Nash Partnership High Density & Mixed Use Brochure

HIGH DENSITY & MIXED USE

Creating positive change for people, places and buildings

We are leading and award-winning consultants in Planning, Architecture, Heritage and Placemaking. We blend our skills and put context, collaboration and creativity at the heart of all we do. Nash Partnership was first established in 1988.

Nash Partnership

Buildings are big investments for whoever commissions them – for institutions, businesses, commerce, industry, for health, for leisure and for living.

It is important that buildings work and serve their owners and users well. An architect’s role is to engage with clients to explore and articulate their needs, leading them through the complications of bringing something new or much remodelled into existence. Architects draw in, brief, manage and coordinate the inputs of a diverse range of specialist consultants. We look to test options, balance aspirations with budget and value for money, ensuring that, in use, each building will perform and mature well.

But buildings do not happen in isolation. A large part of what architects do is show that new buildings and major changes to existing structures would not be detrimental to the values our society seeks to protect through the statutory planning process.

We have never really been sector specific in the work we undertake. However, since the practice’s inception in 1988 we have been passionate about how people live, and carry

decades of experience of all scales of residential work and residential-led mixed-use schemes. It is no surprise that residential work, which includes student and senior living; formed a great deal of the early growth of our work.

As our residential projects grew into residential-led mixed-use larger projects, we have grown other sectors. From ‘live’ came ‘work’, with our high density mixed-use projects incorporating office and co-working spaces. Our developed interest include how people experience the transition in their daily routines from where they live to where they work and what that should bring for them.

Then, through these mixed-use schemes again, and through our Bristol office and HQ based in Bath – two cities that heavily depend on tourism – our projects have explored how people ‘play’. So, our interests in the leisure and tourism sector has grown naturally and at speed. Our work includes Hotel’s, spa’s, visitor attraction’s and museum work, all of which draws upon our specialism of being able to deal with sensitive sites where these buildings are often located.

So at Nash Partnership, we focus on how you live, work and play within all of our high density and mixed-use projects. That’s not to say we don’t have experience of other building typologies, as well as including science, health and education. But we are proud of the way our skills have grown over three decades of project work and where we add value, joy, and substance to our designs to date.

Within this, we have developed specialist teams that champion knowledge across the RIBA plan of work, so we are able to successfully deliver not just the design but a conscious one which can be built efficiently and to the important standards set. We don’t just design to regulations but also to Sustainable Development Goals that we must all play a part in taking seriously. This is across the public, private, and charitable client groups.

Of course, we cross over with our experienced urban design team, our planning consultancy, and our conservation team as necessary to really get under the surface of your projects.

Practice Overview

Nash Partnership is a built environment, regeneration, planning and design consultancy. We are proud of the wide range of skills our practice has built. Working together with our clients we combine our Architectural, Heritage, Planning and Placemaking skills across various scales of work to help creatively and

responsibly shape the built and urban environment.

It’s really important to care about what you do. At Nash, we strive to ensure we push on each time we undertake a project. We are agile, and light on our feet in engaging, learning, responding, and sharing in our areas of expertise.

Communication and motivation

We like to talk. We like to work in teams. We embrace, manage, direct and inspire the many people and formats of communication a project needs to get the most out of it. We don’t sit behind an email address; we are involved and motivated.

We bring together a blend of professional skills and experience in how the built environment and urban neighbourhoods work, and how they can be changed for the better.

We believe making it work well takes understanding and

collaboration across the various built environment disciplines.

By sharing diverse skills within our team, we are well equipped to listen and learn from so many others about what an area is like to live in, what to value, and about

health, education, inequality and opportunity too.

We are a team of creative individuals who enjoy what they do. Our approach is friendly and personable and our blended skill set allows us to bring a broader perspective to the conversation.

Business Resource & Project Team

Internal collaborative working - ensuring our client needs are met

Our structure entails staff being placed within the four working teams at Nash Partnership - Architectural, Heritage, Planning and Placemaking. However, our culture is to continually develop our staff skill set within all of the fours teams, thus giving us the unique ability for staff to easily ‘slide’ between teams. In such a busy

world and marketplace, this allows us to resource projects effectively, giving our clients the re-assurance that their projects have the resource they need plus the specific project skill set required at both planning and construction stage.

To ensure this is achieved we undertake the following key Project Team Management actions........

Project

ƒ Weekly team meetings

ƒ Team and practice resource schedules

ƒ Fortnightly business meetings with senior staff

Design Quality Project Leads .

Individuals responsible for quality audits at nash

All project stages - planning & construction

The quality of our designs, our drawings and our reports are all fundamentally important to us. To ensure our quality standards are met, we hold regular internal project

crits and audits including technical (regulations/standards plus software Revit protocols) as well as design sign off stages led by assigned members of staff.

Below are key members of staff and their roles which includes the importance of following our in-house BIM (Revit) protocols.

DIRECTOR Design Quality Lead

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Jon Cheek ASSOCIATE Standards & Regulations Audits

Paul Miller ASSOCIATE Standards & Regulations Audits

Richard Mather-Jones ASSOCIATE Revit Standards

Protocols & Output Audits

Jonathan Gomes ARCHITECT Revit Standards

Protocols & Output Audits

Amanda Taylor

Collaborative Partnership Working

Internal Planning Team Structure

An important part of our practice wide skill set offer is planning consultancy. This allows us to:-

ƒ Test and interrogate constraints and opportunities to achieve cost effective and high-quality solutions for our clients

ƒ We proactively engage with clients to accommodate their needs

ƒ We are experienced at navigating the planning process with award winning housing designs and new communities

ƒ With our architecture team in support we have significant experience in stakeholder engagement

Below are members of our planning team.

Mel

DIRECTOR OF PLANNING

ASSOCIATE PLANNER

Stephanie Massey PRINCIPAL PLANNER

PLANNER

Clinton

Alison Lugsden

Verity Beament

Engaging with Client needs from the Outset

Concept / Feasibility

Engaging with our clients at the initial feasibility stage forms a key part to our approach to unlocking the potential of a site. We understand the commercial risks and challenges our clients must make when submitting bids for a site or talking direct to landowners. Early engagement with our clients to understand their aspirations in parallel with undertaking a due diligence assessment forms our strategy to understanding and realising the true value potential of the site.

At the initial feasibility/conceptual stage of a project, we bring together our architecture and planning skill set to fully investigate and interrogate the site, not only in terms of what the site could deliver in terms of built formquantum and potential uses - but also

establishing what the perceived risks could be. This allows our clients to formalise their strategy for taking the site forward via a de-risked approach. Every site is unique and will have specific challenges and complexities that we feel need to be established and challenged from the outset in parallel with how we can achieve our client’s goals. These challenges and complexities are not limited to the only physical nature of the site and its immediate and local context, but also the potential challenges with local and national planning policy.

The following pages feature a series of case studies that showcase the above

“We take the briefing process very seriously and work with our clients to get to the essence of what they are trying to achieve. It means that when we put pencil to paper, it already has great purpose behind it.”

John Everett, Associate, Director of Bristol Design Studio

Bath Road, Totterdown, Bristol

Client Yarlington Housing Association and Change Real Estate

The site was owned by Bristol City Council and the Council undertook a marketing exercise in 2018 to find a developer to bring forward the allocated site. We worked with Yarlington Housing Association (now Abri) and Change Real Estate, who formed a JV bid with the site offering the potential for a mixed use, 50/50 affordable / private housing led scheme. Our scope of work including undertaking architectural and planning due diligence technical review of the site alongside preparing a series of architectural capacity / feasibility studies to support the bid.

The site is located on the A4 Bath Road that forms one of the principal routes into the city with the site also facing onto the River Avon to the north in the Totterdown area of Bristol. The site is a short walk from Bristol Temple Meads railway station and located opposite the St Phillips Marsh industrial area that will come forward

as an ‘area of change’ in the coming years. The site features a significant level change from Bath Road down the river of circa 6 meters (two storeys in height) with Totterdown Bridge located on the eastern boundary that provides access into the St Philips Marsh area. To the eastern site of the Bridge is the Clarion led high density residential development that features a 16 storey tower.

Nash prepared a series of feasibility studies for the allocated site, and we developed the principle of creating a series of tall buildings that reflected the emerging context while being sensitive to the lower scale existing buildings located to the south of the site. Our proposals consisted of 315 residential dwellings with retail, co-working and

leisure uses on the site alongside new public realm spaces including the creation of a riverside pedestrian walk to facilitate longer term aspirations of connecting Bristol Temple Meads with the Paintworks mixed-use development located further east of the site.

ATS, Bristol

Client Galliford Try Partnership

The site was privately owned by the ATS garage chain, and the site was marketed in 2019. We worked with Galliford Try (now Vistry Group), who submitted a bid for a high density residential led development. Our scope of work including undertaking architectural and planning

due diligence technical review of the site alongside preparing a series of architectural capacity/feasibility studies to support the bid.

The site is located on Avon Street (to the east) and the River Avon (to the west) and is within the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone within the Local Plan.

Key corner of the site marked with a taller articulated element to mark the bridge connection to University Campus

Site is located on the boundary of the St Phillips Marsh industrial area that will come forward as an ‘area of change’ in the coming years. On the opposite western side of the River Avon is the recently planning consented Bristol University Campus development and the site that was formerly identified for the Bristol Arena. To the south of the site is Motion Night Club, a listed building that forms one of the most popular night clubs in Bristol. Nash prepared a series of feasibility studies for the site with a considered

Potentialnewpedestriancrossing

response to the existing (including developments that were being built on site), emerging (planning consent schemes) and future local context (Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone and St Philips Marsh areas) in terms of building heights and pedestrian links, including new riverside public realm through the site connecting the local area to the new Bristol University Campus and Bristol Temple Meads Railways Station. We developed a series of use options for the site that looked to test the potential commercial

land value of the site to present the best bid to the agent including:

ƒ A scheme for 207 residential apartments with ground floor commercial uses that face onto new public realm links to the wider context;

ƒ A scheme for 395 student accommodation rooms (cluster layout) with ground floor commercial uses that face onto new public realm links to the wider context.

south-western block is lower to allow views to the river and sunlight to penetrate the communal amentiy space

Floating Harbour

Floating Harbour

Ground floor set back from River to comply with easement for riverside walk. Upper floors can cantilever over the pedestrian route

Focal

new development coming forward. Massing indicative (currently unknown)

Bedminster, Bristol

Nash Partnership were delighted to have been given the opportunity to undertake an architectural and planning consultancy due diligence feasibility study for a prominent 1.72 hectare (425 acres) site in Bedminster, Bristol. The site is located in the heart of Bristol city centre within walking distance of Bristol Temple Meads Train Station, Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, Bedminster Parade, and the floating harbour. The site presented an exciting redevelopment opportunity to create a new mixed-use Build to Rent/Student accommodation led placemaking scheme that would create a new community and enhance

the existing mixed-use residential local context.

We prepared a series of feasibility studies for both build to rent and student accommodation dwellings which focused on the creation of a series of new north to south routes across the site, including a pedestrian only ‘residential boulevard’ connection that could provide a catalyst for a new future connection between Bristol’s floating harbour and the dynamic and busy Bedminster Parade.

The preferred feasibility option entailed the creation of circa 470 no. Build to Rent dwellings and 10,000 sq ft of new commercial space alongside

new public realm spaces, routes and landscaping with the buildings set at appropriate heights with reference to the local context – between 6 and 11 stories. The feasibility designs were designed in accordance with Bristol City Council’s Local Plan/Planning Policies including Bristol’s Urban Living SPD guidance.

Baltic Wharf Caravan Site, Bristol

Client LinkCity

The site was owned by Bristol City Council and the Council’s newly formed Development Arm, Goram Homes, undertook a marketing exercise in 2019 to find a developer partner to bring forward the site via a JV agreement. We worked with LinkCity, who submitted a bid for a high density residential development. Our scope of work including undertaking architectural and

planning due diligence technical review of the site alongside preparing a series of architectural capacity / feasibility studies to support the bid.

The site is one of the last remaining harbourside sites in Bristol on Cumberland Road (a primary route into Bristol from the west) and is located close to the Western Harbour regeneration area that will be coming

Floating Harbour

Western Harbour Development Proposals

Paynes Shipyard Proposals

Cumberland Road

forward during the next few years. The south of the site are existing low scale residential buildings and to the north is an existing sailing club and public house.

Nash prepared a series of feasibility studies for the site with a considered

HarboursideWalkRoute

response to the existing and future local context (Western Harbour regeneration zone) in terms of building heights and pedestrian links, including new harbourside public realm that connects to the existing perimeter harbourside walk. We developed a

series of use feasibility studies for the site that looked to create 163 residential apartments that would be marketed as 50/50 affordable / private tenure split with new ground floor office space, gym and small retail uses.

Soapworks / Gardner Haskins, Bristol

Client Gardiner Sons and Co Ltd

When Bristol’s manufacturing economy blossomed in the 19th century, land close to the Floating Harbour and the new railways was developed rapidly. The Old Soapworks in the Broad Plain area remains prominent as a legacy. Much of the land this enterprise required has, since the 1950s, been the home of major home ware retailer Gardiner Haskins. But all around, former industrial sites have been

cleared and much new city centre scale development is underway, rising much higher than most of what came before.

As Gardiner Haskins chose to consolidate to a smaller part of the site, we were appointed to prepare an urban masterplanning study and seek agreement with Bristol City Council for the early 19th century listed Old Soapworks site.

Working with agents Cushman & Wakefield, we devised a set of urban design principles that would allow the Old Soapworks and ancillary historic structures to remain a major definer of urban character, a ‘placemaker’. Our

study, now endorsed by Bristol City Council (and part of the marketing pack for the site) shows how this striking and richly ornamented building can continue to be highly visible in the legibility of Bristol. It shows how

pedestrian desire lines can be used to enliven new urban spaces in a mix of residential and other uses and how in places building height can be a positive contribution to urban legibility.

Making Complex Simple....

The planning process....strategy & risks

We believe planning should be a positive and pro-active tool for making things happen, an attitude that permeates all our architectural and planning consultancy work. Ascertaining the project specific planning strategy and risk mitigation strategy at the very start of the design process with our clients is fundamental to delivering our client’s aspirations and site potential within a defined programme.

This approach has helped us to deliver more than 1,500 development projects which span a variety of scales and contexts. These range from domestic projects and listed building applications, city and urban extensions and major mixed-use development projects which this brochure focuses on.

While our planning services can be provided separately to our architectural

services, we add value to every project we work on by working with our inhouse Planning consultancy colleagues to bring a broad understanding of the wider context, both local and national. Examples of this include the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the nationwide climate emergency and biodiversity net gain requirements. We see our clients and user communities benefit from our unique blending of skill sets offer and varied professional perspectives of regeneration expertise. This daily shared working experience helps our architecture team to understand the perceptions of others, including local authority planning and advisory officers. The experience gained of working together on projects then helps our team engage with the many different

Planning strategies and risk mitigation always include the key ingredient of good consultation with project specific stakeholders in addition to the local authorities; and speaking with those that will be affected by large scale urban change and regeneration.

The following pages outline our experience in delivering high density/ mixed-use developments across the Southwest.

“Planning is about providing a framework for positive change in the built and natural environment. Central to our approach is people – we facilitate, collaborate and mediate to make this change happen.”

Mel Clinton, Associate, Director of Planning

Water Lane, Exeter

Client Cilldara / Water Lane Development Management Company

The proposal is for a mixeduse development to create a sustainable new waterside city neighbourhood of character and identity that contributes to the variety and distinctiveness on Exeter’s ship canal, comprising up to approximately 1,000 new dwellings, 350 student rooms, workspace, retail/ café, restaurant, community, cultural, leisure, education, hotel, senior living, a mobility hub, new public open space and shared parking and energy centre of circa 30-40,000m².

An outline planning application is due to be submitted summer 2023.

McArthurs Yard, Bristol

Client The Guinness Partnership Ltd

The McArthur’s Yard site is one of the most high profile undeveloped sites on Bristol’s harbourside. Our approach focused heavily on engagement and collaboration, which helped to shape detailed planning and design work for The Guinness Partnership. The proposed development will comprise 147 residential homes, mixed commercial workspace and a café.

Built in the 19th century as a malt house, the McArthur’s Yard site includes several warehouse buildings and structures which have been empty for 20 years. Originally the headquarters of Bristol-based metal merchant McArthur’s Group, the site is in a prominent position surrounding Bristol’s floating harbour, adjacent to the SS Great Britain.

Large-scale development in the heart of the city

The site is “view sensitive” which means our designs needed to consider a series of key views from the city – from the north, south east and west of the site. We also made sure that the designs did not prejudice the

future operation of the adjacent Grade II listed working Albion Dock.

Effective engagement at the heart of good planning

Extensive discussions with key stakeholders and the local community

have helped to shape and evolve detailed planning and design work, to ensure that the tone of the development compliments and enhances the local environment. The dialogue with different stakeholders has allowed us to uncover

opportunities, build support for the proposed development and add value overall.

Working closely with The Guinness Partnership – one of the largest providers of homes for affordable rent and sale throughout England – and other specialist consultants we created a contemporary design that is sensitive to historic harbourside character, while meeting the aspirations of Guinness, Bristol City Council and the local community in parallel.

Old Brewery, Bristol

Client Change Real Estate & Canon Family Ltd

Working for a Joint Venture Partnership we developed design proposals to regenerate the dis-used brewery site at Ashton Gate with new homes, coworking space and flexible commercial units.

This prominent site is at the end of a busy high street in Southville, Bristol, close to the iconic Tobacco Factory. Located on the site of the old 1820 Ashton Gate Brewery and Thomas Baynton’s Brewery, the site was most

recently home to short-term and under-utilised warehousing space.

It is close to listed buildings such as the Grade-II former Tollhouse and there are non designated heritage assets (the last remaining stone clad Brewery buildings) within the site, which needed a heritage approach to the designs. Considering the local context, the surrounding uses and the growing need for homes and commercial space in Bristol City, we developed a mixed-use scheme.

This comprises 94 new homes, of which 16 will be affordable, 9 shared ownership, and 7 for social rental (2 of which will be 3-bed, 5 person houses). It will have a mix of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments, as well as 2 three-bedroom houses, secure parking for 41 cars, and storage for 202 bicycles. The development will have fully accessible communal and public areas, with suitable ramping steps, level access approaches and thresholds. The scheme also includes

2,000 sq m of co-working and flexible commercial space.

Designs are centred around two landscaped courtyards. The first is a new public open space and links North Street to other parts of the development, whilst the second will be a private, green, secure space for use by residents. Design of the public realm plays an important part within the Old Brewery, Southville, with pedestrianised areas, terraces, courtyards, as well as a strong focus on public art.

Reflecting the vibrant and unique character of Southville, the design will echo the site’s industrial heritage. Existing buildings on the site with historical interest will be retained, such as the Bristol Byzantine Weighbridge House, the Gatehouse and its stone gate piers; some buildings such as the Brewery Manager’s House will be rebuilt; whilst new buildings will complement the heritage and design of the existing architecture.

The scheme’s success so far has been down to the team’s close

collaborative approach to working with the Council. From initial concept to detailed design through to affordable housing delivery, close dialogue with the local authority at every stage has enabled us to evolve the designs which reflect the city’s aspirations for Southville and the wider city.

Our client – The Old Brewery MCC LLP – is a joint venture between Change Real Estate and Cannon Family Office. Planning consent has been granted and work will progress on site in the coming months.

Bedminster Green, Bristol

Client Dandara, Firmstone Developments, Deeley Freed, A2 Dominion

Bedminster is a community in South Bristol where the town centre is struggling. This is partly due a large fracture zone that results in an inadequate proximate critical mass of population which weakens its relationship with nearby residential neighbourhoods, its station and key assets such as the large Victoria Park.

This fracture zone is an area that was historically a high density residential and industrial area. Following war damage and clearance, it became colonised by industrial sheds, yards and car parks. It also accommodates a dated and failing precinct-style shopping centre. As such, it is an

area lacking character and a sense of place, more akin to an edge of town environment than the high density and characterful place that would be expected adjacent to the town centre.

It is an area with significant development potential, but risks that this would not optimise its potential if undertaken in a piecemeal process. Notwithstanding this potential, development and enhancement also faces significant challenges. These include the need to relocate uses, issues associated with a culverted river, transport demands and lower development values than other parts of Bristol.

To establish the basis for delivery of a high quality and sustainable new neighbourhood, Nash Partnership prepared a Placemaking Framework, working closely with Bristol City Council and four key landowners/ developers – A2 Dominion, Dandara, Deeley Freed and Firmstone. This required strong project leadership and management to navigate a range of interests and develop consensus on the scope and content of the Framework. The process, which was completed in nine months, included a programme of engagement, including councillor, officer and landowner workshops, briefing and discussion with key stakeholders and public drop in sessions.

The Bedminster Green Placemaking Framework sets the basis for a mixeduse new neighbourhood of up to 1,500 homes, retail, café, community, leisure uses, and enterprise uses, new connections, public realm and green infrastructure, a new station entrance and transformation of the shopping precinct.

Completed in Spring 2019, the Framework was informed by a series of technical studies, including on transport, flood risk and drainage. It is built on a vision for the area, a set of placemaking principles and associated design parameters and guidance. Following consideration by Bristol City Council’s Cabinet it is now a material

planning consideration and provided the basis for agreement in principle of £6m CIL investment and application of a flexible approach to affordable housing to support delivery.

The Placemaking Framework was shortlisted for a 2019 SW RTPI Award.

Keynsham Fire Station, Bristol

Client Property Options

We have been appointed by Property Options to bring forward a small privately owned site that is located on the main high street of Keynsham as a mixed-use residential apartment led development. The site is a former fire station site and the last remaining site of the KE2 Town Centre/Somerdale Strategic Policy, namely policy KE2b of the Placemaking Plan (Riverside Offices and Fire Station). To the north of the site is the completed purpose-built Keynsham Civic Centre, incorporating council offices, a one stop shop, a public library, shops, and new public realm including a

pedestrian and cycle route known as Market Walk. Market Walk will continue through our site and into the southern completed conversion. The conversion of the southern Council office buildings consists of 98 No. new residential apartments (known as ‘Riverside’), retail uses and Keynsham Leisure Centre.

The site has significant constraints in the form of daylight impact upon the Riverside apartments which overlook the site plus highways, with only a small section of adopted highway located along the northern boundary of the site with all other roads that form the perimeter of the site being private.

We have prepared a pre-application submission for the site that looks to test the principal of a four-storey residential apartment led mixed use development with retail and office space at ground floor. Market Walk continues through the site connecting

the Civic Centre with the Leisure Centre and Riverside Apartments. As series of daylight modelling studies were undertaken to derive the form of the proposed building with the solution being to create a first-floor roof garden area to the southern boundary with a

single run of dual aspect apartments being accessed via open deck walkways to protect the daylight of the completed Riverside apartments and achieve good separation distance.

Roseberry Place, Bath

Client Cilldara/Water Lane Development Management Company

Roseberry Place is a key regeneration site on the western side of Bath. The site is located on one of the major routes into the city as well as one of the main crossing routes over the River Avon. On behalf of developer Deeley Freed, we achieved outline, and reserved matters approval for a development scheme

that will create 171 new apartments, 4,500 m² office space and 1,000 m² convenience store all based around a landscape deck and setting.

A vision for Bath’s riverside

Bath’s Western Riverside has been recognised as a key zone for growth to provide essential future business

space and housing. The city’s riverside master plan aims to add place, excitement and economy.

As Chair of the Riverside Corridor Group, set to advise Bath and North East Somerset Council, our senior partner Edward Nash has pro-actively been involved in shaping the huge

Photo © Indentity-Design

potential the river context has to offer for a number of years. We have been working on several regeneration projects along Bath’s urban river corridor.

An exciting transformation

We were excited by the transformation potential that the Roseberry Place site had to offer. As a key node in the wider urban setting, the site has many interesting elements in addition to its riverside location. Working closely with the Council’s regeneration and development team and a wide range

of specialist consultants, we created designs and proposals that balanced the aspirations of all agendas, while at the same time considering the practicalities and commercial targets of the site.

Industrial buildings will make way for vital accommodation through the Private Rental Sector (PRS) and new paths, cycle routes and road improvements are reconnecting the northern and southern sides of the

river valley to improve accessibility to Bath city centre.

“An imaginative design that stands the test of time.”

Our designs received praise by BANES committee for being imaginative, having diversity and showing an ability to stand the test of time, and as a project that should act as a blue print as an approach for other developments coming forward in key sensitive locations.

The architectural concept of the scheme was driven from the desire to connect as many of the apartments, and views through the site to the river as possible. This meant the arrangement of multiple buildings

rather than one larger gesture, all of a subtly varying style to respond to the immediate context that they sit within. A key ‘nodal’ building at the centre of the site that anchors the landscape deck (that covers the parking) and also

frames the new green infrastructure link has a scale and robustness to it reminiscent of the warehouse style buildings that once existed on this site.

Photo © Indentity -Design

Southmead, Bristol

Client Southmead Development Trust

Working for Southmead Development Trust, Nash Partnership and Streets Reimagined have prepared a masterplan for the Southmead Regeneration – working for the community project.

Southmead faces the same challenges as low-density, car-oriented and deprived urban areas on the fringes of many UK cities. Health issues, lower skill levels and anti-social behaviour undermine people’s sense of wellbeing and perceptions of the area. This is amplified by the rundown nature of the local centre at Arnside.

Working hand-in-hand with the local community, we have developed a masterplan vision to transform this central area. It involves building on under-used open space and council owned sites to deliver around 300 new homes and a range of new community facilities at the heart of the community.

First-time buyers and downsizers

The housing will provide new types of housing for first time buyers and downsizers to free up existing housing, while also funding new and better facilities and spaces. This will include a range of upgraded open spaces, including a health centre, library and potentially youth centre, workspace and other flexible spaces.

Truly community-led

One of the largest community-led development projects in the country, the masterplan vision was supported by around 80% of responders, due to the approach taken and the inclusive

nature of the engagement process. This included a series of exhibitions, workshops, street stalls, one to one meetings and attendance at local festivals.

A planning application has been submitted with detailed proposals for the first phase, which will deliver the health facility, library and over 100 new homes.

Wyndham Street Riverside Development, Newport Client Fear Group

Newport is a city that we see as having great potential. It is a view shared by our clients Wye Valley City Projects Ltd, part of the Fear Group and owners of a vacant supermarket site fronting the River Usk, on the edge of the city centre. Situated on the banks of the River Usk, in close proximity to the city centre, its railway station and university campus, the site presents an opportunity to contribute to the burgeoning regeneration of Newport. Nash Partnership worked with Stephen and Leon Fear, in dialogue with Newport City Council, the University of South Wales and local residents to draw up proposals for the site.

The importance of education

Education is an important driver for regeneration and the university campus is a key asset for the city. The development proposals therefore included a high quality student accommodation offer with 601 bedrooms as part of a new mixed use riverside environment, also providing 144 apartments, a hotel, convenience store and health facilities. The development uses the site’s gateway position to signify the presence of the city centre through buildings rising to 14 storeys and enhances city and

neighbourhood amenity by providing extensive new public space, including a boardwalk along the river front. The development also incorporates flood protection measures that will form part of the wider Crindau Flood Alleviation Scheme along the River Usk to protect occupiers and existing residents and businesses.

Following a planning committee resolution to grant permission, we worked with Newport City Council to agree planning conditions and with our client and legal advisors Bartons to negotiate the S106 Agreement. The agreement is now complete, outline planning approval has been issued and we have secured necessary planning condition discharge to enable demolition of the former supermarket and interim ground-raising for flood protection. These works are completed.

The Newport riverside scheme is a further symbol of the city’s growing confidence in its future as a wellconnected place with an emerging new economy and quality of life offer.

Saxonvale, Frome

Client Frome (SV) Ltd

In 2018 Mendip District Council acquired the 5 hectare post industrial site in Frome known as Saxonvale. It directly adjoins the medieval town centre and has for 20 years been the subject of several proposals and planning applications for partial or comprehensive reuse, none of which have been able to progress.

In the same year Mendip District Council were one of dozens of Local Authorities to declare a climate change

emergency. Frome Town Council were one of these too and their sizeable land interest on the eastern fringes of the Saxonvale site was then sold to Mendip to optimise the overall development.

We were commissioned by the Council’s selected development partner, The Acorn Property Group, to propose how the site should be redeveloped to best contribute to

mitigating climate change and best serve Frome.

Frome is an unusually independently minded place and through its residents and its politically independent Council has put in hand many initiatives to build consensus and local responsibility for the global impacts of its households’ lifestyles.

Through extensive consultations with residents and key stakeholders we

established a set of principles to guide and test the development. Its has been designed to recognise low car commuting living and working lifestyles now so evident in regenerated city centres. The aim is to use these new living/working patterns to draw in residents and workers to the scheme who (whether they now live locally or come from elsewhere) recognise these values, and households who see the virtues of this convenience and the added environmental impact accountability market town urban living brings.

It recognises that for so many family households managing childcare is the biggest lifestyle choice they have to make. By building opportunities

to work closer to or from home the practical flexibility and adaptability such families need can be found.

Unusually for a small town the development will be 85% apartments to allow the high densities such convenience demands. This will place new expectations on the quality of public realm, its spaces, its biodiversity, and how they can be used. There will be a new riverside public park and communal garden spaces throughout the scheme.

All involved recognise the built environment society builds determines the lifestyles and consumption patterns its residents can follow. By deciding first what we value most change can be built around those

values, rather than those imposed on us by the commercial drivers of our ‘consumer society’. The project’s sustainability ambitions have been modified by the Bio-Regional Consultancy, who will guide and monitor the more sustainable lifestyles the scheme will support through the new neighbourhood building.

Understanding Project Costs, Values and Risks....

Construction procurement

At Nash Partnership, we are proud of the way our skills have grown over three decades of project work and where we add value, joy, and substance to our designs. As part of this, we have developed specialist teams that champion knowledge across the RIBA plan of work, so we are able to successfully deliver not just the design but a conscious one which can be built efficiently and to the important standards set. We don’t just design to Building Regulations and Warranty Provider standards; but also, with

designs have been critiqued throughout the planning RIBA stages with reference to the technical delivery RIBA stages. These important critiques are in addition to our design quality critiques and we welcome all parties – design team and clients – to engage with this process. This collaborative approach is at the heart of everything we do and allows us to understand and engage with our clients and our Quantity Surveyor and Project Manager partners on key project considerations from conception to ensure a successful delivery - namely

important to ensure the successful procurement and delivery of projects that are on time and on budget.

We are proud of our ability to deliver projects successfully at construction stage throughout our 30+ year history. Due to our projects covering a range of sectors and skill sets, including the delivery of complex heritage and large-scale re-generation projects, we have developed a wealth of knowledge and experience of the procurement and contract administration process in addition to understanding what is needed technically to deliver the project that most importantly aligns with our client’s brief and requirements. The following pages outline our recent RIBA Stage 4 to 6 projects across the Southwest.

Cumberland Road, Bristol

Client Property Options

The site is located on the corner of Gas Ferry Road and Cumberland Road close to our McArthur’s Yard development and adjacent to Aardmann Studies. We worked on behalf of the Phoenix

Group to secure consent for 19 apartments and two commercial units at ground floor level in 2017. We worked collaboratively with Bristol Council Planners to create a car free scheme that was sensitive to the local

context/conservation area and views from the new cut (River). The site is currently being constructed and due to complete December 2022.

The Old Bakery, Bath

Client Deeley Freed Estates Ltd

Nash Partnership were appointed by our client, Deeley Freed Estates, to develop designs for a mixed-employment and student accommodation development on the Old Bakery Site on Jews Lane, Bath. The site measured 0.182 hectares and is accessed from Jews Lane south of the A36 Lower Bristol Road approximately 1.25 miles west of the

city center and lies outside of the conservation area. The site is bounded to the south by the Main Rail Line embankment which carries regular train services westward to Cardiff and Bristol and eastward to Swindon, Reading and London.

We were appointed to lead the design through the planning process

and the construction phase with the proposals consisting of the demolition of the existing building on site with two new separate buildings being proposed. The first building (A) consists of a 3-storey building (4-storey element fronting Jews Lane) providing 60 No. student bedrooms with communal facilities including external amenity space. The second

building (B) consists of a 3-storey building providing flexible employment floorspace with associated parking and yard area. The design proposals and subsequent works on site entailed new landscaping, public realm and transportation works including a new traffic priority working arrangement for Jews Lane.

Upon successfully gaining planning consent for the site, we worked on the delivery stage of the project which required a series of key considerations at the very start of the detailed design stage. The delivery of the project was time sensitive, with the

student accommodation needing to be ready for the September 2022 student intake. Careful discussions were also required with Network Rail due to the site being a tight urban brown field site that required Network Rail’s support in terms of erecting the structures without affecting the main railway line connecting Cardiff to London. Various construction methodologies were explored to resolve these considerations with the chosen methodology consisting of a lightweight SFS panel system. The panel system was a very quick erection process, however it was crucial that the design team worked

closely together to ensure the M&E designs, structural designs and the cladding designs were all integrated with the design of the SFS panel frame system with the contractor focusing on how the panels could be erected on a tight site in discussion and agreement with Network Rail. The success of the project was through its delivery to be on time and on budget for the client, both of which were achieved via undertaking a close collaborative working process by the entire design team and the contractor.

Kingston Mills, Bradford on Avon

Client Frome (SV) Ltd

Our project ran over 10 years to regenerate the large riverside site of Kingston Mill which won an RTPI Annual Award for Best National Project of Local Regeneration and Renewal. This recognised in particular the task of bringing together

so many conflicting views about the site’s optimum future and resolve an unusual number of technical and viability challenges. But it also had to cross many hurdles presented by heritage policy protection.

The site was close to the main frontage of the Grade I listed Hall built in the early 17th Century whose large country estate spreads out well beyond the town to north and east. How could new buildings of up to 5 storeys needed to create the mixed-use town

scheme the town’s population wanted to be accommodated in this context?

The site had very poorly to cross vehicular access made worse by the 20,000 vehicles a day passing close by the town’s only river crossing, its medieval bridge. We could see the

only way to resolve this well would be a one-way loop passing through the most prominent of the sites many historic industrial buildings and there were several of these. We knew we could not save all of them and the need for a new balancing flood storage had to be created. So how could the demands for preservation be prioritised? Our historic value study, an in-depth options analysis aided by large physical models made a satisfactory resolution possible for all such issues.

Onega Place, Bath

Client Watkin Jones & Sons Ltd

This constrained industrial brownfield site in Bath is sandwiched between the Upper Bristol Road to the north and the River Avon to the south. Sitting within a conservation area, world heritage setting, with sensitive ecology and an adjoining the Grade II* listed Victoria Bridge, this site presented a number of tricky planning challenges to unlock its potential. Our collaborative approach led to an imaginative design solution that will serve as a catalyst for the future regeneration of the Northern river frontage.

Situated on the Northern bank of the river, Onega Place offered an opportunity to set the benchmark for regeneration opposite the advanced high-rise buildings emerging on the western riverside development.

Leading with a collaborative approach, we set up a programme of pre-app workshops with the Council aimed at bringing them on board with a bold development vision for the site. Our proposed solution was to demolish the low rise, inward looking modern industrial sheds and replace these with high rise, high density residential units to provide enhance public realm and pedestrian permeability to the river edge.

The Council’s strategic planning guidance for the site had shown an aspiration for nearly two thirds of the site to be dedicated to green space to open up the river frontage. This guidance had the potential of severely limiting the site’s development potential.

Our design response took on board the Council’s vision to form an activity

node by the river. Rather than doing this by just opening up the site, we focused on a more intelligently designed public realm solution. It engaged with the river frontage, formed better linkage to the Upper Bristol Road and also connected with the public realm of the Grade II* listed Victoria Bridge.

The designs enabled us to gain the Council’s confidence and promote the client’s development goal for a higher density residential solution which was ultimately achieved via a delegated decision with the appointed case officer. Our focus on collaboration de-risked the planning outcome for the client while significantly raising the site’s gross development value.

Nash Partnership is a leading and award-winning consultancy in Planning, Architecture, Heritage and Placemaking. We blend our skills to create positive change for people, places and buildings.

With over 30 years in business, we operate from offices in Bath and Bristol and extend our services nationally. Our team-focused, creative culture is geared to working with both small and large projects alike – from individual homes to large-scale urban regeneration projects. Working together, our teams share a comprehensive understanding of the built environment, with each project bringing knowledge to the next.

As consultants who help shape the world around us, we take the issues of climate change, biodiversity, equality, social value and wellbeing seriously. This is why we have placed the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the heart of our approach. We always consider the effect our work can have and use our skills for positive change.

Bath Office: 23a Sydney Buildings, Bath BA2 6BZ

Phone: 01225 442424

Bristol Office: The Generator, Counterslip, Bristol, BS1 6BX

Phone: 0117 332 7560

London Office: Two Kingdom Street, Paddington, London W2 6BD

Phone: 0203 7648777

Website: www.nashpartnership.com

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