Design Review in Wales The experience of the Design Commission for Wales’ Design Review Panel 2012 — 2015 Written and researched by Professor John Punter for Design Commission for Wales Published by Design Commission for Wales (DCFW) Ltd © Design Commission for Wales Ltd and Professor John Punter, 2015 ISBN: 978-0-9552657-4-7 Design Review in Wales The experience of the Design Commission for Wales’ Design Review Panel 2012 — 2015 Contents Conservation/conversion Colleges and schools: An overview of 2.10 3.6 1 of historic buildings recipes for success? 104 trends in Design and conservation area 3.7 Small developments schemes 64 Review 2012-15 and conservation cases 104 2.11 University buildings colleges 3.8 Infrastructure projects Introduction 07 and colleges, including 1.1 and win-win projects 105 student residences 70 1.2 The changes made to the 3.9 Implementing a more Design Review process 07 Secondary schools 2.12 74 strategic Design 1.3 The through-put of 2.13 Primary and Special Review Service 105 Design Review schemes 09 Educational Needs (SEN) schools 79 2.14 Healthcare buildings 84 2.15 Major road infrastructure 88 Appendices 2 The Projects 2.16 Public realm 89 reviewed 2.17 Energy infrastructure Appendix 1: List of Panellists and generation 92 2.1 Introduction 14 and Terms of Service 108 2.18 Preliminary conclusions 96 2.2 Large Scale Appendix 2: Regeneration Projects 15 Conflicts of interest 111 2.3 Small Scale Regeneration: Appendix 3: The Vibrant and Viable List of Abbreviations 113 Places Regeneration 3 Conclusions Appendix 4: Framework 17 References and 3.1 Critical issues revisited 2.4 Residential Development: further reading 115 and reformulated 99 Large Scale Suburban Housing 20 3.2 Local Development Plans and the new sustainable Acknowledgements 116 2.5 Residential: Large Scale urban extensions 101 Urban Housing 31 3.3 Urban housing: densities Residential: Villages 2.6 and the return to street- and Countryside 44 oriented housing 102 2.7 Major Commercial 3.4 Commercial development Development 48 and the value of 2.8 Leisure and tourism local patronage 103 projects 53 3.5 Vibrant and viable places 2.9 Small public buildings and and small scale community centres 62 regeneration projects 104 02 Design Review 2012–2015 | www.dcfw.org List of Plates 1 Northern Gateway, 15 New house, Penmaen, 32 Ysgol Arbennig Deeside, Flintshire 15 Gower 46 Meirion Dwyfor Special Educational Needs School, 2 New community, 16 Residential, Llanbedr Hall 47 Penrhyndeudraeth 83 Churchlands North 17 Land reclamation and East Cardiff: 21 resort, East Pit, Brynaman 55 33 Mental Health Unit, Glanrhyd Hospital, 3 New community, 18 Visitor centre, Harlech Bridgend 85 Gwernybwlau, Castle, Gwynedd 57 Junction 33/M4 22 34 Hope Primary Care 19 Welsh National Sailing Centre, Flintshire 86 4 Residential, Tir Brychiad, Academy, Pwllheli 58 South Sebastopol 26 35 Maggie’s Centre, Cardiff 87 20 Llandudno Lifeboat 5 Design Coding, Station 60 36 A465 Clydach Gorge Llanwern Village 27 pedestrian/cycle bridge 88 21 Wales International 6 Residential, Hillside Convention Centre, Celtic 37 Barry Island public realm, School Site, Blaenavon 28 Manor, Newport 61 Vale of Glamorgan 90 Residential, Llandaff North Wales Residual 7 22 Library, Merthyr Tydfil 63 38 Cardiff (former BBC Waste Treatment Plant 92 23 Splott Community Cymru Wales site) 29 Centre, Cardiff 64 39 Kelsterton Converter 8 Residential, Former Station, Deeside 94 24 Marine Building, Penarth, Pirelli Site, Newport 31 Vale of Glamorgan 65 9 Residential, Bay Pointe, 25 Buckley’s Wharf, Llanelli 66 Cardiff 34 Retirement Home, Swan Affordable housing, 26 10 Meadow, Abergavenny Cardiff International 67 Hotel, North Parade, Rhyl Sports Village 35 27 68 Bay Science Innovation 11 Residential, Castle Lane 28 Campus, Swansea Swansea 37 University 70 12 Residential, Dickie’s University of Wales Trinity Boatyard, Bangor 39 29 St.David, SA1 Swansea 72 13 Estate Regeneration, Ysgol Maes yr Yrfau School, Pwllgwenlly, Newport 40 30 Cefneithen, Cross Hands 77 14 Housing, Harbour Hotel Pontprennau Primary site, Abersoch 44 31 School, Cardiff 79 Design Review 2012–2015 | www.dcfw.org 03 List of Case Study Illustrations CS1 CS8 Milford Haven Dock Masterplan 16 Cardiff International Sports Village CS2 54 Plas Dŵr, New Community, CS9 North West Cardiff 24 Pantglas Hall & Park, Llandeilo CS3 56 Pantlasau Farm, Swansea 25 CS10 Brecknock Library CS4 Dumballs Road/Taff & Cultural hub 69 Embankment, Cardiff 33 CS11 Cardiff & Vale College, CS5 Cardiff Porth Teigr, Residential, Cardiff 36 73 CS6 CS12 Rhyl High School Old Town Dock, Newport 43 76 CS7 CS13 Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay, Central Square, Cardiff 49 Swansea 95 04 Design Review 2012–2015 | www.dcfw.org List of Figures 1 Annual number of Reviews 1 January 2013 – 31 March 2015 10 2 Comparison of Schemes 1 January 2013 – 31 March 2015 10 3 Status at time of consultation with DCFW – Public or Confidential 10 4 Annual number by development type 2012 – 15 11 5 Use of Service by Local Planning Authority 2012-15 11 6 Critical issues defined in previous Design Review volumes 99 Design Review 2012–2015 | www.dcfw.org 05 An overview of trends in Design Review 12012–2015 1.1 Introduction Design Review in Wales 2012-15 is the fourth of the Design Commission for Wales’ overviews of its Design Review Service. It refers to 136 reviews undertaken in the period January 2012 to March 2015, illustrating 38 schemes and selecting a further 13 case studies, from which to draw the most significant lessons. As with the three earlier publications this document provides an analysis of the overall trends, and synthesizes the findings of individual reviews. It assesses their implications for Design Review as a process, both for the Commission as an advisory body, and for the design/development professions and the national and local regulatory bodies, in order to explore the effectiveness of the design dimension of the planning process in Wales. DCFW’s Design Review process provides a valuable window into the challenges and opportunities, successes and failures of development and planning processes in Wales, and their capacity to deliver well-designed development. The process aims to raise the aspirations of developers, designers and planners regarding the principles of sustainability, social inclusion, and design quality, in line with the objects and strategic aims of the Commission. In this fourth publication we seek to distil the cumulative experience of DCFW’s Design Review Service in Wales during the period 2012-15, and disseminate this to key decision makers, the design and development community, planning authorities and the wider public. 1.2 The changes made to the Design Review process This review period is in part characterised by the impact of objectives identified by the Commission in its corporate plans of 2012/13 and 2013/14, progressively implemented in 2014. These included the commitment to focus on major development schemes; to review these as early as possible in their design and development processes, and to sustain that involvement up to and at times including, the submission of planning applications. Longer periods of engagement were identified as particularly important on schemes of significant scale. In this period the Commission prioritised consultation on fewer projects of greater scale or significance. At the same time it was subject to the wider impact of reduced development activity and planning application numbers. This means that some categories of development which have been examined in the previous three DCFW design review volumes may not be represented in this one. However, regeneration, housing and education are afforded significant attention. The Commission’s own priorities have also resulted in a reduction in the number and type of projects it reviews, and in moving from six schemes each review day to accepting only four. This move is combined with earlier, longer term and more strategic engagement, avoiding situations of late stage arbitration. It has also reduced the number of reviews of smaller schemes most of which it considers should be within the skill and scope of Local Planning Authorities. For specific projects whole or half day meetings take place, several times over several months. At the same time the Commission has reduced the number of people on each Panel to usually three or four, in addition to a Chair, and one or both of the staff Design Design Review 2012–2015 | 1: An Overview | www.dcfw.org 07 Advisors. The earlier stage consultation, and the acceptance of still fluid design materials, allows more time to prepare and has assisted the Commission’s sustained engagement on major projects. This sustained engagement has been most successful with the Commission’s involvement in St Fagans National History Museum project, the development of Central Square in Cardiff, large scale road and energy infrastructure, such as the Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay and the Pwllgwenlly housing regeneration project. The Commission has discarded the system for rating the quality of development schemes which was largely unhelpful to the designers, developers and local planning authorities. Furthermore, it no longer attempts to monitor the effectiveness of design review by means of on-line surveys because of the staff time required, and the difficulty of securing meaningful responses. Instead it relies upon sustained engagement with design teams and local authorities to allow regular and immediate feedback. Demand for the service remains a key inidcator. The lessons of the reviews of this period are summarized and compared with the outcomes of the three previous review publications. We set DCFW’s Design Review Service in a UK context, and within the Welsh context of ongoing developments in planning policy and practice and DCFW’s previous experience of, and adjustments to, design review. The Design Commission for Wales continues to share knowledge and experience with colleagues around the UK.