Birmingham Design Guide Principles Document Draft • November 2020 1 Healthy living and working places p34 Introduction p3 Fulfilling design quality p65 Neighbourhoods p36 3 Detailing drawings p68 1 Design themes p7 • Mixed uses to create sustainable, Robust materials and detailing p68 Align or explain p7 vibrant neighbourhoods • Building at densities appropriate to Sample panels p68 good, accessible place making • Layout and orientation Retaining design quality - Design themes p9 amendments and value engineering p68 • Residential privacy and overlooking Contents 2 Construction quality p69 Buildings and their uses p42 The Birmingham ID p10 • Architectural quality Character assessment p13 • Residential buildings C Submitting a development Birmingham’s historic environment p15 • Residential extensions 4proposal p71 • Conserving and managing the • Rooftop extensions Policy alignment City’s historic assets • Non-residential developments p72 • Understanding significance • Tall buildings Additional guidance and design tools p72 and setting • Developing with Birmingham’s Information to support applications water assets p73 • Development works and alterations Streets and spaces p16 Design and access statements p73 involving historic assets Birmingham’s great streets p18 • Lighting of buildings Consents and pre-application engagement p74 • Creating safe buildings Moving around the city p20 • Formal pre-application advice • Design of waste storage • Design review • Telecommunications infrastructure Landscape and green Works to and consents for p22 infrastructure historic assets p74 Efficient and future ready p60 Landscaping of new development p24 • Listed buildings and structures Energy efficiency p63 • Conservation areas Birmingham’s trees p26 • Scheduled ancient monuments Conserving water resources and Public open space p30 maximising water efficiency p63 • Registered parks and gardens • Local and undesignated heritage assets Biodiversity and geodiversity p32 Decentralised energy generation p63 Building regulations p77 Flexible and adaptable building p63 designs Professional expertise p77 Building re-use and sustainable Construction logistics p77 materials p63 Existing guidance to be Climate change adaption p63 superseded p78 BREEAM requirement p63 Images by Tim Cornbill Photography Contact p80 birmingham design guide / contents contents / birmingham design guide 2 3 1 Introduction birmingham design guide / introduction introduction / birmingham design guide 4 5 Introduction Birmingham is at an important juncture in its carbon, low pollution environments. This The guidance within this document applies evolution. As the need to address climate Guide will be fundamental in delivering this, to all development that takes place across change becomes increasingly critical, setting out the design aspirations of the Birmingham; ensuring they deliver resilient, the City has committed to becoming net city, with guidance to ensure developments low and zero carbon buildings and places zero carbon by 2030, placing itself at the create high quality, innovative and resilient that enhance their physical surroundings; forefront of climate action; ensuring its places. and provide inviting, healthy, creative and communities and businesses are resilient productive environments. and continue to thrive and evolve within a Through its implementation, the Guide will low carbon economy, where prosperity is ensure development successfully responds The Guide is being prepared as a shared by all. to the varied needs of the city: homes to be Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) adaptable and efficient; neighbourhoods to to support the delivery of the Birmingham As the city transitions to this zero carbon, be welcoming, safe and attractive; places Development Plan (2017) and the saved clean air environment (via its Route to of work to compete with the best in the policies of the Unitary Development Plan Zero and Clean Air Strategy), the role of world; the built environment to reflect local (2005) (to be replaced by the emerging future investment and growth will become distinctiveness and embrace creativity; Development Management Plan in increasingly important. leisure and recreation facilities to be diverse Birmingham document). Once adopted, the and modern; pervasive green infrastructure SPD will be used as a material consideration In helping deliver the city’s growth agenda, effectively integrated; and citizens to be in the assessment of planning applications. it must build resilience and create future part of healthy, happy and affordable It will supresede the existing design focused development that will deliver zero communities. guidance at page 78. birmingham design guide / introduction introduction / birmingham design guide 6 7 Design themes Development proposals must clearly Align or explain Good design comprises a number of demonstrate how they have incorporated, The primary role of this Guide is to interconnecting elements, which when addressed and aligned with the five Design highlight the importance Birmingham successfully applied result in the creation Themes and their relevant design principles places on delivering high quality design. of places and spaces that enhance the (assisted by City Notes from the relevant It presents Design Principles to assist and environment and enrich the physical, social, City Manuals). inspire developers and their design teams cultural, health and wellbeing of the people to achieve the high quality, innovative who use and interact with them. To help demonstrate and explain this, outcomes required. it is recommended design and access The Design Guide has drawn these key statements are framed around the Design Whilst some Design Principles are use or elements under five Design Themes, each Guide’s five Design Themes. building specific, those relevant should with a number of Design Principles and be appropriately applied to a scheme. accompanying City Notes (within City Fulfilling design quality Proposals that fail to apply the relevant Manuals) that interlink, collectively ensuring Having successfully aligned with the principles will not generally be supported. high quality, sustainable design is delivered Design Themes to help achieve planning across Birmingham. permission, proposals must retain the If an applicant wishes to challenge a Design quality of their design through to delivery. Principle, they should explain their rationale Design themes The Fulfilling Design Quality section outlines for this, with clear evidence to demonstrate • The Birmingham ID. how the City Council will seek to ensure how their proposal delivers good design, despite not aligning with the City Council’s • approved designs are realised. Streets and spaces. guidance. • Landscape and green infrastructure. • Healthy living and working places. • Efficient and future-ready. birmingham design guide / introduction introduction / birmingham design guide 8 9 Design 2 themes The Birmingham ID Streets and spaces Landscape and green infrastructure Healthy living and working places Efficient and future-ready birmingham design guide / design themes design themes / birmingham design guide 10 11 Design themes The Birmingham ID Birmingham’s unique identity is one of their own legacy, from the Georgian its key assets that must be celebrated, Colmore Estate, Regency housing of strengthened and positively utilised to help Edgbaston and modernism of the city realise the city’s growth agenda. centre; to the medieval deer park of Sutton Park, Victorian Botanical Gardens and The city’s diverse landscapes and Birmingham’s comprehensive canal network. townscapes comprise a range of This evolution continues today with the characteristics and environments, which growth of modern housing developments overtime have created the Birmingham across the city; the continued evolution of ID. This ID has evolved as the city has the city centre skyline; and the sensitive embraced waves of city plans and inherited conservation and re-use of the city’s historic centuries of development, each leaving assets. birmingham design guide / design themes design themes / birmingham design guide 12 13 Whilst the buildings, streets, art, canals environments have a prominent role in its include an array of examples, demonstrating Character assessment proposal. Where the surrounding character Neighbourhoods: and green spaces play a fundamental role future; and introduce new developments how artists have effectively delivered this, In order for a new development to is poor, or there is a design rationale to • Densities. in establishing the physical character of an into the city’s landscape that leave their own leading to an enhancement in the cultural successfully contribute to Birmingham’s ID, ignore established character, proposals must • Streets, roads and routes. area; the communities and users of these legacy on Birmingham’s ID. quality and place specific characteristics of design teams must have an appreciation lead to an enhancement of the area. spaces are equally important. Birmingham the development. and understanding of the surrounding • Plot widths/block widths/urban grain. benefits from a culturally diverse population; To help continue the evolution of character and land-uses. A character assessment will be an important • Land uses. and is home to one of the youngest Birmingham’s ID, the City Council There are a range of site specific and tool in understanding the context of an • Topography/views/focal points/skyline. populations in Europe. These social encourages developers