Statements of Urban Design Principles for Five School Sites: Bonaly, Juniper Green, Holyrood, Broughton, and Forresterlst Augustine's
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Item no GD INBVRG H+ THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL 10 Report no PC1026104-051CD Statements of Urban Design Principles for Five School Sites: Bonaly, Juniper Green, Holyrood, Broughton, and ForresterlSt Augustine's Planning Committee 30 September 2004 1 Purpose of report 1.I To present to the Committee the final Statements of Urban Design Principles and a summary of the key issues raised for five school sites identified for renewal under the Council's programme for investment in the new school buildings initiative during the consultation on the draft principles. 2 Summary 2.1 During the consultation exercise, the draft statements for five school sites were generally well received. The intention of achieving higher quality development on the ground has wide support. The comments received were both general and specific. A number of changes, mostly minor, clarifying or giving emphasis to key design aspects have been made to the statements. The texts show the changes in bold. The statements are presented in appendices 1 to 5. A summary of the key consultation issues is attached in Appendix 6. 3 Main report Background 3.1 Planning Committee on 3 June 2004 considered a set of draft Statements of Urban Design Principles for a number of schools identified for renewal under the Council's programme for investment in new school buildings initiative. The statements examined five of these school cases and described the key design principles which needed to be addressed. These principles add an urban design dimension to the architectural feasibility studies, completed earlier for all of these schools, on space needs and possible layouts and footprints. 1 3.2 The schools present a variety of different circumstances. In some the site is generous, while in others it is very tight. Some can be considered in a relatively narrow context, while others are embedded in complex surrounding environments. The questions of how much new build can take place around a school while it continues to operate, and the scope for achieving a fine new building in these circumstances, had been considered and urban design principles established for each site. Key Design Issues 3.3 At Bonaly Primary, the key issue is how to merge the existing school and annex into a new school on a compact site at the edge of the urban area adjacent to the Edinburgh By-pass. An objective must be to build a well designed school which will enhance the character of the area. Two options for siting were considered. One is away from the By-pass while the other is close to it. The first would require decanting, and possible sites for a temporary facility have proved difficult to find. The second would require special design features to reduce the impact of the road. 3.4 At Juniper Green Primary, the site is tight and new development should not take place around the existing buildings. Decanting and clearance are proposed prior to redevelopment. The site has different levels and there is the possibility of a split level design solution. There is also the possibility of having a much better play area. 3.5 Holyrood High School sits in attractive landscaped grounds adjacent to Duddingston conservation village, the green belt and some important areas designated for their natural heritage value. The new school would best be located on ground currently occupied by the existing group of school buildings in order to ensure no further intrusion into this important context. A phased programme of renewal seems feasible. 3.6 Broughton High School sits in an area rich in natural landscape quality and urban built heritage, The sensitivity of the location makes design, height and materials particularly important. It would appear that there is scope for building a new school on the site while the existing school continues to function. The south-east corner of the site is seen as the most suitable place for the new building in terms of enhancing the urban grain. It was proposed in the draft principles that the necessary quality can only be achieved by a full rebuild, rather than a partial rebuild as proposed in the feasibility study. 3.7 The intention is to provide a new joint high school for Forrester High and St Augustine's RC High. These combine to form an island site cut off from the surrounding area by railway lines and heavily used roads. The proposal is to build new on site, while the schools continue to operate. A new school of high quality design is important to create a sense of place in the broader environment. 2 Consultations The draft statements were sent to local members and interest groups, amenity societies, national environmental and design agencies, other Council service departments and statutory consultees. The consultation period ran from 14 June to the end of August 2004. Over 60 letters of consultation were issued and 15 responses received. A meeting was held with The Schools Project Team. A wide range of comments were received. The key themes concentrate on building and open space design, sustainability, public realm, transportation, accessibility and safety aspects. The documents have been amended where it is considered that requests and suggestions added to urban design considerations. A summary of comments and responses can be seen in Appendix 6. 3.10 Following the Committee request, the sustainability theme has been strengthened. At Bonaly, views are divided between those who favour having the new school further away from, or closer to, the by pass. As a result of the consultation, the revised text underlines the importance of the relationships between the school, the local community and the environment. The possibility of retaining some existing buildings and integrating these with new ones in a comprehensive design is included for Broughton. The text now makes it clearer that at Forrester/St Augustine's there will be two school buildings and a combined built form to create civic presence. 3.11 The statements focus on design matters, consequently questions about whether or not there are suitable sites for decanting, and the acceptability or otherwise of new land uses, such as a roads depot, are not within the remit of the documents. Informative and useful comments were received. In some reports an additional local dimension has been incorporated when appropriate. The "Safer Routes to School" initiative will be the subject of consultation with local interest groups, including school staff and parents, over the life of the projects. Other important aspects, such as specific details of design, can only be addressed when planning applications come forward. 4 Financial Implications 4.1 There are no financial implications for the Planning Service derived from these statements. 5 Conclusions 5.1 The consultations have been helpful in sharpening the guidance. The Statements now set a good design base to take the projects forward. 3 5.2 The importance of achieving good urban design and architectural solutions that fully meet the needs of users, the local community, and benefit the environment, is at the heart of this second phase of the Council's programme for investment in new school buildings. These school projects represent test cases for the higher design standards now set by the Council. 6 Recommendations 6.1 It is recommended that the Committee approves the attached Statements of Urban Design for the following schools (Appendices1 - 5). Bonaly Primary; 0 Juniper Green; Holyrood High; 0 Broughton High; 0 Forrester High and St Augustine's RC High. ./ 1 Q Andrew M Holmes Director of City Development 4 Appendices Appendix 1: Statement of Urban Design for Bonaly Primary School Appendix 2: Statement of Urban Design for Juniper Green Primary School Appendix 3: Statement of Urban Design for Holyrood High School Appendix 4: Statement of Urban Design for Broughton High School Appendix 5: Statement of Urban Design for Forrester High and St Augustine's RC High Appendix 6: Key Consultation Issues Contactltel Carmen Duncan (0131) 469 3695 (Bonaly) Mike Armstrong (0131) 469 3664 (Juniper Green) John Rosser (01 31) 469 3762 (Holyrood, Broughton) Eric Dawson (0131) 529 3679 (Forrester and St Augustine's) James Green (0131) 469 3533 (Natural Heritage) Wards affected (43) Colinton (2) Baberton (58) Duddingston (16) Dean, (42) Sighthill Background Feasibility Study for Education PPP2 projects 9A-D (Holmes Papers Partnership) CEC PPP2 Project 3 Feasibility Study for Broughton High School (Leeboyd) Report to Planning Committee on 3 June 2004 on the draft design principles for the five school sites CEDllMBlPLAN COMM "STATEMENTS of URBAN DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR 5 SCHOOL SITES" 22 September 2004 (for 30 September 2004) 5 .