Fareham Borough Landscape Assessment

May 1996

Character Area 31

Fareham Quayside

Description

Fareham Quayside includes the Town Quay, the Upper Quay and the area around Deanes Park Road. The area represents the historic core of the Town Quay. Its main attribute is its water side setting. The area is a mixture of residential and small scale, waterside industry isolated from Fareham Town Centre by roads and the railway.

The essential characteristics of Fareham Quayside are: * the historic Town Quay Area which forms the Conservation Area; * the architectural, townscape and landscape qualities, particularly around the Town Quay and the railway viaducts; * a complex of older buildings along the upper and lower quaysides (a Conservation Area) which are reminders of its former character as a thriving port, including grainstores, a flour mill, houses and other waterfront buildings of historical importance and maritime character; * the estuarine reaches of the Wallington River with its intertidal mudflats, saltings and wildlife and the changing moods and patterns of the river according to the tides; * lively, colourful and distinctive character of the waterside provided by boats, gravel dredgers, open space/ recreational activities on land and water and the range of attractive waterside buildings; * the mixture of residential, small scale industry and leisure/recreation; * the open prospect across the estuary to Cams/Wicor; * valuable waterside green space in the form of the Bath Lane recreation ground; * generally good public access to the waterside; * barriers created by the railway and busy roads such as Eastern Way and Gosport Road.

Enhancement Priorities

The main emphasis in this area is conservation of the existing character but there are issues relating to its connections and its accessibility from the town centre and other areas. It is clearly a very valuable architectural and historic asset and very close to the town centre.

Priorities for enhancement are: * to overcome the barriers created by the railway and busy Eastern Way and Gosport Roads, and to make much better connections between the town centre and the Town Quay; * to improve the overall environmental quality of the area in the form of lighting, signage, shared surfacing, tree planting etc.; * to maximise nature conservation /green corridor opportunities between the Gillies and the quayside; * to improve pedestrian environment between the Upper Quay and the Town Quay.