West Lancashire Design Guide
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West Lancashire District Council Supplementary Planning Document Design Guide January 2008 1 Planning and Development Services West Lancashire Design Guide Foreword The draft design guide provides an overview of the design principles and sets down the expectations the Council will employ when considering planning applications and is intended to be used as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). West Lancashire is an attractive place to live, work and visit and development should reflect and draw on the local distinctiveness of the area. All development proposals, from a basic house extension to the erection of a large commercial unit or residential estate require a proper understanding of the site, its surroundings and the distinctive nature of the place. Consideration should always be given to the local landscape, its history, the built form and character of the settlement, the typical building type, its architecture and the materials used in its construction. It is hoped that the design guide will raise the general awareness of the value of good design and importantly provide advice on how this might be best achieved. The guidance is intended to assist and give assurance to developers and architects on the design expectations of the Council and provide valuable help to property owners on the issues relating to good design. The 3 key aims are - to promote the highest standard of building design for all types of developments, to provide a ‘good practice’ benchmark to guide prospective developers and assist in the assessment of planning proposals and to help deliver a more attractive and sustainable environment in West Lancashire. The design guide has four main parts, part one deals with why we need to invest in good design including encouraging sustainable development and the use of renewable energy. Part two deals with applying general design principles and follows through the process of appraising a site, producing a concept and then designing a building. Part three relates to raising the standard of development and is split into 6 sections relating to new residential development and house extensions, commercial development, designing for the historic environment, trees and the natural environment, drainage and flooding and making design sustainable. It is intended that each section will be available as a separate document to allow residents, architects and agents to access specific information/guidance without having to download the whole document. The last part looks at how we intend to use the guidance and includes a list of useful appendices including contacts, information on building control matters and further reading. 2 West Lancashire Design Guide Contents Page No. Part One – Why we need to achieve good design 6 1. Introduction 6 The purpose of the guide 6 The importance of good design 7 Making design sustainable 9 2. Design principles 11 What is urban design? 11 3. West Lancashire – the context for the guidance 12 Part Two - Applying good design principles: the process 15 1. Site appraisal 15 2. Site layout 17 Developing a concept plan 17 Providing a sense of enclosure 18 Public realm and landscaping 18 Boundary treatment 19 3. The principles of scale, mass and form 20 Rural areas 21 4. External appearance and materials 22 Part Three – Raising the standard 25 1. New residential development including extensions to existing properties 25 (i) Site appraisal and site survey 26 (ii) The siting/layout of development 26 (iii) The principles of form 28 (iv) External appearance 30 Materials 30 Building details 31 Windows and doors 31 3 (v) Neighbour amenity 32 Overlooking 33 Overshadowing 34 Overbearing impact 35 (vi) Guiding principles for extensions 35 Front extensions 36 Side extensions 36 Rear extensions 38 Dormer and roof extensions 38 Rooflights and solar panels 39 Garages and outbuildings 40 2. Commercial development 41 3. Designing for the historic environment 44 4. Trees and the natural environment 46 Trees 46 Wildlife 47 5. Drainage and flooding 49 Part Four – How we intend to use the Guidance 53 Appendices A. Useful contacts 54 B. Design Guidance points 56 C. Relevant Local Plan policies 58 D. Bibliography and further reading 60 E. Glossary of terms 63 F. Design and access statements 65 G. Building Control 66 H. Planning submission requirements 68 4 5 Part One – Why we need to achieve good design 1. Introduction The purpose of the guide The Government’s champion on design matters, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), believes that good design should be a necessity and not an occasional outcome of the development process. Architecture affects everyone and the appearance and quality of our environment is important. It can be used to uplift communities and give civic pride. “By Good design we mean design that is fit for purpose, sustainable, efficient, coherent, flexible, responsive to context, good looking and a clear expression of the requirements of the brief.” (The Design Review (CABE – 2002). The guide has been produced to give an overview of the design principles and expectations the Council will employ when considering planning applications and will be used as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). In this respect the guidance will support the policies and guidance provided by the Government both nationally and at a regional level through the Regional Spatial Strategy for the North West and those contained in the West Lancashire Replacement Local Plan and Joint Lancashire Structure Plan. Particular attention should be paid to the guidance contained in PPS 1 Delivering Sustainable Development, Policy DP3 (Quality in New Development) of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the North West and Policy GD 1(Design of Development) of the West Lancashire Replacement Local Plan. It is also intended that the guide will help raise general awareness of the value of good design and importantly how this might be best achieved. The 4 key aims can be summarised as follows: • To provide a ‘good practice’ guide to help owners and prospective developers and help the Council to assess the quality in the design of new development. • To promote a commitment to encourage a high standard of design for all types of developments to improve the District’s image and create a more attractive and sustainable place to live. 6 • To ensure that the likely impact of development on the environment of West Lancashire and its residents are fully considered in the design of new buildings. • To set down the Council’s aims in relation to design issues in new development and how this relates to the Replacement Local Plan and wider Government guidance. The importance of good design This guidance has been produced to help all those involved in the ‘development’ process, from the construction of a small residential extension to the principles used in planning a residential estate or commercial building achieve a better quality of design. The Council is committed to improving the design of all forms of development, to provide better homes, business premises and public spaces and to enhance the overall quality of the District’s built environment. Achieving high quality development is a key objective of the planning process and good design is indivisible from good planning. Government guidance contained in Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development (PPS1) states that – “Good design ensures attractive usable, durable and adaptable places and is a key element in achieving sustainable development.” “Good design should contribute positively to making places better for people.” Development proposals that are not based on a good understanding of the local context are often unsympathetic and poorly designed. A major part of the design process is the assessment of the local context and a careful evaluation of the constraints and opportunities available when formulating the design. Housing development in particular should have a clear identity and should be of a design which is easy to understand for residents and visitors. The layout for new housing should be a priority in any housing scheme and should create an attractive and user-friendly place to live. 7 West Lancashire District Council in producing this document is signalling its intent to drive forward better and more innovative and sustainable design. In doing so it will seek to refuse Planning Permission for any development proposals which it considers to be poorly designed and which does not meet the objectives laid down in this design guide. West Lancashire District Council believes that improving the design of development benefits the wider community and how the district is viewed as a place to come and live, work in and visit. In providing the guide the we are not seeking to prevent owners from extending their property or the proper development of sites and land but want to ensure the highest quality sustainable development is achieved across the District. In doing so the Council wants to engage with developers, land owners and architects, at the very earliest stage, to ensure development incorporates superior environment designs and the use of renewable energy technologies to produce buildings which are energy efficient and are located in the most sustainable locations. Particular attention should be given, in line with the emerging Regional Spatial Strategy for the North West, to incorporate renewable energy production to provide at least 10% of the development’s predicted energy requirements. The Council recognises and acknowledges good building design through the running of its design award scheme. The West Lancashire Design Awards, started in 1989, are run every two years to promote the best designed development and buildings within the District. The awards scheme forms an important part of the Council’s commitment to work with developers and property owners to improve the quality of the built environment. 8 Making design sustainable Sustainable development is the core principle underpinning planning.