Trinity Square under fire from council leader
COUNCIL leader Jon Collins hates the new Trinity Square in Nottingham.
He hates it with a passion – so much so he has gone public.
"It is one of the worst pieces of urban design in the city in 20 years," he says.
It doesn't work for him. And it doesn't work for a lot of people.
Coun Collins complains that the design is poor. In his view, parts of the buildings are ugly, particularly a grill in an exposed and prominent part of a building.
The slabs of stone, supposed to echo coffins from the days when Holy Trinity Church stood on the site are awful, argues Coun Collins.
The church was once the centre of an attractive Victorian square until the late 1950s, demolished for Nottingham's first multi-story car park.
Coun Collins has developed a close interest in public space and the state of Nottingham's streets. He has ordered their regular cleansing.
Walk down the street with him and he puts other people's litter in the bins.
He said: "The new building is ugly and an eyesore. The concrete coffins are ugly. The paving is difficult to keep clean. Uneven surfaces make it difficult for people in wheelchairs."
The bollards are there to stop delivery lorries, vans and cars using the square – which Coun Collins says were the result of council officers failing to obtain the appropriate traffic regulation orders in time.
"Trinity Square is so far away from being an acceptable standard that we will have to look at how we put it right," he added.
Coun Collins also points to a grilled entrance to the Trinity Square scheme which he says in unacceptable.
The problems of Trinity Square are seen in the context of the new Old Market Square by international designers Gustafson Porter. It is popular and people want to go there.
The warning signals about the design quality of Trinity Square were fired well before it was built.
Derek Latham, the highly respected East Midlands architect, is the region's representative on the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.
Mr Latham, of Latham Associates in Derby, wrote in the Post in December 2003 that the scheme could be a "Wolf in Sheep's clothing".
Coun Collins is now looking for solutions and is open to ideas.
He said; "I am open to suggestions about how we get the design right, perhaps working with the universities for some ideas or design practices in the city. A small competition could be possible.
"Even though Trinity Square does not belong to the city council, we are looking at what might be possible to improve it and we are talking to the square's developer and owner about that."
When asked why he has not spoken out about sooner, Coun Collins said he is not, nor has he ever been, a member of the planning committee.
He said: "Until it was more or less built, personally I wasn't aware what was going to be built there.
"I wasn't aware of the detail of the development, and I don't think people would expect me to be aware.
"I think everybody acted with the best intention but I don't think it has worked and we should do something about it."
The design of public spaces has moved up the political agenda with English Heritage, CABE and the Department for Transport publishing guidelines.
Nottingham has its own detailed design guide for streets.
Streets free of clutter are seen as a way of creating popular spaces and encouraging investment by retailers and potential inward investors.
Jenny Frew, senior policy adviser at English Heritage, said: "Through good design it is possible, within existing regulations, to design streets with good traffic management that minimises the use of signs, poles and road markings.
"Achieving this requires collaborative working between highways engineers and urban design staff, and a sensible, balanced approach to decision-making."
She said there was a tendency for some designers to add features such as guardrails in attempt to improve safety, rather than assess the real risks and design the street accordingly.
Clive Fletcher, senior historic areas adviser of English Heritage, said it was unhappy with the scale and design of the proposed buildings, adding: "We always welcome local authorities trying to create new public spaces but it is easy to over-complicate them.
"Some of the nicest continental squares don't have much in them. Over design tends to be the enemy of making them work properly."
13 Comments
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by Liz, Nottingham
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 8:50AM
“Snot, I think your criticisms of the Market Square etc are spot on. I'd be interested to know what you think of the public space at Trinity Square (I've admitted I rather like it).”
by p, Notts
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 12:52AM
“I totally agree with Snot. The council took too much tax from us all and wasted it on utter rubbish.”
by Snot, Lace Market
Tuesday, December 08 2009, 11:51PM
“Nottingham architechure under Labour where do we start?
The hideous avant garde Market Square with it's unsettling angles and souless minimalist design which will be out of fashion in ten years.
The Contemporary Art Gallery at Weekday Cross - Was someone taking the ****? It says a lot about the modern 'art' it was designed to house - no skill, no style and has to resort to offending to get a reaction.
That patchwork building on the Derby Road roundabout looks like the Favelas, it just needs some washing hanging out of the windows.
A football coach statue smack bang in front of the most scenic, most awe inspiring part of the Square. A football coach statue! We're a laughing stock. Labour's socialist idea of a statue for the people - and I will give them that the statue is classless.”
by Liz, Nottingham
Tuesday, December 08 2009, 8:10PM
“Sorry, Meeki, I don't quite understand your point. I agree with you that Jon Collins should have spoken up sooner if he didn't like Trinity Square. I'm just saying that I happen to like the look of the public area (unlike Jon Collins). I think it's attractive and will be even more so when the trees are bigger and the cafes are let. I'm not saying I like the development as a whole, I think the Milton Street aspect was a wasted opportunity and I wish that the planning committee had held out for something better. However, the article suggests that they actually didn't want a high class development because it would detract from the hoped for expansion of the Broad Marsh centre.”
by Dave, Nottingham
Tuesday, December 08 2009, 6:04PM
“"Walk down the street with him and he puts other people's litter in the bins." - I KNEW there was some job that would suit Cllr Collins!”
by Martin, West Bridgford
Tuesday, December 08 2009, 5:41PM
“So basically the leader of our City Council took no interest in a major development in Nottingham City Centre and is now whining about it . Ridicules”
by Urban Rambler, Lenton
Tuesday, December 08 2009, 5:27PM
“I agree with Jon Collins about Trinity Square. I am hopeful that from now on he will be taking a closer interest in planning decisions about public open space.
The north side of Nottingham city centre has no green oasis where visitors or workers can take refuge from the noise and bustle of city life. Trinity Square was a missed opportunity, as some pointed out at the time, most notably Ken Brand from Nottingham Civic Society.
Let's hope Trinity Square can be softened a bit and Jon can use his influence to create more green havens in the city centre.”
by Urban Rambler, Lenton
Tuesday, December 08 2009, 5:21PM
“I agree with Jon Collins. Whilst it is a pity he did not appreciate what the City Council planners were agreeing to, let's hope that from now on he will take more interest in these matters and that we will get more open spaces in the city centre which are welcoming and provide some escape, albeit for a few minutes. from the everyday bustle of city centre life.
They do exist, if you know where to look, but we need more of them, especially on the north side of the city centre.”
by Meeki, Nottingham
Tuesday, December 08 2009, 4:21PM
“Liz, have you attended the monthly planning meetings held in the Council House?
That committee is dominated by the ruling political party. Before that committee attends a meeting, all plans are issued to every Planning Committee councillor.
Those councillors, also have every aspect of an application spelt out to them, which means, councillor Collins has no cause to complain, because it was his councillors that approved the Trinity Square development.
Those councillors could have rejected the Trinity Square application and have force the applicant to redesign the whole project.
The next eyesore will be Peoples College, that will disgrace the castle (sorry a mansion) and surrounding area.
A personal opinion is, that committee constantly fails to comprehend planning legislations.”
by Liz, Nottingham
Tuesday, December 08 2009, 1:47PM
“Agreed, and there's nothing intrinsically nicer about the Square, it's just better used because of its position and the attractions it features. I prefer the mellow tones of Trinity Square's public space, seems to fit in better with Nottingham's natural stone rather than the market squares's harsh, alien looking granite, and the cobbles are beautiful and remind me of old Nottingham. I think it's a lovely blend of the old and the new, with high class materials.”