The good, bad, excellent and outstandingDesigning for excellence

Rosemary Coyne – Sustainable Built Environments Advisor

21 June 2011

Greg Clarke – 14 June 2011A NEW PRESUMPTION IN FAVOUR OF

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT – seeking out opportunities for growth

1. The purpose of planning - help make .. tomorrow better than it is today

2. Planning is about growth – but not just in the built environment – I believe our natural environment can be better cared for

3. Our design can be much better than it is4. Everything you do .. Is to champion sustainable

development5. The challenge for the planning professions - to be

agents of creativity – emphasising inspiration, community leadership, finding solutions

6. More benefits of development should be kept by communities

Placemaking: Regions, Towns and Cities

Rosemary Coyne

Sustainable Design and Construction /

Built Environment

Policy Manager

• A collaborative project to develop a sustainable development plan for a huge regeneration initiative in Birmingham

• £0.5million over 3 years (ERDF & AWM)

Sustainable Eastside

Eastside Sustainability Advisory Group

•credit for many images

•Richard Green – former Director of Eastside

•Alan Bishop – now HCA

Transformation….. in the west

ACTIONS FOR PLACEMAKING

Its all about adding value

- Financial

- Common good

- Enduring

1. Appoint a (real) sustainability champion – who has real

authority

2. Define a robust decision making process

2. Define a robust decision making process

starting with a sustainability framework and retesting at all levels of detail

3. Communicate the (SD) Vision

Set standards

What does good look like?

Delivering the vision?

4. Look at the wider context - beyond the red line boundary – synergies, dependencies, secondary and cumulative impacts and opportunities – we need to be making decisions considering area wide/subregional resource management issues

Never forget to look beyond the red line boundary

5. Produce the resource/infrastructure community strategies first

London 1666

6. Think about long term value

1. Adaptation to climate change –

climate proofing

2. Flexibility in use – 3. Plan for retrofit

ease/cost of change

7. Get the masterplan rightincluding connections beyond the site

8. Use existing tools to set a baseline – aim to add value -

LDF, Building Regs, BREEAM, West Midlands Sustainability Checklist, Manual for Street, Sustainablecities.org, Urban design compendium

West Midlands Sustainability Checklist

What the Checklist does

• a ‘place shaping tool’ tailored to local needs and local ‘sense of place’

• single framework - all sustainability aspects systematically addressed

• one stop shop - key policy tools and advisory sources

• Aligned with BREEAM Communities

The Checklist - 8 categories:

1. Climate change and energy2. Community3. Placemaking4. Transport and Movement5. Ecology6. Resources7. Business8. Buildings

– EACH CATEGORY HAS A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS

– FILTERS BRING UP DIFFERENT QUESTION SETS FOR DIFFERENT SCALES OF DEVELOPMENT

Using the Checklist

Each question has a choice of three benchmarks.

– Minimum,

– Good Practice,

– Best Practice

(not applicable)

Using the Checklist

The developer provides a written justification (evidence) for the benchmark they have selected – an audit trail.

Using the Checklist

Questions within each category are weighted individually - shown graphically

Using the Checklist

An overall percentage score is awarded for each of the eight categories.

Using the Checklist

User can monitor progress and benchmarks awarded

Checklist Website

• Online tool: www.checklistwestmidlands.co.uk• individual, secure accounts + multiple

developments.• intuitive and user friendly holding all the

information required to complete a checklist.• FAQs• Summary Report or Detailed Report - submitted

to the LPA via email or printed hard copy

Selected Checklist questions

1. CLIMATE CHANGE - qu. 4 of 13

2. COMMUNITY - qu. 3 of 3

3. PLACEMAKING - qu 19 of 20

4. ECOLOGY - qu 4 of 4

5. RESOURCES - qu.1 of 10

1. CLIMATE CHANGE - qu. 1.4 of 13 Urban areas can be 6-8°F hotter than surrounding areas = “urban heat islands (UHI).” This is due to building materials (particularly darker materials such as tarmac, and heavier materials such as concrete) absorbing and radiating heat.

Objective - To reduce the heat island effect inherent to urban areas through passive design measures.

Question -Will the development aim to reduce UHI through:• Provision of appropriate shaded green space and tree cover • Green roofs and vegetated walls • Design to enable air-flow throughout the development • Passive Solar design • Open water and fountains in public spaces • Shaded public spaces and footpaths

Targets and JustificationBest - Yet to be established Good - A design strategy which addresses at least the above points Minimum - See relevant local planning authority standard for minimum required

2. Community - qu. 2.3 of 3

Objective - To ensure that community facilities are maintained and community has sense of ownership.

Question - Will the development have provision for community management of facilities, open space, SUDS, grey water schemes etc.

Targets and Justification• Best - Yes as good practice plus support sources identified to

help in initial stages (local authority, community group, community trust, charity etc.)

• Good - Yes actively marketed to potential occupiers / owners • Minimum - See relevant local planning authority standard

3. PLACEMAKING - qu 3.19 of 20Objective - To ensure that street lighting is as energy

efficient as possible and to minimise light spillage.

Question - This section of the checklist equates with the Building for Life Standard but not on a question by question basis.

• How much of the street lighting will be energy efficient with limited upward light transmission?

Targets and JustificationBest - As good practice plus renewable energy generation Good - 100% low powered street lighting with limited upward

light transmission Minimum - See relevant local planning authority standard

4. ECOLOGY - qu 4 of 4

Objective - To ensure trees and shrubs specified contribute to the ecological site value

Question• Will a mixture of locally occurring native trees and shrubs been

specified?• 60-90% native species listed in the LBAP in compliance with PPS9 • >90% native and as specified in LBAP or HAP and using locally

sourced stock

• Targets and Justification• Best - B • Good - A • Minimum - See relevant local planning authority standard

Eastside Biodiversity Strategy

11 Sites selected for further detailed Phase 2 survey refelecting

1. Ashted Circus2. Jennens Road / Lawley Middleway

Post-industrial site3. Millennium Point4. Curzon St. canal entrance5. Montague Street Post-industrial

site.6. Digbeth Branch canal7. River Rea / Grand Union

Intersection of cana8. Disused Duddeston9. New Bond Street Post-industrial

site10. Shaw’s Passage.11. Park Street Gardens

Eastside Biodiversity Strategy

• Eastside’s Signature Species:

• Black Redstart(Legally protected under Schedule 1 Wildlife & Countryside Act, and Amber listed of Conservation Concern)

BREEAM COMMUNITIESECO3 NATIVE FLORA

To ensure that the trees and shrubs specified contribute to the ecological value of the site

• Minimum – 30 – 60% native• Good – 60 – 90% native• Best - > 90% of trees and

shrubs specified are native

• Evidence required =• Minimum – report from

suitably qualified ecologist• + management plan specifying

appropriate maintenance• Good – as above +

incorporates BAP species• Best – report from suitably

qualified ecologist + evidence of research of species robust with regard to microclimate and predicted climate change impacts

RESOURCES - qu.1 of 10

Objective - heritage or archaeologically important features are conserved or preserved if present.

Question - What will happen to heritage/ archaeologically important features and their settings which could be affected by the development.

• Targets and Justification• Best - Both protected and enhanced either physically or through

public access/interpretation • Good - Important features are protected • Minimum - See relevant local planning authority standard for

minimum

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ASHTED LOCKS ARCHAEOLOGYThe historic environment (heritage assets: archaeological remains, historic

buildings and historic landscapes) is part of sustainability because it's a finite non-renewable resource- this is emphasised in PPS5 Planning for the Historic Environment and also mentioned in PPS1

The main features on this site are: 1. Well- preserved remains of Ashted Pumping Station (built 1812, housed Boulton and Watt steam engine)- to be retained in new development by design that protects it and leaves part of it visible 2. Canalside walls- the more recent structures fronting Lawley Street Middleway have been demolished but the historic walls alongside the canal have been retained and will form part of the new development 3. Below-ground archaeological remains of Belmont Glassworks-  archaeological excavation in advance of development 4. Small air-raid shelter next to canal- to be retained in new development 5. Decontamination unit on Belmont Row- importance not recognised until fairly late on in the process, too late to prevent its demolition- but a detailed record was made before demolition  

References

• www.checklistwestmidlands.co.uk• http://www.breeam.org/page.jsp?id=117• www.sustainable-eastside.net/activities• http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite

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