Masterplanning at Stations | Weston Williamson & Partners

Masterplanning at Stations is part of Network Rail’s new design guidance manual suite. Previous guidance for those commissioning and designing UK rail infrastructure had been developed piecemeal over many years, with the result that it lacked authorisation, was outdated in several areas, was not comprehensive, and was insufficiently managed.

We were commissioned by Network Rail – who deliberately appointed architects as they wanted a clear focus on design quality and clear accessible communication – to oversee the preparation of many of the documents within the design guidance manual suite. Now, for the first time, Network Rail has a suite of well-designed, clear and focused documents with a distinct hierarchy, covering all aspects of UK rail infrastructure design from strategy to design, compliance and operation.

We began working on Masterplanning in Stations in January 2021, having previously supported Network Rail in designing other elements of the design guidance manual suite. Our design work was informed by a series of workshops with Network Rail leaders and project teams, as well as key stakeholders including local authorities, to canvas opinion on the content and design of the guidance, and to agree content and approach. We also reviewed and debated earlier successful examples of urban design guidance (including several well-regarded CABE documents) and examined best practice in the UK and internationally.

We worked closely with Network Rail throughout the process, and with our project partners Gerald Eve and Arup. We also drew upon our own experience as architects of masterplanning and rail infrastructure design, and studied current trends and the future direction of rail infrastructure and urban design in order to create guidance that will endure for years to come.

Our guidance occupies a unique position between masterplanning for large urban areas and planning at the scale of individual stations: we therefore needed to produce guidance that could be used confidently by rail infrastructure providers and local authorities alike when integrating new infrastructure into successful places and communities.

Masterplanning is at the heart of all successful rail infrastructure design. Our guidance ensures that those responsible for commissioning, designing and delivering new rail infrastructure have the guidance they need to achieve the best possible outcomes in terms of infrastructure provision and place-making, and the ability to identify and exploit wider opportunities to benefit transport users, network operators, local economies and wider communities. The guidance is helping to embed stations into their localities, and encouraging the creation of high quality spaces and public realm to benefit station users and wider communities.