3.16 Placemaking in The Crichton Quarter

The masterplan places Glencaple Road at the heart of The Crichton Quarter to become a people focused street connecting Ladyfield to The Crichton. Through small scale placemaking interventions Glencaple Road can become a safer, more accessible route in the heart of The Crichton Quarter.

In its current form Glencaple Road is a hostile and unwelcoming street for anyone but car drivers who often travel in excess of the 30mph speed limit. The illustrative interventions will put pedestrians first and slow traffic moving through The Crichton Quarter.

The suggested changes to Glencaple Road, to be developed further, are:

• Introduction of traffic calming measures from Castledykes Park crossing to Brownhall Primary School.

• Strengthening of entry points to existing neighbourhoods and The Crichton.

• Introduction of green-blue infrastructure to mitigate flood risk.

Traffic calming measures could be formed through a combination of raised tables, chicanes and landscaping. There would be opportunities for on-street parking. Changes should prioritise those walking, cycling or wheeling and in particular those crossing between The Crichton and Ladyfield.

At The Crichton’s Brownhall Gate, an assessment of the existing access may provide an opportunity to create a safer route to Brownhall School. There is the potential for a new mobility hub for active travel in this location.

The suggested interventions are templates for changes that would support improved placemaking and a safer environment for active travel in The Crichton Quarter.

Interventions should form part of a wider Crichton Quarter placemaking, streetscape and wayfinding strategy to ensure continuity of visual character, materiality, surfacing and landscaping. These should take a heritage focused approach in line with The Crichton Conservation Area and listed status of much of the surrounding built heritage.

Creating a distinct entrance at Low Lodge Gatehouse

Low Lodge Gatehouse should mark a key entrance to The Crichton. We propose a series of small scale interventions to reduce vehicle speeds, improve the existing footpaths and make public transport stops more prominent. Future opportunities to connect into the grounds of Ladyfield West are suggested to bring this important listed building back into active use. Planting and raingardens should be introduced to help mitigate flood risk.

Linking at Ladyfield House

Ladyfield House Gatehouse will become the key crossing point for pedestrians between Ladyfield and The Crichton. We propose this becomes a pedestriancentred space with traffic calming measure as vehicles enter the shared surface space. New buildings and a community hub will be located around this new space with some opportunities for on-street parking for short stops or drop-offs. Planting and raingardens should be introduced to help mitigate flood risk.

Opportunities at Brownhall Gate

We suggest that the existing condition at Brownhall Gate could be improved to create safer routes to school and act as a prominent gateway into the Crichton Quarter. A travel hub could be located here, with delivery collection point, e-bike charging and bus stops co-located. Planting and raingardens should be introduced to help mitigate flood risk.