slightly more
prominent than the other gates, which have been fabricated to the same basic design and use
the same dimensions/metal sections.
The gates were added to the boundary to facilitate increased public access to the park, which
occurred post 1837. According to the Conservation Management Plan, ‘The present
boundaries of Kensington Gardens were established by 1871….. Historically the Gardens were
enclosed by brick walls, providing privacy for occupants of the Palace. Railings subsequently
replaced the walls in the early mid nineteenth century, and survived until 1942 when they
were removed for gun metal, leaving the gardens unenclosed for a considerable period. The
present railings were installed in 1968-70 on a low brick retaining wall. ‘ ii
The existing gates are set back from the back of pavement into the park, with perpendicular
flanking railings. The boundary railing sits on the wall to a height of 1.9m, which matches
the height of the double gate.
The material is galvanised steel, painted black, which is showing signs of rust in some places.
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2.3.
Designation
The Gates are not individually listed. However they are located in, or adjacent to, the
following conservation areas in both Westminster City Council (WCC) and Royal borough
of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and are therefore designated under the Planning (Listed
Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. They mark a key view north up the Broad Walk
towards the centre of the Gardens.
The Gate is within WCC Conservation Area:
• No 42, Royal Parks,
And adjacent to WCC Conservation Area:
• No 22, Knightsbridge
And within RBKC Conservation Area:
• No 7, Kensington Palace
And adjacent to RBKC Conservation Area:
• No 9c, DeVere
• No 10, Queensgate – both to the south of the gate.
•
It is also within the curtilage of Grade I listed Kensington Palace, [List entry
Number: 1223861], and
Within Kensington Gardens, on the English Heritage register of Historic Parks and
Gardens, at Grade I. [List entry Number: 1000340]
•
2.4.
Significance
2.4.1. Designations
Palace Gates are "designated heritage assets" under the several categories listed above in the
terms of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for their contribution to, the
townscape of the abovementioned conservation areas. They are part of the approach towards
the grade I listed Kensington Palace, are therefore subject to listed building consent as
curtilage structures. These designations confer a high degree of statutory protection on the
gates, but it does not necessarily follow that the significance of the gates depends on their
preservation in their current form.
As recommended in English Heritage’s Conservation Principles, Policies, and Guidance,
2008, the significance of heritage assets is articulated as the sum of their heritage values.
These can be considered under four headings:
Aesthetic value: the way in which people draw sensory and intellectual
stimulation from the heritage assets, particularly their architectural qualities;
Historical value: the ways in which past people, events, and aspects of life can be connected
through the heritage assets to the present, both by illustrating aspects of social history, and
through association with notable people and events;
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Evidential value: the potential of the heritage assets to yield evidence about
past human activity; and
Communal value: the meaning of the heritage assets for the people who
relate to them, or for whom they figure in the collective experience or
memory of the community.
2.4.2. Historic Value:
•
They mark the southern entrance to one of the park’s major set pieces of design –
the 12m wide Broad Walk, although the gate is a much later addition, and not in
scale with the scale of the Broad Walk.
2.4.3. Aesthetic Value
The gates are not of outstanding design or particularly distinctive, being a duplicate of a type
in the series of pedestrian entrances in this length of ht southern boundary. They are not
ornate in the same way that Black Lion Gate to the north of the Broad Walk is.
They do contribute to the aesthetic value of the park somewhat, in that their wider opening
than the other adjacent gates gives a limited sense of arrival to this entrance, and the
procession along the Broad Walk towards the palace and round pond.
2.4.4. Communal Value
Despite the values as described above, the diminutive nature and scale of the gates does not
create an overwhelming sense of arrival into the park at this point. They are of a similar
design and scale of the other gates on the southern boundary and do not address the
grandeur of the scale of the Broad Walk itself.
2.4.5. Statement of Significance
The following grading system has been adopted to enable the relative weight of the elements
which contribute to the significance of the heritage assets and their setting to be compared:
A: Exceptional significance
Elements of the historic environment whose values are both unique to the place and are
relevant to our perception and understanding of architectural and social history in a national
and international context. These are the qualities that, for buildings, warrant statutory listing
in grade I and II*.
B: Considerable significance
Elements whose values contribute to the place’s status as a nationally important heritage
asset. These are the qualities that justify statutory protection at national level.
C: Some significance
Elements whose values make a positive contribution to the way the place is understood and
perceived, primarily in a local context.
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D: Limited significance
Elements whose values contribute to the way the place is perceived in a very limited, but
positive, way.
N: Neutral significance
Elements which neither add to, nor detract from, the significance of the place.
INT: Intrusive
Elements of no historic interest or aesthetic or architectural merit that detract from the
appearance of the place, or mask the understanding of significant elements.
2.4.6. The significance of Palace Gate is summarised as follows:
• The gateway itself (not the gate’s physical presence or metalwork design) has considerable
significance for the way in which it marks the principal and historic entrance to Kensington
Gardens and the Broad Walk from Kensington Road, and its location on axis with the Broad
Walk.
• The gate has limited significance to the historic landscape as an embellishment of the Broad
Walk and historic entrance, limited by the fact that it was designed at a much later date to
the grand set piece of the Bridgeman designed Broad Walk. The scale of the gateway is not
consistent with, and does not form part of this original design, or the boundary itself.
• The gateway has limited significance to the conservation area for the way in which it marks
the entrance to the Gardens from Kensington Road, although this is limited by the fact that it
is not a particularly striking or prominent gate, or distinctively different from the other gates
in this boundary. The clutter associated with the gate in terms of disparate signage detracts
from its contribution to the streetscape and conservation area.
2.5.
Palace Gate – Issues and the Case for Change
Despite its key position, the sense of arrival into one of London’s most important parks is
currently not reflected by the entrance design. Its width, scale, and location on the narrow
footpath, with the exceptionally busy traffic on Kensington Road make it visually incidental.
It does not create the presence it requires or fulfil its potential as a major or welcoming
entrance to the thousands of visitors who use it. Its scale does not match that of the grand
vista of The Broad Walk, and. these factors mean it under-performs as a welcome into the
park, and congestion between pedestrians and cyclists further contribute to tensions in its
use.
The Gate gives a clear opening of 3.6m, and leads onto the 12m wide Broad Walk, which is
the main North South Route within Kensington Gardens and heavily used by both
pedestrians, cyclists and those hiring bikes from the TfL hire station.
The heavy use and relatively narrow width, combined with the relatively narrow footpath
along Bayswater Road and the number of cyclists turning into the park at this junction,
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means that there is a congestion point outside the gates, and some conflict between
pedestrians and cyclists. This was further highlighted in the Transport for London
commissioned ‘The Kensington Gates Analysis (2012)’ iii
In an attempt to alleviate the conflict and reiterate pedestrian priority, The Royal Parks have
put up several signs. Together with police notices, park entrance signs and road signs, all
these add to the clutter at the entrance and detract from the setting of the gates, diminishing
the aesthetic of this park entrance as a whole.
2.6.
Project Background, Aspirations and Objectives
The Royal Parks had identified in its 2006 Kensington Gardens Management Plan that ‘there
is opportunity to improve setting and presentation of some gateway entrances to reflect a
positive image and welcoming place’ iv.
Transport for London commissioned ‘The Kensington Gates Analysis’ (2012) which
identified Palace Gate as an area where access could be improved to reduce conflict between
pedestrians and cyclists. Over a 36 month period to April 2012 5 accidents occurred at the
junction of Kensington Road / Palace Gate. ‘Two involved a vehicle turning right, one
turning left, one disobeying ATS and one “other” accident. Three accidents involved cycles,
and two involved powered 2wheelers, with the ATS incident involving 2 vunerable road user
types. v
To give an indication of the intense pedestrian and cycle traffic at the gates ‘During the
period 7.30am to 8.30am 62 cyclists exited the gate….. During the same period 78 cyclists
entered the gate’ vi.
The proposals for the gate seek to improve the visibility and presence for this entrance, while
TfL considers wider improvements to this busy junction. The proposals seek:
• To improve the prominence and landscape setting of Palace Gate from Kensington Road.
• Improvement of circulation for pedestrians and cyclists entering/existing the Gardens.
• Creation of space for pedestrians waiting on Kensington Road at the park entrance, as the
pavement is currently narrow and many people wait here as it serves as an orientation point.
• Improvement of sightlines, for both pedestrians and cyclists turning into the park and
crossing the Bayswater Road.
• Reduction in clutter around the park entrance, and
• Improvement in signposting and orientation at the entrance
• Improvement in accessibility by installing an accessible turnstile.
• To work in harmony with the redesign of the crossing across Bayswater Road (funded and
to be delivered by Westminster City Council).
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2.7.
The Design Proposals
2.7.1. Options and Consultation
In responding to the historic nature of the Gardens and Gates, and the need for change, five
options were developed to address the issues set out in 2.5.
All the options proposed adding semi-circular railings either side of the existing gate to
increase the sense of arrival and reduce pedestrian/cyclist congestion at the entrance on the
narrow pavement. They also all propose a widening of the kerbs at the entrance, to make
turning into the park easier for cyclists. Works to the kerb will need to be carried out by TfL
in conjunction with RBKC/WCC, as part of their wider cycling improvements programme.
Option 1 proposed to add a side gate and move the turnstile to the west. This meant
relocating or losing ten TfL bike stations, and was discounted as a result
Option 2 proposed adding two side gates and moves the turnstile to the west. This meant
relocating or losing ten TfL bike stations, and was discounted as a result
Option 3 proposed adding one side gates and move the turnstile further to the east. This
meant relocating or losing four TfL bike stations, and was discounted as a result
Option 4 proposed adding one side gate and move the turnstile to the west. This meant
relocating or losing six TfL bike stations, and was discounted as a result.
Option 5 proposed no additional side gates, but allows an accessible turnstile to the east and
no loss of TfL bike hire stations. The gates are set within semi-circular railings, which make
the entrance more visible.
All options were discussed with the Royal Park’s management, cycle group and TfL The
preferred option which is the subject of this application is Option 5. The benefit to the
entrance are:
- More visible, welcoming and grand entrance gate into the Park
- Allows installation of fully accessible/ disability compliant turnstile
- All existing trees to be retained – no work within root protection area
- No bicycle hire stations to be re-located
It was chosen over the other options because it was thought to create a more visible entrance
into the park, thus improving its setting. It also provides a more substantial arrival space
away from the pavement which relieves the congestion.
The preferred Option 5 Proposals have been worked up into detailed design and are shown
on ‘Proposed Landscape GA Drawing’ Plan No 3727_104, and ‘Existing and Proposed
Elevations’ shown on Plan No 3727_150.
The existing site Plan/Site Survey is shown on Plan No 3727_100
A photomontage of existing and proposed is shown at Figure 2 at the end of this report.
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3.0
Impact on Heritage Significance
The main impact on the gates would be the addition of curved side railings. Given that they
do not have a substantial presence, given their minimal width, and are already set back into
the park, this addition cannot be deemed to have a detrimental impact.
The addition of the side gates will mean that the presence of the entrance as a whole is
actually increased, and will make the gateway more visible - while the original fabric of the
central gates remains unchanged.
There will be no impact on the setting of Kensington Palace, due to the distance of the gates
from the palace.
The essential character and architectural style of the gates and boundary will be retained.
For these reasons there will be no substantial harm, and therefore no detriment to the
heritage significance of the entrance, and, in the terms of NPPF, certainly "less than
substantial" The benefits provided by the new semi-circular railings and increase in the gate’s
presence and accessibility improvements can be deemed to outweigh any harm that could
possibly be perceived.
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4.0
Accessibility
4.1.
Design Approach
The minimal re-grading of the Broad Walk in the immediate vicinity of the Gates and
turnstile to accommodate the entrance arrangements will improve the gradient of 1:18. The
surface will be consistent with the rest of the Broad Walk, tarmac with bonded gravel
dressing (tar spray and chip) for the immediate entrance. The surface will be adequately slip
resistant in both wet and dry conditions.
The existing paving at the entrance is uneven tarmac. As part of the proposals it is intended
that worn, reclaimed granite setts area sourced to match the entrance at Black Lion Gate.
This will provide a smooth surface for wheelchair users, while giving enough change in
surface texture and colour for those who are visually impaired. The proposal to retain and
reuse the setts at Black Lion Gate has been discussed and agreed with English Heritage and
Royal Parks during 2013, and it would seem sensible to take the same approach with
materials at Palace Gate, to give a consistent treatment to park entrances.
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5.0
Appendix I – Drawings, Consultation Material and Photos
Figure 1 - Photo Panel: Views of Gate: Inside and Outside
Figure 2 – Photomontage - Existing and Proposed Option 5
A3 Drawings:
Dwg 3727_001: Site Location Plan
Dwg 3727_100: Existing Site Plan/ Site Survey
Dwg 3727_104: Proposed Landscape General Arrangement Drawing
Dwg 3727_150: Existing and Proposed Elevation Drawing
Footnotes:
i
English Heritage: List Entry Summary for Kensington Gardens. http://list.englishheritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1000340 accessed on 14.3.14.
ii
LUC for The Royal Parks. 2006. Kensington Gardens Management Plan.
iii
The Project Centre, 2012.Kensington Gardens Gates Analysis. Improved Accessibility for
Pedestrians and Cyclists - The Royal Parks.
iv
LUC for The Royal Parks. 2006. Kensington Gardens Management Plan.
v
The Project Centre, 2012. p.11. Kensington Gardens Gates Analysis. Improved Accessibility
for Pedestrians and Cyclists - The Royal Parks.
vi
Ibid. p 13
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X/JOBS/3607_DAS/DOCS/Figure 1
Photo 1. Palace Gate: Panorama from Kensingtron Road
Photo 2. Palace Gate from the east
Photo 3. Palace Gate from the noth, inside the park
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DWG. NO. 3727_Figure 1
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Photo 4. Palace Gate, and turnstile
Project TitlE
PALACE gate
Kensington Gardens
The royal Parks
DrawiNG title
Figure 1 - Photo Panel
Views of Palace Gate: Inside and Outside
X/JOBS/3607_DAS/DOCS/Figure 1
Photo 1. Palace Gate: Existing view from inside Kensington Gardens to Kensingtron Road
Photomontage 1. Palace Gate: View after Proposed alterations to entrance - view from inside Kensington Gardens to Kensingtron Road
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DWG. NO. 3727_Figure 2
© LDA Design Consulting LLP. Quality Assured to BS EN ISO 9001:2008
Project TitlE
PALACE gate
Kensington Gardens
The royal Parks
DrawiNG title
Figure 2 - Photomontage
Views of Existing and Proposed Palace Gate Entrance