COLEFORD: MUSHET WALK & ACTIVE TRAVEL

THE TEAM: Solomon Artman, Sarah-Jane Bonner, Jasper Godin, Ian Oyoo, Sam Yeowell and NICOLETA YOESDYANTO

Introduction - Coleford is a market town in the heart of the Forest of Dean (FoD) with proximity to the Welsh border, it harbours a rich history and heritage and holds the only Tourist Information Centre (TIC) in the FoD.

Collaborators - Our team worked closely with Coleford Town Council (CTC) to interrogate the feasibility of re-locating their current offices. This ‘Live Project’ sought a client-centric design approach, utilising various engagements within this participatory practice. The new offices would incorporate a new community space on the first floor, creating space for the youth and public. The new offices aimed to include TIC within its footprint, calling for a well resolved spatial organisation.

Methodology - The group engaged with the community and council members in various interventions and activities, to help inform future proposals and design schemes. These engagements allowed for a wide range of aspirations and needs within Coleford to be highlighted. The second aspect of the brief looked at ‘active travel’, examining the current conditions of site and analysing the arrival sequencing within the town. Ensuring a synergy with future ‘active travel’ proposals the we coordinated aspects of the surrounding context of 4 Mushet Walk with local regeneration specialists tasked with implementing the new networks and transportation links. This aspect employed conversations with the community to design and propose a celebration of Coleford and the town’s heritage, establishing an exercise on place-making within the town. Coleford’s adjacency to the FoD is under-utilized, we proposed the injection of urban greening and biodiversity proposals to break up the hard and dense townscape within Coleford.