Building for Life Assessor Network YH assessor network, May 24 2010

Stefan Kruczkowski, CABE Enabler

East Midlands AMR 2009 comments

North West Leicestershire DC In order to avoid poor quality schemes, it is

essential that applicants embrace the principles of urban design and commit to design-led processes…. The Council is particularly concerned at the availability, and use of appropriately trained design professionals…better performing schemes could have been easily ‘lifted’ if BfL was available [at the time of application]…

Changing climate

PPS1PPS3World Class PlacesLDFsAdoption of BFL CABE Housing Audits New adminstration

293 schemes completed

between 2001-2006

The national picture

“This performance presents a serious challenge to developers…local authorities…and to the Government”

2007 Green Paper

“…eliminate poor development…good and very good development is no longer the exception but

the norm”

New homes, and lots of them (12,200 to be exact)

Creating places or building estates?

Establishing our baseline – was it really all that bad?

Yes it was

Splitting hairs? 100% below standardH6: 2008 NWLDC

1

2

Average

Poor

But there were some interesting results

Why was this happening?

Chasing design

Corporate consistency?

Even though we could get it right

We still did (or allowed) this

Skills issuesBfL awareness throughout house buildersNot so strong reputation for design

We know where we need to be, but how do we get there?

- Understand why things are not working- Processes, policies, skills, ‘buy in’ - Is design being championed?- Make the case for design (Corporately)

Evidence base = robust case for change

Business case = synergy with Corporate goals

Action plan =step change in working practices (internally and externally)

Alignment in people and policies

December 2008

Cabinet approve an extensive urban design initiative funded by HPDG.

Key decisions:

- Note evidence base and action plan- Strategically appoint Design Ambassadors - Introduce a ‘scores on the doors’ scheme- Share CABE’s ambitions for design quality- Appreciate lead times for change

- BFL as our DQI – clarity and certainty

- ‘Soft testing’ – getting people used to it

- Basis for pre-application discussions

- Basis for (design) recommendations

- Justification for conditions

- Planning Committee now expect BfL recommendations on all residential led schemes

Brand differentiation opportunity?

Looking at it from a market perspective

How were consumers making purchasing decisions?

How was the product being marketed?

What did consumers want?

We created ‘ourplace™’

“…an innovative new service that seeks to improve the design quality of new homes and neighbourhoods by providing home buyers with an easy to understand rating system…”

“…Our philosophy is simple. We believe that if home buyers are offered an easy way to identify good design, design standards will be driven up by more discerning purchasers.”

Clements Gate 14 Approved

Market Place 15.5 Approved

Whitehill Road 14 Approved

Battleflat 15 Approved

Homestead Road 11 Approved w/cond

Swepstone Road 17.5 Approved

Huntlands 14 Approved

Ashby de la Zouch 9 Pending

Towles Pastures 7 Withdrawn (design)

Measham Nursery 10 Withdrawn (design + other)

- Stronger schemes are getting more support

- Members are robustly championing BFL – approving schemes that meet the standard, deferring and confident to refuse schemes that don’t (‘lifts’ versus ‘losers’)

- House builders recognising both the risk and the opportunity associated with ‘ourplace’ (wider coverage)

What are we seeing now?

Applicants thinking about a sense of place

Taking a serial vision perspective?

Looking beyond the red line

Recognising false economy of commissioning skills and/or consultants

pride

The ‘product’

Design processes

Design skills

Defining good design in NWL

Core design principles

Six Stage Design Process

Building for Life

pride

The Six Stage Design Process

- Adapted from Government Circular on Design and Access Statements

- More explicit than CABE’s Design and Access Statement guidance

- Based on good practice

- Provides a point of reference for applicants

- Places an emphasis on skills, concept options and design testing/refinement

pride

Building for Life Assessments

Form part of Design and Access Statements.

Sketch Up or equivalent

Using graphical tools to develop, test, refine and communicate proposals.

‘Melbourne Development Fly Through’

Successes to date:

- All recent schemes approved by our Planning Committee have met at least 14 criteria (or are expected to upon discharge of conditions).

- Planning Committee have deferred schemes that fail to meet at least 14 criteria.

Successes to date:

- Increasingly applicants are preparing Building for Life assessments.

- There is evidence that our expectations is starting to lead to the engagement of more qualified design teams working on NWL applications.

Is ‘it’ fixed?

Securing high quality design

- Requires consistency- Requires resources

You get what you put in/pay for

…. But when you hear a house builder telling a purchaser, “We’re building a place, not an estate”…

…. and their Sales Office sign says ‘Builders and Placemakers’….

…it’s hard not to think a ‘suburban renaissance’ may be afoot.