NQC

Design Quality Charter

WHITEHILL & BORDON

GROWING A GREENER FUTURE

Design Quality Charter We will encourage a range of good quality, well-designed, low carbon homes built to the highest standards in well-planned neighbourhoods where people want to live.

If this aspiration is to be achieved, there must be a clear understanding by all about what well-planned, biodiversity rich neighbourhoods and well-designed homes could be like.

The Charter principles are clear statements of belief about what will create a legacy of great neighbourhoods in the Eco-town. Principles articulate qualities, characteristics and processes that new development in the town should consider.

2

Watercolour, Redhill

3

1. Introduction In April 2011, the Housing Specialist

create a well-designed neighbourhood.

Group agreed to prepare a Design Quality

It is the national quality standard for homes

Charter for Whitehill & Bordon. This

and neighbourhoods and has been tried

document is owned by the group, with

and tested on newly built schemes and

input from the wider community through the

planning applications across the country.

Standing Conference and other Specialist

The 20 questions forming the Building for Life

Groups. Its main purpose is to represent a

criteria are used to evaluate the quality of

shared agreement about what constitutes

housing developments. The 20 questions are

good design in relation to homes and

structured under four chapters: Environment

neighbourhoods, to influence development

and Community; Character; Streets

briefs and wider design guidance and

Parking and Pedestrianisation; Design and

to guide planning application decisions.

Construction. Whilst Building for Life is an

The Charter is referred to in the Whitehill

umbrella for other standards such as Lifetime

& Bordon chapter of the emerging

Homes and Secured by Design, the Housing

Joint Core Strategy and the Whitehill &

Specialist Group have also discussed the

Bordon Eco-town masterplan, (revised

need to cover issues of integrating habitats

May 2012). This document has been

for wildlife within developments. The

approved by the district council cabinet

Building for Life criteria can be found in the

and is a material consideration in planning

appendix of this report. More information on

application decisions. This has been a

Building for Life can also be found at www.

creative exercise where local knowledge

buildingforlife.org. The Charter principles

of existing neighbourhoods and issues of

draw on other relevant guidance such as

common concern and agreement between

Biodiversity by Design, Manual for Streets

participants, have informed the four

and the Urban Design Compendium.

principles in this Charter.

Building for Life has been a useful tool to help the group identify the elements that

4

Process for agreeing the Charter The Charter principles are supported by the evidence gathered from seven neighbourhood reviews and draw from visits to other recent developments. This information can be found in the appendix to this document. Members of the Housing Specialist Group agreed 12 priority principles in a workshop on 31st October 2011. These were discussed in a further workshop at the Standing Conference and presented to the Delivery Board in December 2011. In January and February 2012, the principles around natural open spaces and parking were reviewed respectively with the Sustainable Environments Specialist Group and the Infrastructure and Transport Specialist Group. In early March, members of all specialist groups were invited to attend a workshop that focused on developing design principles for Quebec Barracks, which validated the draft Charter principles.

The success of the Charter is now dependent on its use by signatories – as a means to start to guide decisions affecting the quality

Site model, Watercolour, Redhill, Surrey

of new neighbourhoods and buildings.

Neighbourhood Quality Charter • Whitehill Bordon Eco-town

5

2. Principles The following principles represent priorities that should be considered for all new development. It is not the aim to cover every topic but focus on physical aspects and processes that will shape future development that participants in the Specialist

Principle 1 We believe that new homes and neighbourhoods must respect the natural environment and provide opportunities for people to live more sustainably by: • considering the role of existing mature trees in the design of neighbourhoods, to create beneficial micro-climates (in particular exploiting solar shading and cooling) without losing opportunities for using solar energy to provide electricity and hot water to homes • designing homes and open spaces to accommodate a range of habitats for protected species • using native plant species in the design of public open spaces • considering measures to limit light pollution particularly on sites near sensitive and ecological areas • where there is a need, provide communal outdoor spaces for growing food.

6

Principle 2 We believe that new neighbourhoods should have their own sense of place that together help to create a clear and coherent identity for the town reflecting existing landscape character, local history and new sustainable design. In order to achieve this development should consider: • the role that existing topography, archaeology, water features, mature trees and hedgerows contribute to the character of new neighbourhoods • the role of built form in creating a sense of place in different neighbourhoods • a mix of street scenes and parking solutions to create variety and contribute to neighbourhood character

Groups considered a fundamental necessity. There are four principles, each supported by evidence gathered by residents and by national and local policy and guidance.

Principle 3 We believe that neighbourhoods should be designed to allow ease of movement for pedestrians, cyclists and cars and should consider providing: • connecting streets to promote easy movement for pedestrians and cyclists • a mix of parking solutions that reflects good practice and promotes safety and security for people and cars.

National policy in support of Principle 4 This approach is supported by the National Planning Policy Framework (p15, Mar 2012) which states that “Local planning authorities should have local design review arrangements in place to provide assessment and support to ensure high standards of design. […] In general, early engagement on design produces the greatest benefits. In assessing applications, local planning authorities should have regard to the recommendations from the design review panel.”

Principle 4 We believe the design of open spaces is as important as the design of homes and that homes and open spaces should be designed to last, should be well maintained and meet future needs. We would like to see a variety of house designs in different neighbourhoods that consider the surrounding area and prioritise fabric energy efficiency and energy saving.

To help achieve this, the Whitehill & Bordon Eco-town team will refresh the design and sustainability review panel, ensuring a mix of local and national expertise in key areas of environmental design, ecology, urban design, transport and architecture.

The panel will not only review schemes at an early stage in the planning process, but may also contribute to the development of more detailed design guidance and development briefs, through workshops with developers, landowners and the local community.

Neighbourhood Quality Charter • Whitehill Bordon Eco-town

7

Principle one We believe that new homes and neighbourhoods must respect the natural environment and provide opportunities for people to live more sustainably by: • considering the role of existing mature trees in the design of neighbourhoods, to create beneficial micro-climates (in particular exploiting solar shading and cooling) without losing opportunities for using solar energy to provide electricity and hot water to homes • designing homes and open spaces to accommodate a range of habitats for protected species • using native plant species in the design of public open spaces • considering measures to limit light pollution particularly on sites near sensitive and ecological areas • where there is a need, provide communal outdoor spaces for growing food.

Allotments, Whitehill & Bordon

8

Evidence

• Mature trees and wooded areas are prominent in many neighbourhoods, creating permeable ground cover and the potential for cooling and shading. For example:

• Existing street lighting does not take account of sensitive ecological areas. For example:

Heather Close: public open space in a

Monument Chase: The Deadwater Valley Nature

residential neighbourhood. Trees create

Reserve bordering this neighbourhood is home to

the potential for a communal shaded

rarely seen birds and butterflies. Whilst the study

play area as well as potentially reducing

of impacts of light pollution on plant and animal

the impacts of thermal emissions from

species is still in its early days, there is a growing

surrounding homes.

body of evidence supporting the need for limiting lighting levels to habitats for migratory and native species.

• Some of the neighbourhoods reviewed have open space that is under-used and does not support biodiversity or productivity. For example:

Robinson Way: too

Case study – Clapton

few homes overlook

Park Estate, London: John

this space creating

Little from the Green

ambiguity about its

Roof Company showed

role, preventing it from

the Housing Specialist

contributing positively

Group work he has

to the neighbourhood

done with residents to

as a green or

turn wasted open space

communal garden.

into productive and biodiversity rich areas that

Policy and guidance supporting principle 1 • • • •

Whitehill & Bordon masterplan (2012) Green infrastructure strategy (2011) One planet living strategy (2011) Light pollution and the impacts on biodiversity, species and their habitats: P. Deda, i. Elbertzhagen, m. Klussmann; Secretariat of the convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (2006) • RSPB guidance on provision of nest sites for housemartins www.rspb.org.uk/hfw Homes for Wildlife” leaflet dossier; Bat Conservation Trust www.bats.org.uk • Swift Conservation website - www.swift-conservation.org - and publications • Biodiversity By Design (TCPA 2005)

residents maintain and now reap the rewards.

10

Neighbourhood Quality Charter • Whitehill Bordon Eco-town

11

Principle two We believe that new neighbourhoods should have their own sense of place that together help to create a clear and coherent identity for the town reflecting existing landscape character, local history and new sustainable design.

In order to achieve this development should consider: • the role that existing topography, archaeology, water features, mature trees and hedgerows contribute to the character of new neighbourhoods • the role of built form in creating a sense of place in different neighbourhoods • a mix of street scenes and parking solutions to create variety and contribute to neighbourhood character

Graylingwell Park, Chichester

12

Neighbourhood Quality Charter • Whitehill Bordon Eco-town

13

Evidence • Mature trees are an important characteristic of many existing neighbourhoods, however, the layout of developments sometimes ignores existing topography and natural features. For example:

• On the visit to Graylingwell Park near Chichester, the restoration and re-use of historic buildings demonstrated how existing buildings can bring character and a sense of place to new development.

Atholl Road: the Deadwater Valley Nature

The Clockhouse, Graylingwell Park, Chichester:

Reserve is a distinctive landscape feature that

this former hospital administration building

could help to characterise this neighbourhood,

has been renovated to accommodate five

instead it has been ignored both as a focal

apartments.

point and as a means of creating a place that is easy to understand.

In Whitehill & Bordon, there are opportunities for the best of the existing Edwardian military buildings to contribute to the character and identity of new development.

Meadow View: a missed opportunity for these homes to benefit from the view towards a small green and the Nature Reserve as houses

• The visit to Watercolour, Redhill, demonstrated how landscape features and varied built form can help create a neighbourhood with a distinctive character.

turn their backs on the street and an odd relationship is created between rear fences

Watercolour, Redhill: a culverted brook was

and the street.

re-opened to create an important landscape feature in the centre of this residential development. The scale and colours of the

• In many of the neighbourhoods reviewed, there were too many “anywhere” developments where built form was felt to be repetitive, lacking in variety and character. For example: Royal Drive: standard house types are laid out ignoring the relationship of houses to each other and failing to create a coherent neighbourhood.

buildings further contribute to make this an attractive and coherent neighbourhood.

Policy and guidance supporting principle 2 • Whitehill & Bordon masterplan (2012) • Urban Design Compendium, HCA: http://tinyurl.com/c9gpz9e

14

Neighbourhood Quality Charter • Whitehill Bordon Eco-town

15

Principle three We believe that neighbourhoods should be designed to allow ease of movement for pedestrians, cyclists and cars and should consider providing: • connecting streets to promote easy movement for pedestrians and cyclists • a mix of parking solutions that reflects good practice and promotes safety and security for people and cars.

16

Neighbourhood Quality Charter • Whitehill Bordon Eco-town

17

Evidence • In some of the reviewed neighbourhoods, parking areas at the end of streets or alleyways

Graylingwell Park, Chichester: a single parking solution for this neighbourhood has created a car dominated street that is far removed from the approach encouraged by Manual for Streets.

demonstrated the problems that a lack of connectivity can create for surveillance and security.

Off Coniston Road: two rows of garages with no natural surveillance from adjoining houses. It’s location is inconvenient for residents creating further problems of neglect and increasing the likelihood of informal parking outside properties.

• Some neighbourhoods in Whitehill & Bordon demonstrate how different parking solutions can be successful, whilst in others, informal parking can prevent pedestrian access and make cycling dangerous.

Beaufort Road: on-street parking on this wide street allows pedestrians freedom of movement without detrimentally affecting the character of this terraced street.

• The visit to Graylingwell Park showed that successful street layouts are as important as the environmental sustainability of individual homes.

Sutherland Close: parking spaces that aren’t conveniently located in site of owners homes sometimes result in people parking anywhere – even if it means blocking pedestrian movement. This can be dangerous and create an unattractive, car dominated environment.

Saville Crescent: this long alleyway leading to a poorly maintained garage parking court demonstrates the problems of locating parking at a distance from front doors. As a result, some residents have turned their front gardens into parking areas.

Policy and guidance supporting principle 3 • • • • • •

18

Companion Guide to Manual for Streets (Hampshire County Council 2010) Eco-town Parking strategy (forthcoming) Eco-town Walking and cycling strategy (forthcoming) Manual for Streets (DfT 2007) Car Parking: What Works Where (HCA 2006) Urban Design Compendium, HCA: http://tinyurl.com/c9gpz9e Neighbourhood Quality Charter • Whitehill Bordon Eco-town

19

Principle four We believe the design of open spaces is as important as the design of homes and that homes and open spaces should be designed to last, should be well maintained and meet future needs. We would like to see a variety of house designs in different neighbourhoods that consider the surrounding area and prioritise fabric energy efficiency and energy saving.

To help achieve this, the Whitehill & Bordon Eco-town team will refresh the design and sustainability review panel, ensuring a mix of local and national expertise in key areas of environmental design, ecology, urban design, transport and architecture.

The panel will not only review schemes at an early stage in the planning process, but may also contribute to the development of more detailed design guidance and development briefs, through workshops with developers, landowners and the local community.

Graylingwell Park, Chichester

20

Neighbourhood Quality Charter • Whitehill Bordon Eco-town

21

WHITEHILL & BORDON

www.whitehillbordon.com