Design & Access Statements: urban design london. Cabe and the Planning System2 Welcome Design and...

Design & Access Statements:

urban design london

Cabe and the Planning System 2

Welcome

Design and Planning

What are statements

Reading tips

Writing tips

A made up statement

urban design london


Design and planning

urban design london


‘If we deliver poor design, we know that we will not deliver sustainable development’

Lord Rooker, Planning Minister, House of Lords, Jan 04

‘All involved in planning must work to achieve sustainable development’

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004

urban design london


What the PPSs and PPGs say

Design Matters

Design cuts across planning policy areas

Design is about how places work

Impossible to separate planning and design

urban design london


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’

urban design london


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

Key policy tests: PPS1

urban design london


Ask “is the design good enough to approve?” rather than “is it bad enough to refuse?”

urban design london


The Good, the Bad, the OK?

PPG1 said refuse bad design

Our 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?

urban design london


Design at a Glance

Gives up to date information on national design policy

urban design london


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

urban design london


Principles of Good Design

Ease of movement: easy for everyone to get to and move through

Legibility: has a clear image and be easy to understand

Adaptability: able to change easily

Diversity: values difference

Inclusivity: for everyone, without special treatment

urban design london


Wrapping the box, creating active frontages

What would you see as you shopped?

Carlisle urban design london


Style does not equal quality

urban design london


Quality transcends style

urban design london


Negative associations with

density: Physical elements such

as parking stress, overrun of

facilities and lack of green space.

The design process

urban design london


Design & AccessStatement

Scale

Design

Code

Regional Spatial

Strategy

Masterplan

Building Regs.

City/Town

Regional

Building

Neighbourhood

Site

ComponentSustainabi

lity appraisals

Sub-regional

Framework

Design Guide

Local Developmen

t Framework

Area Action Plan

Planning design tools


What are statements?

urban design london


Statements are tools to help prevent poorly designed places


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

urban design london


What should they contain?

1. The design process: How the designer has thought about the area and how new buildings and spaces have been informed by what already exists.

2. Use: What buildings and spaces will be used for

3. Amount: How much would be built on the site

These should deal with the main inputs to the design process.

urban design london


4. 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.

5. Scale: How big the buildings and spaces would be (their height, width and length)

To establish the 3D form of the development


urban design london


6. 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

7. Appearance: What the building and spaces will look like, for example building materials and architectural details

8. 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 1-5 above.


urban design london


Writing Tips

urban design london


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

urban design london


Statements

This statement:

Explains why roof shape is appropriate

Isn’t expensive and hi-tech: reflects the scale of the development

urban design london


Is this real?Will the place really look like this?


Use realistic and accurate visuals


The design process


What to Include:

A description of the design process

A summary of the main design concept

A justification of how the development will support its surroundings

Why you consider the scheme complies with national and local design policies

How the scheme will affect local services, jobs and social cohesion

urban design london


For Example:

This statement identifies:

Current constraints

Current opportunities

How the development will respond to these

urban design london


Use


What to Include:

A justification of the use in terms of land use policies

How the scheme will work with existing uses in the area

An explanation of how the uses will work together to make the place more useful for the community

If possible, have a good mix of uses in the same area

Show you have understood the access needs of different users

urban design london


For Example:

The site’s location affords it good links with the town centre

Nearby, local shops and schools

This statement:

Uses pictures and words

Shows existing land uses and facilities

Explains how the development will make the most of them

urban design london


Amount


What to Include:

Demonstrate that you have done an assessment of how much development is suitable for the site

Do not try to provide a retrospective justification - base the amount on an understanding of the site.

Include floor space figures and the amounts of different types of building

Indicate possible occupancy levels in homes and footfall for shops and leisure uses

With major developments, assess how those who come to use the site will impact local services etc.

urban design london


For Example:

This statement contains:

Floorspace

Parking space

Different potential uses

urban design london


Layout


What to Include: Explain why this layout has been chosen and how it helps the

buildings and spaces work together

Make it clear how the layout will aid inclusive access to and through the site

Explain why certain uses, buildings or spaces have been placed where they have

Explain any conflicting priorities for the layout design and how you have dealt with these.

Perhaps show alternative layouts and explain why they have not been taken forward

urban design london


For Example:

This plan shows the basic layout tat the master plan stage

urban design london


This diagram is not from a statement, but it shows how layout can affect walking routes to school

Although same actual distance (red arrows), two walks differ enormously

urban design london


Scale


What to Include: The relationship between existing buildings and those

proposed

How the scale of the development responds to this specific site and its surroundings

Show how the scale of building parts work together

Pictures should be realistic, three-dimensional, and place the viewer where people would really be.

urban design london


For Example:

These statements annotate sketches to help to explain the scale

urban design london


Access and Inclusion


What to Include: Explain how links to surrounding roads, footpaths and sight lines

will be ensured

Consider using diagrams showing how people can move to and

through the place

Indication how internal layouts have determined the location of

entrances and fire exits

Explain the visibility of entrances and access to the buildings

Show access to facilities and how you deal with surface levels

changes, for example with how you use dropped kerbs

urban design london


For Example:

This statement shows clear lines (in yellow) of wheelchair accessible routes

urban design london


Landscape design


What to Include:

Much more than plants: cover all treatments of outdoor spaces from street furniture to water features to road materials

Show how the design of external spaces will make them attractive, useful and environmentally and ecologically responsible

Explain how the landscape will work with all other design decisions

Show how you have taken into account long-term maintenance and management

Explain the purpose of landscape design on the site

urban design london


For Example:

This statement proposes planting that:

Provides seasonal interest

Encourages pedestrian activity

Is robust enough for roadside location

urban design london


Appearance


What to Include:

Explain how the appearance fits with other objectives for the development: for example how it blends in, or stands out.

Pictures of what the scheme would look like should be based on details included in the application

Explain how the applicant has considered the effects of time on the appearance of the scheme

urban design london


For Example:

This statement shows examples of local vernacular that will inform the design of the development

urban design london


A made up example

urban design london


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.

urban design london


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.

urban design london


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.

urban design london

Thank you for listening

urban design london

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