New regional design blueprint drawn up for combined authority schemes

A regional design charter is being drawn up by the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Patricia Willoughby, Head of Housing & Regeneration Policy at the WMCA, revealed during the placemaking session at the MDC that mayor Andy Street’s body is working on the production of a regional design charter.

The charter would be used in tandem with the authority’s own powers and land ownership to deliver an “unswerving focus on quality and innovation”, she said: “Numbers aren’t enough, we need to deal with quality, choice and methods of construction.”

Willoughby said the charter would set out important place making principles to apply an when assessing grant applications. But she said the authority is not starting from scratch by developing its own design principles but would seek to work up existing best practice. [emaillocker id=”71749″]

Willoughby also said the WMCA’s One Public Estate initiative would be extended to incorporate a further 27 public sector organisations.

She said that the housebuilding rate within the combined authority area is four times the national average, with delivery up to 14,000 per annum compared to a target of 16,000.

Willoughby also stressed the importance of remedying skills gaps so that people do not have to be imported from other parts of the UK to fill the opportunities being created by the region’s development.

Also addressing the skills issue, Rachel Wood, Managing Director of Sladen Estates, told the session that the developer has decided not to work with sub-contractors and contractors who do not use BIM: “Things are moving so fast. It is important to have the right team with right technology and being open minded about where we are going. It’s very important to have the right team to deliver.”

She also said that the east midlands-based developer is sensitive to construction costs when undertaking projects: “We have to be realistic about what we can achieve: if we don’t believe we will get the right build costs, we won’t look at something.”

Addressing wider challenges to development, the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU could not be ignored, Wood said: “Brexit is having a major impact on construction and development. It needs to be addressed if the midlands is to maintain economic growth.”

Viability is another headache for Sladen, she said: “Land costs are racing ahead, particularly on industrial and distribution side. Build cost and rental values are not keeping pace to assist viability.”

And Wood said the planning process is not delivering land quickly enough. As an example, she pointed to the company’s plans for Bicester Office Park, where Sladen is still negotiating with the local authority more than 12 months after submitting a planning application for more than 60,000 sq m of offices on 35 acres.

And the company has to spend £160,000 after great crested newt DNA was detected at Summit Park, a 52-acre greenfield site by the M1 in Mansfield, even though none of the protected creatures have been found.

She said Sladen is in discussions with potential occupiers about the site where it has secured planning permission for industrial development and distribution sheds.

Two speculative sheds have been completed at the scheme, which suffered another blow when a sub-contractor went bust following payment problems on a previous project, Wood said: “We have to make sure that whole team is able to deliver which is very difficult to plan in some instances.”

Chris Henning, Corporate Director for Development and Growth at Nottingham City Council, said the authority has just granted planning permission for mixed use development on the 40 ha Island site, which is being lined up for a new urban village and high-quality hotel.

The council is keen to encourage more overnight stays in the city, which tend to generate £100 per night for the local economy than day trips, he said: “We need to turn Nottingham from a city where people come to shop to somewhere people come to stay.”

Henning also said Nottingham has developed a supplementary planning document to help developers to identify opportunities on land by the river Trent, which has traditionally been a location for low grade industrial land.

Rob Valentine, Director of Bruntwood, said that a new vision is being worked up for Digbeth, the east Birmingham district that sits next to the site of the planned new HS2 station at Curzon St.

He said that the vision is seeking to capitalise on the inner-city neighbourhood’s rich legacy of canals with new river markets and reactivating waterfront buildings to create spaces for musical and artistic events.

When developing its plans to turn a science park in the edge of city centre area into its new Innovation District, Bruntwood has been inspired by developments like 22@ Barcelona and closer to home Bournville in south Birmingham, Valentine said: “The ethos of what the garden city was aiming to achieve still stands and its exactly what want to achieve: the Bournville model is a great example of the catalyst that enables people to enterprise and thrive.” [/emaillocker]