Edinburgh Design Guidance October 2017 Foreword Edinburgh Design Guidance - Raising the Bar Edinburgh is a unique city of extraordinary quality. Contained between the Pentland Hills in the south and the Firth of Forth to the north, our city has grown from the medieval form of the Old Town across the Waverley Valley to the classical layout of the New Town and beyond into the tenemented and terraced stone suburbs of the 19th and 20th century. Over the centuries architects, builders and developers have exploited the topography and the natural environment to create the stunning city we have today: a city with two world heritage sites that consistently ranks as one of the best places in the UK to live, work and study. The task facing us now is to ensure that future developers and builders reflect on the nature of the city and design with that enduring quality in mind. Some recent developments have failed to grasp this challenge resulting in bland, universal architecture. In the context of an expanding city, this is something we need to address – just good enough will no longer be good enough. We need to create developments that we are proud of, and not just add another suburban extension to the last one. We need to create new city suburbs and new employment areas, places which reflect and build upon the city’s rich architectural and design qualities, but are places in their own right. To achieve this we must all work with the same ambition. Councillors, planning officers and developers must all have the same aims for the city – to raise the bar, create great places and match the quality of our predecessors. The Edinburgh Design Guidance is a tool to help achieve this. It sets out the standards that must be met in the design of new buildings and spaces. The principles contained within the guidance are informed by the qualities that make Edinburgh special. For the first time, the guidance contains advice on parking standards and merges in the Edinburgh Street Design Guidance as a new Chapter 4. This ensures a holistic approach to new development covering buildings, open space and roads. As society changes, the city too is entering a new era of change and development. There is an opportunity for us all to play a part in creating an urban legacy for the future generations. This document has been strengthened, reviewed and amended as a result of the time and input from several individuals, groups and partners. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in that process. Councillor Lewis Ritchie Convener of Planning Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................ 2 2. Designing places: buildings........................................................................ 41 2.1 Height and form .............................................................................................42 Contents ........................................................................................................ 3 2.2 Scale and proportions ....................................................................................44 Edinburgh Design Guidance............................................................................ 4 2.3 Position of buildings on site ...........................................................................45 2.4 Design, integration and quantity of parking ....................................................50 Introduction ................................................................................................... 5 2.5 Environmental protection ...............................................................................62 Policy context .........................................................................................................6 2.6 Minimise energy use ......................................................................................64 Edinburgh ..............................................................................................................8 2.7 Materials and detailing ...................................................................................65 The Challenge .........................................................................................................10 2.8 Adaptability ..................................................................................................74 Promoting good design ...........................................................................................11 2.9 Mix of uses .....................................................................................................75 1. Context, placemaking and design ................................................................ 12 2.10 Daylight, sunlight, privacy and outlook ...........................................................76 1.1 Appraising the site and context ......................................................................13 2.11 Housing mix and size, and supporting facilities ...............................................79 1.2 Protected views .............................................................................................20 2.12 Purpose built homes for rent ..........................................................................82 1.3 Assessments and statements .........................................................................26 2.13 Community safety ...........................................................................................84 1.4 Coordinate development .................................................................................28 3. Designing places: landscape, biodiversity and the water environment ......... 85 1.5 Density ..........................................................................................................32 3.1 Green infrastructure and green networks ........................................................86 1.6 Incorporate existing views .............................................................................36 3.2 Publicly accessible open space .......................................................................89 1.7 Incorporate natural and landscape features .....................................................37 3.3 Private open space ........................................................................................93 1.8 Incorporate existing buildings and built features.............................................39 3.4 Biodiversity ...................................................................................................95 3.5 Trees ..............................................................................................................99 3.6 Planting .........................................................................................................101 3.7 Hard landscape ..............................................................................................104 3.8 Water environment .........................................................................................106 Appendix A: Information required for submission with a planning application ...........111 Page 3 Edinburgh Design Guidance How is it structured? How does it relate to other guidance? 2. Designing Buildings There are chapters on Context, placemaking and This document is part of a suite of non-statutory This chapter sets out the Council’s expectations for how features within the built form relate to its setting. The design; Designing places - buildings; and Designing overall composition of streets is shaped by how individual buildings work together, creating the unique visual planning guidance: character through repetition, variety and focal points within the street scene. places – landscape, biodiversity and the water The key aims are for new development to: • Have a positive impact on the immediate surroundings, wider environment, landscape and views through environment. its height and form, scale and proportions, materials and detailing, positioning of the buildings on site, integration of ancillary facilities, health and amenity of occupiers. • Repair the urban fabric, establish model forms of development and generate coherence and distinctiveness where the surrounding development is fragmented or of poor quality. The introduction to each chapter sets out over-arching • Achieve high standards of sustainability in building design, construction and use and be adaptable to future needs. aims and expectations for new development. • Support social sustainability by designing for different types of households. • Address the street in a positive way, to create or help reinforce sense of place, urban vitality and community safety. Each subject area has its own section. • Balance the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users and motorists effectively and minimise the impacts of car parking through a design-led and place specific approach. • Enhance the environment, manage exposure to pollution and reduce overall emissions. Main design principles introduce each section. Page 41 Explanatory text is included, where relevant to provide more detail. Technical guidance is contained in the grey pages. Local plan policy references are included. The navigation panel allows online users to interact with the document. Edinburgh Street Design Guidance 1.1 Appraising the landscape and townscape Examples using some of these density measures follow. For these examples, car parking values were simply determined Technical guidance by establishing how many cars actually park on the relevant street. In relation to