Design Spd - Draft Document
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DESIGN SPD - DRAFT DOCUMENT CONTENTS 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………....2 1.1 Urban Design 1.2 Local Context 1.3 Purpose 1.4 Format 1.5 Consideration of Design 2. Policy Context…………………………………………………………………………7 2.1 North Hertfordshire District Council Local Development Framework 2.2 Approach to Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment 2.3 Relevant Guidance 2.4 Climate Change and Sustainability 3. Design Standards…………………………………………………………………….11 3.1 Foundations for Good Design 3.2 Key Urban Design Principles 1. Character (sense of place and history) 2. Continuity and Enclosure (distinguish between public/private space) 3. Quality of the Public Realm (sense of well-being and amenity) 4. Ease of movement (connectivity and permeability) 5. Legibility (ease of understanding) 6. Adaptability (ease of change) 7. Diversity (ease of choice) 8. Quality of Private Space (usability) 9. Sustainability (reducing carbon and increasing efficiency) 4. Local Design Principles - Towns ………………………………………………….21 4.1 Baldock 4.2 Hitchin 4.3 Letchworth Garden City 4.4 Royston 5. Local Design Principles - Villages…………………………………………………30 6. Local Design Principles - Rural Area……………………………………………..62 Appendices………………………………………………………………………………...68 Appendix A: Relevant Guidance Appendix B: Design Checklist Appendix C: Glossary and List of Acronyms Appendix D: Village Maps CABINET (14.6.11) 1 1. INTRODUCTION Urban design in the Planning System1 1. This North Hertfordshire Design as ‘the art of making places for people. Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) It includes the way places work and has been prepared as part of the emerging matters such as community safety, as North Hertfordshire Local Development well as how they look. It concerns the Framework. connections between people and places, movement and urban form, 2. The design SPD expands on the emerging nature and the built fabric, and the policies in both the Core Strategy DPD processes for ensuring successful and Development Policies DPD, villages, towns and cities.’ specifically Core Policy B: Design and Sustainability and Development Policy 5: 8. It goes on to state ‘Urban design is a Design, safety and sustainability. key to creating sustainable developments and the conditions for a 3. The SPD also builds on national policy in flourishing economic life, for the Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 1: prudent use of natural resources and Delivering Sustainable Development, and for social progress.’ Planning and Climate Change – Supplement to PPS1. Both documents promote sustainable, well-designed development to achieve a high quality built and natural environment. 4. Achieving good design and sustainable development are the core principles underlying planning. At the heart of sustainable development is the simple idea of ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for future generations. Fig 1: Howard Park and Gardens, 5. It also relates to PPS5:Planning for the Letchworth Garden City is a well used Historic Built Environment, taking into space account the desirability of new development to make a positive 9. The idea of successful streets, spaces, contribution to the character and local villages, towns and cities are those distinctiveness of the historic which function well, look good and are environment. The consideration of likely to last. These types of successful design should include scale, height, developments tend to have massing, alignment, materials and characteristics in common. These use. factors have been analysed to produce principles or objectives of good urban design. They help to remind us what 1.1 URBAN DESIGN should be sought to create a 6. Urban design is key to making places successful place. There is that are successful both, socially and considerable overlap between the economically, good to live in and objectives and they are mutually re- attractive to visit. Urban design is inforcing. essential in creating community identity (UDG website). 7. Urban Design is defined by the Commission for Architecture and Built 1 CABE (2000) By Design: Urban Design Environment (CABE) in By Design: in the Planning System towards better Practice CABINET (14.6.11) 2 13. This document takes account of and 1.2 LOCAL CONTEXT is in addition to, the Conservation Area 10. The North Hertfordshire district is Character Statements. These predominantly rural, incorporating Statements provide a clear indication 375km2 of attractive undulating of the Council’s approach to the countryside following the chalk preservation and enhancement of escarpment of the Chiltern Hills and each individual Conservation Area. the East Anglian Heights. The district The Design SPD guidance is broader contains four main settlements; the and takes account of a range of historic market towns of Hitchin, different issues not only conservation. Baldock and Royston and the world’s first Garden City, Letchworth. There 14. Regional Spatial Strategies continue to are also 33 villages varying in size be a material consideration although from Knebworth, which contains in the Government have announced their excess of 4,000 people to Caldecote intention to revoke them at a later with a population of roughly 20. There date. are also a number of hamlets and scattered dwellings throughout the 15. The development of any new homes rural area. and other forms of development in North Hertfordshire presents the opportunity for the creation of well designed, functional, attractive places. This document seeks to guide and influence development ensuring that any future development achieves a distinctive character of high quality. 1.3 PURPOSE 16. This guide has been produced by Fig 2 – A view of the rural edge of Royston NHDC to inspire, raise standards and influence the design of development to 11. The character of the district’s ensure that it respects and settlements is very different. There are complements the existing built some notable similarities but on the character and natural environment of whole their formation, growth and the District. There are also various modern day character differ requirements being introduced in significantly. This means that their policy such as BREEAM, Code For urban make up and potential for future Sustainable Homes, Building Futures, development is also very different and etc. that need to be incorporated in each needs to be assessed in its own new proposals. This document seeks unique way. to rationalise and bring together all potential urban design policy in one 12. This document contains specific urban place. design guidance for each of the four towns and 21 of the larger villages. 17. The Design SPD has been produced The listed villages correspond to to: Policy C of the Preferred Options Core Provide advice for developers and Strategy (2007), in which they are applicants when submitting identified as being allowed to take planning applications. When some development within their defined submitting planning applications boundaries. There is also general applicants will be required to guidance for the rural area. demonstrate how they have taken into account the guidance provided in the Design SPD. CABINET (14.6.11) 3 Provide a compendium of 21. This document also contains a guidance for Planning Officers and checklist in Appendix B. This has Consultants. numerous benefits: Provide further guidance and It enables any developer to ensure background evidence in respect of that they have met the various the Core Strategy and requirements detailed in this Development Policies. Provide document. It does not state how links and references to further each section should be completed guidance provided elsewhere. and it is no way exhaustive. It Create not just high quality should be interpreted as a series of buildings but high quality buildings prompts to improve schemes. that contribute to and enhance the It will provide a means of recording character of their surroundings and the sustainability credentials of that are durable and long lasting. developments when applications Prevent standard ‘anywhere’ are submitted; designs It is a means of demonstrating how a scheme will achieve /attain a minimum rating of ‘Very Good’ 1.4 FORMAT under BREEAM assessment 18. The document is set out in the scheme or ‘Level 3’ under the following sections: Code for Sustainable Homes. Section 2 - Policy Context What the SPD guide does not Section 3 - Design Guidance include/cover. Section 4 - Local Design Principles: 22. CABE’s document By Design states Town design principles on p14 “Good urban design is rarely Village design principles brought about by a local authority Rural area design principles prescribing physical solutions, or by Appendix A – Relevant Guidance setting rigid standard but by Appendix B - Checklist approaches which emphasise design Appendix C – Glossary objectives or principles.” Appendix D – Village Maps 23. This document is therefore not What the SPD guide includes/covers prescriptive guidance but encourages 19. The guide covers all development designers to think about the context of throughout the district regardless of the site and how the development scale or location. Section 2 covers should positively respond to and the relevant policy that is applicable, respect it. After using the prompts in Section 3 covers generic design this guide developers should have a guidance and standards while Section better understanding of the wider 4 covers specific design guidance for context and the design requirements, each of the four towns, the villages providing an aid to understanding