Designing out risk in public spaces is in danger of going too far, argues the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, with a rash of bland and standardised spaces being the inevitable result. The agency that has done so much to restore the importance of quality space alongside quality buildings, now wants designers and their clients to start challenging the risk-averse culture that is becoming entrenched.

In its latest report, Living with risk: promoting better public space, CABE suggests that compensation culture fears may have been overstated; while fear of litigation clearly lies behind the risk-free design response, the reality is that the level of personal injury claims in the UK has been falling. And CABE has attracted some unexpected allies to its new campaign, including the Health and Safety Executive and Zurich Municipal, the largest insurer of local authorities.

Basing its conclusions on case studies and a survey of key organisations, the report suggests there is significant agreement among the key organisations involved that the situation needs to change and that too much professional effort is being devoted to designing out risk, to over-design and to ad hoc design interventions.

The way forward, of course, is for a sensible and proportionate approach to design based on normal behaviour, rather than freak accidents. The report offers a number of principles that can be applied, including the early involvement of all of the main user groups in any risk assessment process.

CABE is preparing a briefing on humanising streets that will look at the balance that can be achieved in shared and civic spaces.

The CABE report even dares to suggest that risk can be celebrated, as long as there is a clear design vision to manage it and any opportunities for positive risk taking are clearly communicated – hope CABE has got its relevant cover in place.

Living with risk: promoting better public space is available as a briefing or in full if you follow this link.

[RIBA PRACTICE BULLETIN - No. 400   - Ref: 32]

 Case Study – Urban Splash @ New Islington
  

• 12 Hectare Site 
• Part of Millenium Housing Sites 
• 1970’s Housing Estate dubbed the Worst Estate in Manchester 
• Assests retatined – 
• Canal Network 
• Community Spirit 
• Collaborative Workshops offered re-housing options to residents 
• Rebranding of estate 
• Will Alsop Masterplan, including “the Chips” 
• Mixed Use, including 
• 1700 new homes 
• Variety of Parks – Community Park, Wildlife Island, Orchard, Boardwalk, Beach 
• Revival of Waterway 
• Primary School 
• Primary Care Centre 
• Small Scale Retail 
• 180units/hectare 
• All dwellings to achieve Eco-Homes Excellent 
• Maximise use of natural sunlight 
• Use of low embodied energy materials throughout 
• Combined Heat and Power, future-proofed for bio-fuels 
• Jobs created for local people within the construction phase
    

Things you might forget, or things you might not know… 

• Integrate design at an early stage – ideally stage A/B, rather than at Stage C/D – consulting Energy Engineers / assessors. Check for Policy changes if the project has been on hold for a while.
    
• Recent UK Policy changes include PPS1 Addendum –
              Demonstrate how building regulations to be met at planning stage
    
• Passive Design – 
• Use the sun’s energy to reduce winter heating requirement 
• Orientate main façade within 30degrees of south 
• Avoid overshadowing 
• Utilise thermal mass to store heat 
• Minimise glazing to north façade 
• Add a glazed winter garden to south façade 
• Incorporating 2-3% Carbon Dioxide emission savings may reduce the “renewables” target – spray taps, smaller baths, energy efficient applicances + lights
• Remember to design in CHP Spaces into 1st phase of phased construction
  Use Thermal Analysis at scheme design stage to highlight potential overheating + design out prior to planning consent
    
• Check Planning Policy for correct wording –
  If 10% CO2 saving is required, target electrical – 3.5m2 Solar Thermal panels should achieve target saving
  If 10% Energy saving is required, target Gas – 2.2m2 Solar Thermal panels should achieve target saving
    
• Code for Sustainable Homes – Water
  Average UK use – 150 litres/person/day
  Typical Spec – 190 l/p/d
              6l Standard WC
              full flow taps
              standard bath – 200l
              shower – 15 l/minute flow
  Level 3 – 105 l/p/d
              Dual Flush 6/4 l WC
              Aerated taps
              Small bath – 150l
              6 litre shower 

Level 5 – 80 l/p/d 

Dual Flush 4/2 l WC 

Aerated taps 

Small bath 

Less than 6litre shower

Rainwater / Greywater harvesting for WC Flush 

 Products
   

• Pilkington “Optitherm” glazing controls heat loss and solar gain  
• “Ecoplay” grey water systems will treat + recycle grey water for use in WCs  
• “Dupont Energain” is a gypsum/paraffin Wax sealed board, which absorbs heat in lightweight construction by altering its state (effectively melts and solidifies) in hot temperatures. More info    
• Wind Turbines –  
• Swift (1.5kW, 2.1m diameter), £5250, provides approx 50% electricity needs of a 3bed house  
• Proven (15kW, 9m diameter), £40,000, provides all electricity needs of 7.5no. 3bed houses      

A ‘living draft’ of new planning guidance on managing flood risk has been published as a support document to PPS 25 (Development and Flood Risk), which was released in December. The new document is presented as both interim guidance and a consultation on the final guidance note.

The Communities Department says it is planning a series of regional workshops in partnership with the RTPI to help planners understand how PPS25 should work in practice. It seems that the government’s decision to produce PPS statements in a much slimmer format then the old PPGs is creating a need for additional explanation. The Practice Guide, which is mainly concerned with flood risk assessment, is here.

Is the tide finally beginning to turn in favour of design quality considerations in public sector procurement? Recent events suggest that design is moving up the agenda: new Treasury guidelines for clients are on the way that will put a far stronger emphasis on design appraisal, and this week the influential Commons Public Accounts Committee threw its weight behind a greater weighting for design in PFI projects – very much in line with the RIBA’s Smart PFI model.

The Public Accounts Committee’s report was concerned with the debacle of the Paddington Health Campus and concluded that the inadequate business case for the PFI project should never have been approved until sufficient design work had been completed.

RIBA President Jack Pringle addressed the committee last year, explaining how Smart PFI could have avoided many of the problems that dogged the project. Speaking this week, he said he was delighted with the committee’s support for the RIBA position and for the positive response that the proposals have now received from Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce.

Meanwhile RIBA Vice President for Practice Richard Saxon reports that a new supplement to the Treasury’s Green Book, effectively the rulebook for public sector procurement, will be published in the spring that will require projects to justify themselves in terms of operating costs – minimum ten years – as well as headline capital costs. Environmental impact, in terms of carbon emissions and water use, will also have to be taken into consideration.

Inevitably these demands can only be met through appraisals of more advanced design submissions.

Saxon, who sat on the working group that looked at the whole life cost approach to project value for the Public Sector Construction Clients Forum, says the supplement will reinforce the design aspects of the Gateway Review stages that must be completed during procurement.

The new Gateway Review scenario readily falls into line with Smart PFI in terms of ensuring that the client has an affordable and acceptable design concept before going to the market for a contractor.

[RIBA Practice Bulletin No. 383]

It’s official - the Housing Corporation and regeneration agency English Partnerships are engaged and will tie the knot as soon as possible. Announcing the news yesterday, Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly said that the new super-agency can expect to have a budget of over £4 billion to spend.The merger of the two heavyweight agencies was widely anticipated, following the government’s announcement of a Housing and Regeneration Review last April. In the event, Communities England, as the new agency will be known, is also set to take over some of the functions currently carried out by Kelly’s DCLG, including the decent homes strategy, housing market renewal and housing PFI.

‘With the expectation of over £4 billion of public spending at its disposal, Communities England will pioneer innovative and more efficient ways of working with our key partners in the public, private and voluntary sector to get better outcomes from public investment in places,’ said Kelly.

‘Central to meeting its challenge the agency will not only ensure greater value for money but also guarantee the very highest standards of quality, design, energy efficiency and sustainability.’

Both agencies were stressing that it will be business as usual over the coming months, with continuity of existing programmes, at least for the time being. However it is clear that the government wants to effect the merger and have a fully operational organisation up and running as soon as possible. Baroness Ford, chairman of English Partnerships, has been appointed to head up the transition team that will undertake the planning for the new organisation.

[RIBA Practice Bulletin No. 381]

We’re working with Meeting Place Communications on a scheme in Dudley, and they handle community consultation and media. They have produced a guide to how the planning system works. Have a look - you might learn something! Have a look

Chancellor Gordon Brown has said all new homes in the UK will be zero carbon rated within 10 years.
Speaking in his pre-Budget statement, the Chancellor said the target was designed to tackle domestic housing, which is responsible for 30 per cent of all carbon emissions.

He said: ‘Within 10 years all new homes will be zero carbon – we are the first country ever to make this commitment.’

Brown added that zero-carbon homes would be exempt from stamp duty.

He also announced that planning decisions on major infrastructure projects are to be made by an independent planning body.

The Chancellor said the Government will set out proposals in a White Paper in spring 2007, backing Kate Barker’s recommendations for improving the speed, responsiveness and efficiency of planning.

Among other developments, capital spending on education will rise to £10.2 billion a year by 2010.

Brown said: ‘It is right to reach a spending settlement on education through to 2011, to ensure that all 21,000 schools are fit for the 21st-century challenge.

‘In 1997 there was just £1.5 billion spent on education – by 2011 this will rise to £10.2 billion, a cumulative total of £36 billion spent over the next four years.

‘This means 12,000 new or completely refurbished schools, 100 colleges rebuilt and 3,500 new children’s centres across the country.’

Brown, effectively prime minister in waiting, also ruled out the introduction of the planning gain supplement (PGS) before 2009, in documents released at the same time as the statement.

The PGS – a windfall tax on the rise in land value enjoyed by landowners when they gain planning permission – was first mooted by Barker in her first report on housing supply in 2004.

The Treasury documents said: ‘Given the need to allow markets sufficient time to adjust to the new regime, the Government now proposes that a workable and effective PGS would not be introduced earlier than 2009.

‘PGS would be levied at a modest rate across the UK to generate additional revenue for investment in infrastructure at the local and regional levels, while preserving incentives for development to come forward.’

The document adds: ‘The Government now proposes that at least 70 per cent of PGS revenues would be hypothecated for local infrastructure priorities and would be returned to the local authority area in which they were generated.’

From the AJPlus

Today sees the launch of the new planning guidance for housing by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS3) supersedes the ‘much loved’ PPG3, and the Government hopes that it will tackle obstacles in the current planning system which means that not enough suitable sites are available to deliver the homes families and local people need. So, just when we thought we knew everything about housing….

The key policies outlined by the Minister, Yvette Cooper, today are:

• Local authorities will need to identify more appropriate sites for housing. Councils need to plan 15 years ahead in order to prevent much needed new homes being held up by unnecessary delays in the planning process;
• Stronger emphasis on improving the quality of design of housing and neighbourhoods. PPS3 makes it clear that local authorities should turn down poor quality applications;
• Stronger environmental standards. Developers and planning bodies will have to take account of the need to cut carbon emissions as well as wider environmental and sustainability considerations when siting and designing new homes. The forthcoming Planning Policy Statement on climate change and the new Code for Sustainable Homes will set out further details including plans to move towards zero carbon development;
•  A continuing focus on brownfield land, with local authorities setting their own local targets to reflect available sites and support the national target, with safeguards to ensure brownfield land is prioritised. They will also need to take stronger action to bring more brownfield land back into use, supported by the new National Brownfield Strategy led by English Partnerships;
• More flexibility for local authorities to determine how and where new homes should be built in their area, alongside greater responsibility to ensure the homes are built; and
• Stronger policies on affordable housing, especially in rural areas.

We will be working through the new guidance in detail over the next few days, so that we can give both our design teams and our clients a fuller briefing about the new policy guidance.

Within a year the only method of submitting a planning application in England will be completion of a new standard planning application form. The Department of Communities confirmed the timetable for the roll-out of the National Standard Planning Application Form (1APP) this week, with a phased introduction and trials starting in February ahead of a compulsory system from October.In this latest bid to speed up the planning system, the standard forms will give everyone certainty about the type and amount of information they need to submit and will facilitate the switch to a predominantly online service. Local planning authorities will have the option of hosting online forms on their web sites; otherwise they will be available from the government’s Planning Portal at http://www.planningportal.gov.uk

Paper forms will not disappear, however, as planning authorities will still be expected to make hard copies available.

The Planning Portal is planning a series of regional workshops around the country to introduce the new standard form. The same form will cover a range of application types, including Householder, Planning Permission, Listed Building Consent, Conservation Area consent and tree applications/orders (but not building control or minerals). Further details of the roll-out programme will be posted at the Planning Portal.

[RIBA Practice Bulletin - No. 376]

House builders chose to foreshadow the government’s new housing planning policy launch this week with the results of a survey on planning approval times that found that the average housing application now takes 248 days, roughly three times the government’s target of 91 days.In what is claimed to be the first survey of its kind, the HBF looked at a sample of 580 sites being developed by 24 companies, with proposals ranging from one to 1500 new homes.

The alarming results included the finding that there is an average delay of 17 days between the submission and registration of an application (the target is 24 hours!), and an average delay of 98 days between a committee resolution to grant permission and the issuing of a decision notice. All in all, the HBF says that it currently takes over a year and three months (475 days on average) from the submission of an application to a start on site.

Stewart Basely, HBF executive chairman, said: ‘At a time when Britain faces the most acute housing shortage since the industrial revolution, we are seeing significant and systemic delays in the planning process… there are some key areas of the planning process that need to be targeted to make it more efficient and effective.’

[RIBA Practice Bulletin - No. 376]

The government’s planning policy on housing was reshaped yesterday with the publication of the final version of Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3), the long awaited successor to PPG3. The document has had several draft incarnations, as ministers struggled to find an acceptable balance between market forces and local authority prescription. The RIBA’s first sight reaction to the definitive statement was very positive, with a number of new policies to be welcomed.PPS3 puts more pressure on authorities to identify appropriate sites for new housing, introducing a requirement to plan 15 years ahead in order to provide for a rolling 5-year supply of ’sustainable and deliverable’ sites.

At the same time, councils are given more flexibility to determine how and where new homes should be built. Local planners will be able to set their own density and car parking standards and will be able to set separate targets for different types of brownfield land in their area.

Local policy options on affordable housing are strengthened and there will be extended powers to require developer contributions to affordable housing on smaller sites where they are judged viable. Rural authorities are separately instructed to take greater account of local affordability issues and make provision for additional housing.

The emphasis on design quality that was introduced in PPG3 is also strengthened, with a more forceful direction to local authorities to turn down poor quality applications.

Where the new PPS3 has a brand new thrust is its emphasis on the provision of family homes and amenities for children. For the first time planners will be required to consider children’s housing needs by providing for gardens, play areas and green spaces.

The government is concerned that the trend towards high-density flats for first time buyers and singletons needs to be moderated. Housing minister Yvette Cooper pointed out yesterday that four out of five new homes in London are currently one- and two-bedroom flats. ‘We need to insist on more family homes,’ she declared.

Part of the solution here will be more freedom for local authorities to promote mixed communities and to ensure that larger houses are developed alongside flats and smaller homes.

Proposals to allow planners to dictate the detailed mix of housing types in an earlier draft PPS3 were fiercely opposed by house builders. Reactions to the new PPS3 on how these provisions will be interpreted in practice will no doubt emerge over the coming weeks.

The emphasis on the reuse of brownfield land is retained. The shift here is to require local authorities to take stronger action to bring brownfield sites back into use. Supporting this policy will be a new National Brownfield Strategy to be developed by regeneration agency English Partnerships. The Department of Communities published a discussion paper on the proposed strategy this week alongside PPS3 - English Partnerships is due to submit detailed policy recommendations to the government early next year.

Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing is available to download now at: www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1504591

English Partnerships’ National Brownfield Strategy discussion paper will be posted shortly on its web site at: http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk

[RIBA Practice Bulletin - No. 376]

While the debate about the merits of the Planning Gain Supplement (PGS) versus the ‘roof tax’ rumbles on, the Housing Corporation has launched a new toolkit aimed at negotiating Section 106 agreements, which remain one of the key mechanisms for delivering affordable housing.

The new assessment system, known as the Economic Appraisal Tool, is designed to help all sides reach agreement more quickly, both on the level of finance that should be offered by developers and the amount of social housing grant required to make developments viable and sustainable.

The toolkit was commissioned by the Corporation from property agents GVA Grimley and Bespoke Property Group with an eye on Kate Barker’s forthcoming Review of Land Use Planning and the Treasury’s decision on whether to press ahead with its plans for PGS.

Launching the toolkit, the Corporation’s deputy chief executive, Steve Douglas, said that applying the new appraisal approach would also help the Corporation to better measure the value of its investments on Section 106 sites.

The Economic Appraisal Tool consists of an Excel spreadsheet model and a user manual, both available to download at http://www.housingcorp.gov.uk/eat

Please be aware, as well as the EA site there is a further EA site http://www.pipernetworking.com/floodrisk/index.html which gives National Standing Advice to Local Planning Authorities for Planning Applications. Even when the risk is low ie Flood Risk 1, a Flood Risk Assessment may still be required. I have been requested to provide one for a housing project as the site is over 1 ha. Flood Risk 1 is referred to as a “little to no risk area” and is shown unshaded on the maps! The main area that will need to be covered by the risk assessment for this site is that of the impact of surface water drainage. SUDS would be a consideration whether an FRA or not was required. A good starting point to assessing your project requirement is “the matrix” http://www.pipernetworking.com/floodrisk/matrix.html. The site also provides technical notes on flood risk assessment, but hopefully these will be carried out by a consultant.