Other Considerations

The site has many positive aspects including mature woodland and paths.

It is however very lightly used as a ‘traditional’ Park and is more commonly associated with the Council HQ, the High School and the Leisure Centre / Theatre, and Eastwood House .

The masterplan includes an assessment of existing land use, the physical constraints, barriers to sustainable travel and the reliance on a single vehicular access.

It also considers appropriate standards for parking – not associated with individual buildings but generated to provide for users at day and night and across the whole park area.

Site visits, observations and surveys have been undertaken to collect information about user habits and problem areas.

The proposal also addresses compatible uses and how the future land use provision can be satisfied in a user-friendly manner.

Care is be given to the sensitivities associated with listed buildings, civic presence and the potential impacts of relocating staff to other buildings.

A review of the market to determine business interests and potential further education offers and consider alignment of any proposals with the market.

Access & Transport review including junction modelling & the case for a second access and improved connections.

Community Benefits – details of how the new buildings will derive benefits for the Council and the wider community.

High-level socio-economic analysis.

Evaluation

Evaluation criteria have been agreed with the Council.

One key item is the value of the space and how users operate at present measured against a future where placemaking, connections and people focused solutions are more prevalent.

Next Steps
•Action Plan
•Implementation Road Map
•Phasing
•Cost Implications

1.0 Existing Park

There are a number of key areas where the park is not making the best use of its facilities and land.

The existing park is dominated by buildings and parking.

The Leisure Centre and the Council HQ Office Building and their associated car parking dominate the entrance of the site and turn their back on the other pedestrian approaches to the site.

Their locations result in much of the woodland and open space feeling disconnected and simply acting as buffer planting.

The entrance to St Ninian’s High School is tucked away and difficult to see through the sprawling car parking.

Eastwood House feels isolated rather than celebrated in its parkland setting.

The limited open space around it feels poorly overlooked and disconnected.

Within the site there are around 416 parking spaces with 4 separate service and 4 separate drop off areas for the HQ Office, Eastwood House, the Leisure Centre and the School.

1.0 Background

Eastwood Park has evolved over time into a mixed-use site with competing interests.

The Park entrance would have originally been from the gated entrance on Fenwick Road until a new access from Rouken Glen Road was constructed.

The park setting has allowed a mix of civic space, office accommodation,school accommodation and leisure uses which all use the main access from Rouken Glen Road.

Visitors often compete for surface car parking at busy times.

There is a perception that the access and parking availability causes a constant problem, although in reality, it is often only the morning traditional peak hour that experiences any significant congestion and delays.

The park entrance is not welcoming and although there are routes into it making it relatively well connected they are not obvious.

The stone wall along Rouken Glen Road closes off the Park and fails to show what is beyond.

This Visioning document will set out a future strategy for dealing with land use, accessibility, parking and movements within the park with a view to reducing the vehicle dominance and creating an improved sense of place.

This needs to be combined with a new sense of identity and also a move towards encouraging more sustainable trips to and from the site in the future.

The Park should be able to thrive in the future without private cars dominating the setting.

Access should be possible and new drop-off locations should be accommodated especially for St. Ninian’s High School.

Strategic Vision: Creating A New Identity

An ambition of this vision is to create a new Park that not only has a different mix of land-uses but also creates an outdoor space that can be used productively as a combined resource for people that work within the Park and for those that visit and use it for recreational purposes e.g. dog walking.

Buildings should link to each other, facilities should be joined and footpaths and cycle connections should be improved.

Outdoor event space should be encouraged, as this could be used by the High School and by the Theatre and for public events throughout the year.

Eastwood Park must become a place that has a purpose and draws people to use its facilities in a positive fashion at all times of the day, and throughout the year.

The identity of the Park should reflect the uses that are already there and include new additions seamlessly.

The proposed family centre establishes more of an education presence and with the High School and cultural uses there is scope to encourage some further education uses and transitions into the workplace.

The layout of the Park should be one that is dominated by buildings for people and for good walking routes established and improved cycle facilities, including reasons to stop within the Park.

Transport, Sustainability and Parking

The overall Vision in respect of transport should be forward thinking and challenge the existing method of accommodating and encouraging the current level of car dependency and associated parking provision.

The buildings must be able to operate functionally and therefore access for servicing and deliveries is essential, as is the requirement for school buses to pick-up and drop-off with relative proximity to the High School.

The level of parking should be re-assessed and calculated on a combined and cumulative basis and not simply for each individual building.

Parking should be remote from buildings and / or behind them.

Underground, under-croft, or even rooftop parking should be considered where appropriate.

Drop-off and simple circulation should be encouraged where possible to enable simple access and egress instead of the supply of dominant parking spaces.

Behaviour change has to be encouraged through better design and this in turn will create an environment that is more pleasant for people to spend time in.

Consideration should also be given to improving cycle links and cycle storage/parking.

This could be combined with a facility for secure parking and lockers alongside a café so that there is both natural security and a sense of place.

An indoor / outdoor café space would provide a hub for park users and could encourage more walkers to visit and cyclists to stop ‘en route’ to other destinations.

A recognised strong link for walking should provide a new boulevard through the site and improved path network through the park.

There are some significant changes that will take place in respect of transport that have to be considered in respect of shaping this Vision.

In addition to assessing the ‘here and now’, we also have to be acutely aware of the changing transport landscape and emerging trends that will influence the way in which people travel and make decisions in the future.

In particular, technological advancements will shape the way that people live their lives and how they use urban areas.

‘Smart’ cities will develop that influence road user behaviour and therefore anticipating emerging trends and societal shifts will be a key consideration for this vision - to ensure that the design is future proofed and adaptable, over the next decade and well beyond.

The internet, smart phones, ‘Big Data’ and increased online shopping activity have already impacted transport habits and this will continue to change with the advent of coordinated delivery centres, night time deliveries, last mile operations, autonomous and electric vehicles & bikes and more informed travel choices becoming more readily available.

In busy urban areas, the monitoring of pollution levels and the introduction of Low Emission Zones will alter traditional transport movements, patterns and the type of vehicles than can enter these areas.

In terms of Eastwood Park, we will need to consider how future emerging trends will influence proposed land uses and align the design outputs to ensure that the balancing of road users needs is customised to match future anticipated shifts in transport habits.

Issues such as affordability, rising insurance costs, car sharing schemes, home-working / video conferencing, mobile apps, integrated ticketing, real-time information, work/life balance and the level of public transport investment will all influence the expected travel behaviour and future person trips in the East Renfrewshire Council area.

2.0 Strategic Context of Project

East Renfrewshire Council is in the process of a major review of their facilities to meet requirements on services they must deliver and optimising the opportunities this creates.

Eastwood Park Masterplan arises in the context of a number of key studies.

Accommodation

A review of council office accommodation which recommends investment in a range of existing offices to allow enhancement of agile working and consolidation.

This recommends closure of the spatially inefficient HQ office building in Eastwood Park.

Existing Eastwood Park Council HQ

•4,025sqm GIFA
•2,029sqm NIFA (highly inefficient)
•173 desks
•30,706 visitors annually
•Inefficiency with up to 18sqm per desk space, double the standard ratio of 9sqm per desk space.
•Poor work environment
•Poor DDA provision
•Poor energy performance and significant maintenance
•Constructed in 1984
•Includes council chambers and elected member offices
•Contributing to congestion in Eastwood Park at peak times

Education

There is an increased need for education provision in East Renfrewshire.

This is due to a changing demographic with families relocating into East Renfrewshire and proposals for additional housing.

Changes in legislation to offer an increase from part time to full time nursery provision are also a key consideration.

This results in a requirement for

•A new denominational High School by August 2029.

This will enable the existing role of St Ninian’s High School to be reduced from 1800 to 1500

.•A new denominational primary school with early years nursery by August 2024.

•A new non-denominational primary school with early years nursery and additional support needs by August 2028.

There is also a requirement for a number of new nurseries in East Renfrewshire.

There are proposals for a 180 place family centre in Eastwood Park

Braidbar Quarry

Closely linked to the above is the potential for Braidbar Quarry.

There are limited large sites available in East Renfrewshire.

This large site has challenges with ground conditions, however, progress may be made with a development partner which has potential to remediate the site and open it up for additional housing and education provision.