BALDOCK, BYGRAVE AND CLOTHALL NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Design Guidelines March 2019 Quality information Project role Name Position Action summary Signature Date Qualifying body Michael Bingham Baldock , Bygrave and Clothall Review 17.12.2018 Planning Group Director / QA Ben Castell Director Finalisation 9.01.2019 Researcher Niltay Satchell Principal Urban Designer Research, site 9.01.2019 visit, drawings Blerta Dino Urban Designer Project Coordinator Mary Kucharska Project Coordinator Review 12.01.2019 This document has been prepared by AECOM Limited for the sole use of our client (the “Client”) and in accordance with generally accepted consultancy principles, the budget for fees and the terms of reference agreed between AECOM Limited and the Client. Any information provided by third parties and referred to herein has not been checked or verified by AECOM Limited, unless otherwise expressly stated in the document. No third party may rely upon this document without the prior and express written agreement of AECOM Limited. Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................6 1.1. Background ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................6 1.2. Purpose of this document ............................................................................................................................................................................6 1.3. Preparing the Guidelines ...............................................................................................................................................................................6 1.4. Engagement .......................................................................................................................................................................................................8 1.5. The importance of good design ...............................................................................................................................................................12 1.6. Planning context .............................................................................................................................................................................................14 2. Design Guidance .............................................................................................................................................................................18 2.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................................................18 2.2. Placemaking and design principles ........................................................................................................................................................18 3. Urban Extensions ........................................................................................................................................................................... 46 3.1. The sites ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 46 3.2. Streets................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 48 3.3. Edges ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................51 4. Regeneration Sites .........................................................................................................................................................................57 4.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 57 4.2. BA6: Land at Icknield Way ......................................................................................................................................................................... 58 4.3. BA11: Land at Deans Yard ........................................................................................................................................................................... 64 5. Delivery ..............................................................................................................................................................................................75 5.1. Delivery Agents .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 75 5.2. Deliverability ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 75 Introduction 01 Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall | Neighbourhood Plan Design Guidelines 1. Introduction 1.1. Background 1.3. Preparing the Guidelines Through the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Neighbourhood The following steps were undertaken to produce this document: Planning Programme led by Locality, AECOM was commissioned to provide design support to the Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall Planning Group. The support is intended to provide design • Initial meeting between AECOM and the Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall Planning Group and guidelines based on the character and the special qualities of Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall. joint site visit; • Review of existing baseline documents; • Urban design analysis; 1.2. Purpose of this document • Initial engagement on community design preferences at Baldock Street Fair; This document is an annex to the Neighbourhood Plan. Its purpose is to add depth and • Meeting with Hertfordshire County Council and North Herts District Council; illustration to the Plan’s policies on design and growth, offering guidance on the community’s expectations. Baldock, in particular, is about to undergo a period of significant expansion • Community workshop on emerging design principles; and it is important to existing and future residents that the quality of development is widely • Formal consultation on the draft Neighbourhood Plan; and appreciated to be high. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF; 2018, paragraph 125) states that “neighbourhood plans can play an important role in identifying the special qualities of • Preparation of final Design Guidelines. each area and explaining how this should be reflected in development”; this document does that for Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall. Half timber house along Church Street. Sun Street, showing good mix and variety of architectural style and Active frontages along Whitehorse Street. building materials. 6 AECOM Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall | Neighbourhood Plan Design Guidelines Ashwell Clifton Astwick Caldecote A10 A507 Henlow A505 A1(M) Stotfold Upper Meppershall Newsells Arlesey Gravenhurst Lower Bygrave Kelshall Stondon Reed Barkway Bury End Norton Sandon Cheapside Baldock Letchworth Wallington Garden City Buckland Aosley Holwell End Redhill Mill End Antsey Pirton Ickleford Chipping Clothall Rushden Hexton Pegsdon Willian A507 Weston A1(M) Throcking Great Hormead Hitchin Hare Great Luffenhall Cottered Buntingford Street Wymondley Hall’s Green Cromer Charlton A505 Graveley Little Wymondley Gosmore Ashwell Ardeley Walkern 0 1 2 3 4 5km Stevenage Strategic plan showing Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall Neighbourhood Plan Area. AECOM 7 Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall | Neighbourhood Plan Design Guidelines 1.4. Engagement The Guidelines are built upon two foundations: The headline findings of the event were that local people like: • The principles of good design and planning, as advised by • Low rise buildings; AECOM’s specialists and based on widely-accepted good practice; and • Open space and landscaping; and • Local perceptions of what good design means in Baldock, • Wide and uncluttered pavements. Bygrave and Clothall. But they dislike: Two events - a stall at the Baldock Street Fair and a workshop on design principles - were held to better understand the • On-street parking; second of these. Both events are described in this section. • Buildings that are not in keeping with surrounding ones; and Baldock Street Fair • High density. The Street Fair is an annual event that brings the community together. In 2018, it was held on 19 May, when the Baldock, The results of this exercise are summarised more fully on the Bygrave and Clothall Planning Group’s stall was used to display next two pages. images of 11 buildings and spaces, with sticky notes to enable people to note what they liked and disliked about the images. The images were chosen to illustrate different recent approaches to planning and design. There was a steady flow of visitors to the stall throughout the day. Their views are summarised over the following pages. 8 AECOM Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall | Neighbourhood Plan Design Guidelines