One Great Win

What’s your

What’s the one thing about being part of Winchester today that you wish you could share with your great great great grandchild?

As part of the Winchester Vision 2030 we asked you to tell us; “What’s Your One Great Win” so that we could create a vision document that will be used to shape your city for the next ten years. We heard from many people of all ages and backgrounds, organisations, businesses and community groups across all wards of the City. We engaged with you online, some face-to-face, others over the phone and even via digital walks. Our findings and subsequent recommendations have been shaped by the insightful, innovative and action-orientated ideas put forward by you, the people of Winchester. We now want to share our draft Vision with you. Find out more below.

Winchester Vision 2030: What’s Next

It was great to hear the expressions of interest and enthusiasm in response to the new Vision for Winchester at the Open House event on 1 December 2020, which was the culmination of all the hard work undertaken by the people of Winchester, and facilitated by Boyle + Summers, Feria Urbanism, Støriie and Momo:zo over the last 10 months.

The council wants to build on the momentum created by the development of the Vision, which includes a broad wide range of ideas about how to change the way we do things in the city, focusing on the “how” rather than the “what.”

The final version of the Vision is due to be considered by Winchester Town Forum on Tuesday 28 January 2021. Residents and businesses are invited to listen on-line, via our website, or contribute to proceedings by registering to speak at least three days in advance of the meeting – contact Matthew Watson MWatson@winchester.gov.uk

The Vision sets out our ambitions for the next ten years, and will take time to implement in a challenging environment as the district recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, but the council is already looking at how it can start to do this this now. A starting point will be looking at how we work the Vision into our new Local Plan when it is the subject of a high-level public consultation early in the new year in relation to Strategic Issues and Priorities for the district.

Keep up to date with progress on the council’s Local Plan by registering for up-dates at https://www.winchester.gov.uk/local-plan-updates

Cllr Kathleen Becker, Chair of Winchester Town Forum, is keen to take ideas in the Vision forward:

“I would like to thank everyone involved in the Vision work for their effort and commitment in challenging circumstances, given the impact of coronavirus, which hasn’t made the process easy. However, it is clear that people want to see change and there is much for us to consider moving forwards. I think this is an exciting opportunity to think about the way we do things and we now need to look at how best to translate the Vision into action over the coming months and years. We will therefore be setting up a working group to help us do this.

I would also like to thank Boyle + Summers, Feria Urbanism, Støriie and Momo:zo for their efforts in delivering this excellent piece of work in such unprecedented times.”

It’s How, not What

From our varied and in-depth conversations this year, and from the working groups we held this autumn, it was clear that people really love Winchester. You love its ecology and its history, you love being able to walk into the city along the river, and you love the sense of community and rich cultural activities in the city. You know it is a great place to live and you touched on this in pretty much every conversation we had.

There is of course a wide range of resident experience for instance in terms of housing, travel or employment opportunities, or in the degree to which young people can afford to or want to stay in the city. There are also widespread concerns about the local impact of the global Climate Crisis and how to mitigate that too.

It became clear to us, in almost every conversation that there was a sense of transition, transformation, or moving forward being thwarted. That something was stopping the city from making changes- even small changes. This must change if the city is to thrive.

Hearing these frustrations over and over from all walks of life has led us to the conclusion that the Vision document from Winchester 2020-2030 must focus on how change happens, rather what the change is. This led to the draft Vision document which was built from a foundation of five clear targets that you told us are dear to you:

LIFETIMES

HOME

ECOLOGY

CULTURE

MOVEMENT

Winchester Vision 2030 Handbooks

We knew from the research phase, that action was a priority. So we created a set of handbooks, to act as an instruction manual for the city over the next decade.

Handbook Part 1

Handbook Pt.1 captures the early project research and sets the scene for the working group phase. There are 5 x copies of this first handbook, each unique to a particular topic. The books include a description of the type of research to be undertaken together with examples and case studies to inspire the group.

LIFETIMES

Can Winchester be a sustainable city where all its citizens can grow, train, remain and flourish? What ideas do you have for overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for all in the city?

Download Lifetimes Handbook Part 1

ECOLOGY

The historical buildings in Winchester can be considered part of the ‘ecology of the city’. The ancient street patterns have shaped the city as much as the river and surrounding landscape. How interested are you in what and who shapes the future fabric of the city?

Download Ecology Handbook Part 1

CULTURE

How can we make contemporary culture visible and accessible in Winchester?

Download Culture Handbook Part 1

HOME

How interested are you in achieving affordability for housing, business, and the city centre?

Download Home Handbook Part 1

MOVEMENT

Transport is a means of getting to and from places, but choices on how to travel significantly impact the wider environment and our individual physical and mental health. How interested are you in well-being and active travel for the future of Winchester city?

Download Movement Handbook Part 1

Handbook Part 2

Handbook Pt. 2 is a record of the four weeks of productive endeavour by the five different working groups. Consider these to be a digital scrapbook of ideas, discussions, ideas and visions. There are 5 x copies of this first handbook, each unique to a particular topic. The projects listed in these Handbooks are not binding upon any individual or organisation but show a collective process of ideas for change. Each handbook contains a map, showing where projects and initiatives could be located across the city.

LIFETIMES

The lifetimes discussions and project ideas focus on connecting people to places and connecting people to each other. Creating opportunities for co-created projects which give people greater agency to work collectively and have a much more active role in how to shape and make the city.

Download Lifetimes Handbook Part 2

ECOLOGY

The ecological discussions were about richness and heritage. The many layers to the city, and the stories set within the natural environment, were the basis for a varied and interesting period of research.

Download Ecology Handbook Part 2

CULTURE

The group defined culture as something that cannot be imposed from the top down; we must encourage the climate from which it can reveal itself and grow. Having the right psychological space for culture to manifest itself is no less important than having the physical spaces available to allow it to thrive across the city.

Download Culture Handbook Part 2

HOME

With the benefit of their knowledge of their own home environments, and their different experiences, this group focused on the problems, delights, challenges, assets and people of the city’s distinctive neighbourhoods.

Download Home Handbook Part 2

MOVEMENT

The movement group focused on Winchester specific issues that ranged from the fine detail to the big picture. The focus was on creating a city where access and movement patterns and behaviours are democratic, fair, and sustainable.

Movement Handbook Part 2

Handbook Part 3

Handbook Pt. 3 uses research findings for earlier in the process to make a set of recommendations and actions for the decade ahead. This final part of the trilogy contains the recommended mechanisms for making things happen across Winchester.

Winchester Vision 2030 - Part 3

Part 3 sets out the “culture shift” needed within the city authorities to help them make better decisions and deliver the changes the city wants and needs. When read together, all 11 x Handbooks are a “box set” setting out the Vision for Winchester 2020 – 2030 and a manifesto for change.

Download Winchester Vision 2030 – Part 3