Moorends Regeneration

The following project ideas have been developed through a comprehensive community engagement process undertaken by The Urbanists Planning & Design which took place between November 2021 and February 2022. This contributed to the creation of the Thorne and Moorends Community Infrastructure Masterplan which contains project ideas to improve the environment, community well-being, and pride in the area.

This second phase of community engagement is an opportunity to get your feedback on specific project ideas developed through the master planning process. We have two distinct ideas that we want your view upon for Moorends; The Circle and The Village Centre schemes. 

The Village Centre idea will focus upon Marshland Road in the heart of Moorends with revitalised public realm which will improve the experience of community members and local businesses. We also hope this will encourage new businesses to start up in the area. 

The different elements of The Village Centre project include:

• Reducing road width to slow traffic and to prioritise pedestrian and cyclist safety 
• Wider pavements and cycleway
• Tree planting to green the street

• Attractively planted “rain gardens” - shallow areas of ground that are lower than the pathway level which can take rain run-off from the pathways and cycleways. Storm water fills the depression and then drains
• Off road car parking only in designated bays 
• On street tree planting
• Creating new safer road crossing points 
• New cycle stands
• Public art which celebrates Moorends’ heritage

The Circle project involves reclaiming and investing in an underutilised space. In the same way as The Village Centre idea, we hope this will improve the environment for the benefit of local people and encourage business retention and growth.

The different elements of The Circle idea include:

• Removal of the existing roundabout and replacing with a raised junction. The pavement is continuous across the junction, and therefore prioritises pedestrian use. Vehicles have a steep short climb up onto the pavement to cross it
• New street planting including new trees to line the road, freshening the area with greenery and reflecting the historic layout of The Circle 
• A more substantial green space area off The Circle with new seating
• Improving the frontages of shops and other business and enabling some to “spill out” and use the public space (e.g. enabling a café to have outside seating)   
• Secure, overlooked, cycle stands
• Combinations of designated parking bays whilst restricting “on the kerb” parking using attractive bollards and planting to keep pavements clear and fully accessible for everyone  
• Traffic calming measures using raised ramps and “build outs” into the road which incorporate attractive planting. This will cause traffic to slow or pause in key places reducing vehicle speed heading towards The Circle. This will improve the appearance of the area and create a safer space for pedestrians