ALLERTON BYWATER DESIGN CODES ... DESIGNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE... MAY 2005 CONTENTS 01: THE ALLERTON BYWATER DESIGN CODES 1.1 THE PURPOSE OF THE DESIGN CODES 1.2 THE DESIGN PROCESS 1.3 HOW THE DESIGN CODES FIT INTO THE DEVELOPERS PROCESS 1.4 ORGANISATION AND NAVIGATION OF THE DESIGN CODES 02 APPRECIATING THE CONTEXT 2.1 MILLENNIUM COMMUNITIES 2.2 PLANNING CONTEXT 2.3 VILLAGE CONTEXT 2.4 LOCAL STUDY 03: SUSTAINABILITY 3.1 COMPONENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY 3.2 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY 04 CREATING THE URBAN STRUCTURE 4.1 PLACE MAKING AT ALLERTON BYWATER 4.2 STRUCTURING ALLERTON BYWATER 4.3 THE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK 4.4 LAND USE 4.5 BUILDING HEIGHTS 4.6 DENSITY 4.7 LANDMARKS, CORNERS AND EDGES 4.8 BLOCKS 4.9 BUILDING TYPES 4.10 OPEN SPACE 4.11 PLAY 05 MAKING THE CONNECTIONS 5.1 STREET HIERARCHY – MAIN STREET, BOULEVARD AND HOMEZONES 5.2 PARKING 5.3 PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLE MOVEMENT 5.4 SERVICING 5.5 PUBLIC TRANSPORT 06 DETAILING THE PLACE 6.1 BOUNDARY TREATMENTS 6.2 BUILDING MATERIALS AND FEATURES 6.3 STREET FURNITURE 6.4 UTILITY 6.5 RUBBISH FACILITIES 6.6 CONCLUSION 07 CONCLUSION APPENDIX • Location Plan 3 4 01: ALLERTON BYWATER DESIGN CODES 1.1 THE PURPOSE The code is based on established principles of Leeds City Architecture – in particular, experience in designing and OF THE DESIGN CODES Council’s ‘Neighbourhood for Living’ and ODPM and CABE integrating environmental technologies with housing The Deputy Prime Minister is currently promoting the use national guidance. development; of Design Codes in order to achieve both improved quality of development and greater speed in the delivery of 1.2 THE DESIGN PROCESS Landscape Architecture – design of the public realm and new housing. The latter will be accomplished by ensuring The design process for the Development Framework and open space integrating high quality design principles with certainty for both developers and the Local Planning for the Design Codes has been a collaborative process ecological principles, in conjunction with an Ecologist, to Authority. The Design Codes provide English Partnerships between English Partnerships and Leeds City Council and it include a response to the wider landscape context; and Leeds City Council with the following: is intended that the selected developer and their designers will continue this collaborative design process during the BREEAM Assessment – assessments should be undertaken • confidence in a consistently high level of design bidding process and pre-planning application phase. by licensed assessors who are trained and monitored by quality over the entire development; Building Research Establishment (BRE); The approach of particpatory design workshops must • a structure for a range of design parameters, whilst be adopted from the earliest stage of the process Planning - to ensure compliance with planning policy, also allowing for flexibility in the development; involving the developers and their designers with Leeds adopted planning guidance and the Design Codes; City Council’s Civic Architect, the urban and landscape • guidance for the determination of Reserved Matters design team and the planning services team. The Leeds Transport Engineering – expert advice on highway issues Applications, and, Renaissance process with Yorkshire Forward has underlined coupled with best practice in sustainable movement this as an essential part of the ‘tool kit’ for successful systems; • focus the content of English Partnerships’ urban design. Development Briefs. Utilities Engineering – in particular, experience in The requirements enshrined in the Design Codes will designing and integrating environmental technologies with These Design Codes set the context for detailed design require a multi-disciplinary approach to achieve a housing development; and development by setting out the rationale and providing high quality design for Allerton Bywater. It is therefore clear design instruction and guidance for the unique new a mandatory requirement that the developer team Planning Supervisor – duty holder created under the CDM development at Allerton Bywater. This document provides must include design professionals with the accredited Regulations charged with the responsibility in preparing developers and their designers with an understanding of qualifications and core skills set out below. and updating the Health and Safety file and plan from English Partnerships and Leeds City Council aim to achieve; it design stage through to construction stage. inspires innovation; and it provides instructions that designers Urban Design – integrative design skills that bring should look to new solutions for sustainable development. In together buildings, streets, squares and opens spaces addition, the codes both ensure co-ordination between sites together as a cohesive environment; and provide a level of certainty to developers as to the quality and character of adjacent development. 1.3 HOW THE DESIGN CODES FIT INTO THE Design Workshops Issue of Tender Documents to Developers DEVELOPMENT PROCESS The Developers and their Design Teams will work with Figure 1.1 indicates where the Design Codes fit into the English Partnerships and Leeds City Council through a process that Developers and their Design Teams must process of collaborative Design Workshops. These will Design Development by Developers’ Teams Using: follow in preparing and submitting a submission to the be set up by English Partnerships and attendance by Implementation Team (the Implementation Team refers Developers and their Design Teams will be mandatory. to English Partnerships, Leeds City Council and their The workshops will allow a free exchange of design ideas Design Codes consultants). The use of the Design Codes is important leading towards a high quality design solution. throughout the process as a tool that will be utilised to inform discussions and shape proposals through what is 1.4 ORGANISATION AND NAVIGATION OF THE English Partnerships’ Development Brief seen as an interactive and collaborative process. DESIGN CODES The key elements for explaining the urban design of the Development Briefs Development Framework plan follow the structure of the Design Workshops English Partnerships, will use the Codes as a basis for Urban Design Compendium (English Partnerships August drawing up Development Briefs when preparing sites for 2000) as indicated below: development. Development Briefs will accompany these Design Dialogue between Developer Design Codes for specific development phases as they are • Appreciating the Context – physical context and local and Implementation Team released for development. context. Stage 1: Implementation Team Assessment Preparing a Submission • Creating the Urban Structure – character, spatial of Tender Response The Design Codes, which are mandatory, set out English structure, land use and flexible building space, Partnerships’ standards to developers. The Design Codes building types, density, building heights and Design Workshop should be seen as the starting point for a dialogue between landmarks, corners and edges, blocks, open space developers and their design teams with English Partnerships and play, spatial and landscape structure. and Leeds City Council (the Implementation Team) in Stage 2: Project Team Assessment of Schemes advance of any submission being made. We will establish • Making the Connections – including: main street, cooperative and creative partnerships with bidders who boulevard and home zones, pedestrian and cycle are keen and able to work with the Implementation Team movement, parking, servicing and public transport. Selection of Preferred Bidder through a series of design workshops. • Detailing the Place - boundary treatments, surface Design Elaboration by Developer Team, with Assessing a Submission materials, planting, building materials and features, Implementation Team, through Design Workshops Assessment of proposals will be made at various stages. street furniture, rubbish and utilities. The Design Codes will be used by English Partnerships Planning Submission to assess the proposals and bids made by developers in In order to provide an understanding of the guidance, order to select the preferred developer. The Design Codes a description is made of the ‘rationale’ behind each will be used by the Implementation Team to assess the element. This rationale is then followed up by the specific Planning Consent developer proposals prior to their submission for detailed codes or ‘instructions’. planning permission. Leeds City Council will utilise the Design Codes to review and evaluate the planning Implementation Monitoring application proposals. • Figure 1.1 Where the Design Codes fit in the developer team process. 01: 5 6 02: APPRECIATING THE CONTEXT 2.1 MILLENNIUM COMMUNITIES Background construction of the new spine roads and associated public The Millennium Communities Programme was initiated in Within the village of Allerton Bywater, close to Leeds is a realm works involving substantial semi-mature trees, a 1997 with the launch of the development competition for 24 ha site identified by English Partnerships as the Second Sustainable Urban Drainage surface water scheme (SUDS), Greenwich Millennium Village. One of the main objectives Millennium Community. The £60m Allerton Bywater SUDS basins, further geotechnical remediation and site of the Programme is to influence the house-building Millennium Community will provide 520 homes and 25,000 preparation, key elements of the landscape framework, industry and to encourage higher standards of innovation