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urban design london Design & Access Statements:
Esther Kurland Urban Design London [email protected]
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Welcome
Design and Planning What are statements Reading tips A made up statement Why bother
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Design and planning
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Talking about portrait images
National Policy
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‘If we deliver poor design, we know that we will not deliver sustainable development’ Lord Rooker, Planning Minister, House of Lords, Jan 04
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‘All involved in planning must work to achieve sustainable development’ Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004
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What the PPSs and PPGs say
Design Matters
Design cuts across planning policy areas
Design is about how places work
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Key policy tests: PPS1
Refuse designs that don’t take advantage of opportunities for improvement - positively make places better for people.
This should be the aim of all involved.
LPAs should have robust, positive design policies based on local character and objectives.
Have regard to ‘By Design’
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Key policy tests: PPS1
Good Design should:
Address the connections between people, places and access to jobs and services
Integrate development into the existing natural and built environment and reinforce local distinctiveness
Be an important part of providing successful, safe and inclusive places
Create places everyone can use and enjoy
Consider impacts on the natural environment
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Ask “is the design good enough to approve?” rather than “is it bad enough to refuse?”
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The Good, the Bad, the OK?
PPG1 said refuse bad design CABE’s 2004 Housing Audits found 61% of new homes in the South East were mediocre and 17% were good
The 2005 Audit showed that 70% of homes in the North were mediocre and only 6% were good Now PPS1 is saying only approve good design What will the audit in 5 years find?
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Design at a Glance
Gives up to date information on national design policy
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Principles of Good Design
Character:
should have its own identity
Continuity and enclosure:
public and private should be clearly distinguished
Quality of public spaces:
should have attractive and successful outdoor areas
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Principles of Good Design
Ease of movement:
easy for everyone to get to and move through
Legibility:
has a clear image and is easy to understand
Adaptability:
easily able to change
Diversity:
values difference
Inclusivity:
for everyone, without special treatment
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How can we tell?
It’s hard!
It’s your job Use common sense – you can do it Look at built schemes Ask yourself- What would it be like to use the scheme?. If you are 30 years older? Or younger? Or with a broken leg?
Use Building for Life, Design Quality Indicators etc Create your own indicators?
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What are statements?
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Statements are tools to help prevent poorly designed places
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Planning design tools Design & Access Statement Masterplan Local Development Framework Sub regional Framework Regional Spatial Strategy Regional City/Town Neighbourhood Site Building Component Cabe and the Planning System Building Regs.
Design Code Area Action Plan Design Guide Sustainability appraisals 17
What are statements?
They are required by the Planning Act
They are needed with most application types
They can be used to ‘fix’ details as proposals develop
They should be proportionate to the complexity of the development
They should be used to explain and justify the proposal
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What should they contain?
• • •
The design process
: How the designer has thought about the area and how new buildings and spaces have been informed by what already exists.
Use
: What buildings and spaces will be used for
Amount
: How much would be built on the site
These should deal with the main inputs to the design process.
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What should they contain?
Layout
: How the buildings and public and private spaces will be arranged on the site and the relationship between them and the buildings and spaces around the site.
Scale
: How big the buildings and spaces would be (their height, width and length)
To establish the 3D form of the development urban
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What should they contain?
Landscape design:
How open spaces will be treated to enhance or protect the place, for example what trees, paths, lighting or seating will be provided or retained
Appearance:
What the building and spaces will look like, for example building materials and architectural details
Access and inclusivity:
How everyone could get to and move through the place and why the points of access and routes have been chosen
The design details, based on first 5 above.
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What should they contain?
What ever you as a Borough say they should!
The GLA’s requirments as explained in their Sustainable Design and Construction SPD.
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Reading Tips
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How do you know if a design and access statement is any good?
The most important question to ask is:
‘Is the design any good?’
PPS1 says to be good the scheme should are well-mixed – – – – – have well-planned public space that brings people together function well and add to the overall character and quality of the area are safe and secure support the effective use of resources, and make sure that everyone can access and benefit from the full range of opportunities available to members of society.
These are the things to look for when reading a statement and assessing a planning application.
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Is this real?
Will the place really look like this?
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What do you think?
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The Process
Look to see if they have done these:
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They should have thought about these: •the area’s landscape, buildings, routes and open spaces •who uses the area and how •social mixes and local aims •how the local economy operates •what policies say should happen in the area
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For Example:
This statement identifies:
Current constraints Current opportunities How the development will respond to these
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Use
Cabe and the Planning System Ask yourself:
• Will the uses planned offer the things people need and want? • Will they be able to adapt and change over time? • And will everyone be able to get to them and use them easily?
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Wrapping the box, creating active frontages What would you see as you shopped here?
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For Example:
The site’s location affords it good links with the town centre
This statement:
Uses pictures
and
words Shows existing land uses and facilities Explains how the development will make the most of them Nearby, local shops and schools
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Amount
Cabe and the Planning System Ask yourself:
• Will the number and size of buildings work well on the site?
• Have you got the right info to tell if the amount is appropriate?
• Are the ancillary facilities available? Or will they be?
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Talking about portrait images The Density Myth
Net site density v gross neighbourhood density Dwellings/hectare, HR/hectare, floorspace figures or plot ratios?
Car parking and density
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The Density Myth Thorley Lane, Bishops Stortford 31 dwellings/hectare Jesmond, Newcastle 43 dwellings/hectare Cabe and the Planning System
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The Density Myth Deansgate Quay, Manchester 102 dwellings/hectare Canning Street, Liverpool Originally 41dwellings/ hectare (currently 119 dwellings/hectare) Cabe and the Planning System
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For Example:
This statement contains:
Floorspace Parking space Different potential uses
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Layout
Cabe and the Planning System Ask yourself:
• Will the place be easy to understand, maintain and adapt?
• Are the right uses in the right places?
• Are spaces fit for their purpose?
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This diagram is not from a statement, but it shows how layout can affect walking routes to school Although same actual distance (red arrows), the two walks differ enormously
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For Example: Cabe and the Planning System This plan shows the basic layout tat the master plan stage
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Scale
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• How will the scale work with the surroundings? and the skyline?
• Will the scale of building parts work?
• Do the plans and visuals give you a true idea about scale?
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For example:
This statement:
Explains why roof shape is appropriate Isn’t expensive and hi tech: reflects the scale of the development
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Access and Inclusion
Ask yourself:
• Could we all use it?
• Would it fit with and if possible improve the local movement network?
• Does it balance the needs of different transport modes?
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Coherent?
easy to use? Safe?
Uncluttered?
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For Example:
This statement shows clear lines (in yellow) of wheelchair accessible routes
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Cabe and the Planning System Ask yourself:
• Has this been considered from the outset?
• Does it support the use of the spaces and the image of the area?
• Does it meet ecological or biodiversity aims?
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For Example:
This statement proposes planting that:
Provides seasonal interest Encourages pedestrian activity Is robust enough for roadside location
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Appearance
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• Will it support local distinctiveness • Will it make people smile and feel good?
• Are you sure you know what it will look like?
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Style does not equal quality Cabe and the Planning System
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Quality transcends style Cabe and the Planning System
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For Example:
This statement shows examples of local vernacular that will inform the design of the development
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Statements and policy
Design & access statements require applicants to explain their scheme in relation to policy So the policies need to be good – Set out what they’re looking for in terms of outcomes LPAs encouraged to produce own guidance on design & access statements – set out what they’re looking for in terms of information GLA has its own requirements too
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A crib sheet
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Golden Rules: Writing
Keep it short and to the point Write it for the application Start the statement when you start the scheme Explain how the design came about and what you are trying to achieve
Talk to those who could help as soon as you can Use statements as a negotiation tool Allow it to change if the scheme changes Use illustrations based on the application drawings
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Think about what you are doing!
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A made up example
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Made up statement For New Shop front at No 12 High Street, New Town
Planning Process We visited the site and walked for 5 mins to east, west and south.
We found: This shop sits towards the eastern end of the main shopping centre. The shop itself is single story and was built in 1930 but the current shopfront dates to 1965. The surrounding buildings are predominantly 2 storeys and have flats or offices above shops, restaurants and banks. Other buildings in the area are of various ages and there is no clear style in the area. But all together the shopping centre is lively and attractive. It is well used.
The pavement outside the shop is narrow – only around 2m wide. At times this means people get in each others way and there are pedestrian barriers to stop people moving out onto the road outside the shop.
The design of the shopfront as submitted with the planning application is based on our understanding of the character and problems of the site.
So although we would like to include a large overhanging canopy we have not as the pavement is too narrow. We have also suggested a relatively large fascia sign as the unit is only single storey and the ones around it are 2 storey. So we think a taller sign will help the shop fit in with its surroundings.
We have read the councils design guide on shopfronts and have included a stall riser, pilasters and set in door as that guidance suggests.
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Use
Not applicable – this is a shop with A1 use established. We are proposing no change.
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Amount
Not applicable. This is a single unit and we are not proposing to change that.
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Layout
There is not much choice in the layout of a shop front. But we have decided to move the door from the eastern to western end of the unit. This is because of the narrow pavement, which is at its narrowest at the eastern end. We think this will make it easier for people to get in and out of our shop, particularly if they have buggies or are in wheelchairs and the street is busy.
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Scale
The scale of the unit itself is set. But we want a tall fascia to make the building look bigger. We think this will make the parade look better with less of a ‘gap’ at this single storey unit. The scale of the stall riser and pilasters and glazing bars is based on the manufacturers design. But we have asked them to make the stall riser bigger – so it is now 40cm tall in line with the Local Authorities Shop front guidance which sets this as a minimum.
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Access and Inclusively
We have moved the door as explained above to make access easier. The door itself is 1m wide – enough for a double buggy or a wheelchair. There will be flat access at the door, better than the present shop front which has a step up to a narrow door. The applicant wants to make sure the internal fit out of the shop will also let everyone use it easily.
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Landscaping
This is not relevant – there is no space for landscaping. But as the applicant is a florist and the window will be bigger than at present more plants will be visible.
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Appearance
As there is no particular style or consistent age of shop fronts in the area we are proposing a modern design which highlights the florist’s own creative style.
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Why bother?
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A town centre story urban
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A suburban town centre
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A new arts centre
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An icon
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A new bus station
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New shops
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New flats
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Plea for inquiry into bus station death
Barnet Times
‘An elderly woman who dedicated her later years to charity has died after being hit by a double-decker bus at North Finchley Bus Station less than a year after pedestrian safety concerns delayed its opening.
Although in the early stages of the investigation, police conformed that she was not standing at a bus stop, but appeared to be crossing the station's exit.
The station was supposed to open last autumn to coincide with the launch of the new arts centre above it, but the opening was pushed back almost a year due to concerns over the safety of pedestrianised areas within the station predominantly the exit in Ballards Lane and the entrance in Kingsway.’
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