Vision for the site.

(I would suggest the brief contains a vision for the site, which might go something like the following).

" To develop a vibrant mixed use urban quarter that meets both its strategic and local role whilst acting as an exemplar of 21 st century sustainable urban development"

Purpose and scope of the brief

(the brief should be quite clear from the beginning as to what is it’s purpose and scope, which might include some of the following)

the brief will be the catalyst for bringing this under-used site forward for development

the brief should provide the framework for developing a mixture of uses which contribute to the economic and social well being of the local area and the town as a whole

the brief will bring certainty to the mixture of uses required and standards to be met whilst not being too prescriptive, or so inflexible so that it cannot respond to changing circumstances or new opportunities

the brief will encourage and stimulate a design approach which produces the highest possible townscape with appropriate densities, scale, heights, grain, street patterns, and standard of design, without being an inhibitor to innovative and exciting design

assist with meeting housing, employment, and community needs in the area

the contents of the brief will be both viable and capable of being delivered

the area covered by the brief will largely include the site currently in the ownership of Railtrack, but on-going work will examine the desirability of including Anne Street and the council car park as they are integral to the future vitality of London Road, and the open land to the north of the station site

(this section will be brief and possibly include the following)

Brief history of the site, in order to understand the site today, and the opportunities it presents

Brief description of the site, including the site area, possible contamination, levels, ecological value

Analysis of surrounding area, in so much as it will influence proposals. This will include important views into and out of the site, linkages, and key buildings.

Outline of the planning history of the site, including;-

Planning Brief 1993, in particular the three main objectives, which still hold good.

To help regenerate London Road, improve public transport and pedestrian facilitiesTo improve the townscape of the area, and bring forward vacant land for development To maximise access to the centre by encouraging modal shift away from private cars

The 1993 brief also sought a mixed use development with local needs housing, small amounts of shopping to complement existing retail areas, community and leisure uses, and open space.

The brief should also include a summary of the planning application for a superstore, and appeal decision in 1998, the process and outcomes of the Community planning exercise, which lead to the establishment of a Working party to produce a planning brief.

(this section will probably be a summary of the main policy areas ,with the policies themselves in an appendix)

Planning Policy

• National policy PPG1; PPG6; PPG13, policies on air quality and sustainability

• Draft Regional planning guidance (if published)

• Structure Plan

• Local plan; existing and deposit draft

• Criteria set in appeal decision that any development should take account of:-

Local transport Plan Economic Development Strategy

(the brief will need to set out the preferred land-uses and indicate a range of options in terms of floor-space and in some cases alternative uses, it should not allocate specific areas of the site to specific uses)

The brief will need to establish the number of units expected on the site, which will probably be in the range of 300-400 dwellings

The percentage of affordable housing

House types and sizes, which in view of housing need in the area, will probably contain a high proportion of family housing

To meet the need to maximise the full potential of this valuable brown field site, the site will be expected to be developed at a high density, but it is not envisaged that an actual density will be set. The brief will need to reconcile the potential conflict between the need to provide family housing and high-density living.

The site is the largest brownfield site in Brighton, and should provide for a range of employment opportunities. The brief will need to ensure that sufficient space is defined to fulfil this potential.

Decisions will also be needed as to whether land should be allocated for either attracting inward investment or retaining existing local employment, and if so what levels of floor-space should be defined. 

A certain limited amount of retail would be desirable to serve the needs of the development; it could also help provide an element of vitality, and activity at street level. Such retail would include a café/pub, and would not be expected to compete with existing retail centres. This retail would need to be related to expected patterns of pedestrian movement through the site.

The brief will need to be absolutely clear on the council’s position on a supermarket

The Council’s Tourism and Conference section confirm that a hotel and conference facility would be a welcome use on this site.

No proposals have been put forward at this stage for a major leisure facility, and in view of it’s likely incompatibility with the other uses on the site, and traffic generation, it is not anticipated that there will be any significant leisure element in the brief.

A range of community uses were suggested at the community planning event, these will need to be compared with uses to come froward from the councils social services department, education department, and the community development team. Furthermore work is being undertaken through SRB 5, and probably 6 to work directly with the community to establish needs and priority. It might therefore be desirable to allocate notional floor-space for community uses and produce and indicative range of potential uses, but to leave the precise details until more work has been completed with the community.

The site has an important green corridor, which will need protecting and enhancing. But if the site is to achieve the high densities required then great care would be needed to ensure that there is adequate usable amenity space, and that undue pressure is not put on the green corridor risking its ecological importance.

There is an existing commuter car park on the site, which would have to be retained at least in the short term, and integrated into the overall design of the site

(The brief will set the urban design principles. It is not expected that it will act as a design guide that sets out rigid design rules. but will set out the approach expected to develop the site to the highest possible standards of design).

In submitting a planning application a design statement would be required which analyses the site and surrounding area, and demonstrates how the proposed form and layout of the development were arrived at.

Some of the key design objectives would be: -

• To ensure permeability by creating unhindered routes that flow through the site;
• To produce a layout which respects the surrounding area, and street frontages
• To take community safety into account at the design stage; by the creation of active frontages which provide natural surveillance whilst contributing to the overall vitality of the area; provide a safe but attractive and sensitively lit night environment
• To ensure the density makes the most effective use of the site. The development must show an understanding of and respect the varied scale of buildings and development in the adjoining area. The appropriate heights of the buildings would follow from the layout of the scheme and its relationship to adjoining buildings and the surrounding area rather than being set out in the brief.(this is meant to bring variety in heights and scale and should not be construed as an invitation to take the largest building in the locality and use this as a template)
• Likewise day-lighting should be a consideration, and all buildings should enjoy natural light, particularly to habitable rooms. Over-shadowing and undue overlooking that leads to serious loss of privacy should be avoided.
• Roof-scape will be important due to views in to, out of, and within the site. False roofs will not be tolerated, and all plant and machinery should be incorporated in roof voids and not be added on as an after thought
• Detailed design and materials will be left to the skills of the designer rather than be set out in the brief, which should be quite clear the highest standards would be expected. The use of recycled materials should be considered including re-use of waste materials generated on site. Chorine bases materials i.e. UPVC should be avoided. The council will look to the architect’s panel to advise on the quality of the proposed design.
• The proposals should develop a hierarchy of quality spaces, which range from exciting active spaces too quiet reflective spaces.
• Landscaping should be an integral element of the design process and not a means of treating the spaces left over after development. A structural landscaping plan should be submitted at the planning application stage.
• The necessary response to the councils % for Art policy should be incorporated in to the initial designs
• The scheme should act as a gateway to this part of the city providing a stimulating and inviting aspect specially to visitors arriving by bus and train, and should be an enticement to visit and use the area
• The principle of serendipity should guide the design, and whilst the layout would have a logic and consistency to ensure that users were not permanently lost or disorientated, the series of spaces and linkages would create a sense of surprise and delight as they unwound

(The brief whilst stimulating the creative process and not being too prescriptive at the same time will need to ensure that the detailing of any reserved matters meets the standards set in the original planning approval. Care will be needed in the wording of the design principles to ensure that if the planning permission were sold on then the same standard of design is achieved)

Sustainability

(It would be expected that the development would make a major contribution towards the current debate on developing new sustainable urban quarters. Nothing less than an exemplar which sets new standards in sustainable design would be expected for this unique site. Some of the criteria set out in the brief might include)

Any Application for planning permission should be accompanied by a life-cycle assessment to analyse and minimise the environmental impact of the scheme. The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method(BREEAM) should also be employed at the early stage in the design process.

The planning application should include a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which considers the impact of the development on every aspect of the local environment, and should include the following:-

Construction phase

Construction methods should be chosen which minimise the impact on the local neighbourhood. Transport of raw materials and removal of waste potentially has a large environmental impact, and should be considered in the EIA. The potential should also be explored to use recycled material in construction. The EIA should include an investigation for temporary facilities on site for processing waste materials generated during construction. Details should be given of the routes and destination for any construction waste to be removed from the site.

Operation of the Buildings

Research has shown that the greatest impacts on the environment (particularly energy consumption and CO2 emissions) occur through the operation of the building. The design of all buildings should incorporate energy saving features, and consider the scope for solar energy (water heated by Sun) or photovoltaic cells (use of solar energy to produce electricity).

Impact on Water Resources

The EIA should investigate the potential for recycling rainwater and wastewater on site.

Waste Recycling

Facilities for residents/workers on site should be provided to enable recycling of domestic and commercial waste produced on site.

Protecting and Enhancing Biodiversity.

The EIA should show how the wildlife habitats existing on the site will be protected both during the construction period and after. Enhancing wildlife habitats could provide opportunities for recreation and enhanced equality of life in area.

Highways standards

(the brief should set out the required highways standards and any improvement necessary to the existing road system)

It will be expected that the development makes a major contribution towards achieving a modal shift away from motor cars. The scheme will look for innovative means of achieving this.

Any scheme would be expected to be accompanied by a full traffic impact assessment

The layout of the scheme will be expected to give priority to pedestrians and cyclists

Servicing should be discrete and not conflict with pedestrian routes or townscape

Parking standards

(It is probably unrealistic to make the development completely car free, but in setting the standards it likely that they would be well below current minimum standards).

In setting the level of parking permitted on the site consideration will be given to the above objective of reducing car usage. Priority in parking provision will be given to the employment generating uses.

The brief should explore ways of making part of the development car free, particularly in residential areas.

He brief should consider how to gain the best use from existing parking in the area, specially the London Road car park, and the contribution it could be making towards revitalising the town centre.

Adequate provision should be made for cycle parking

Phasing

The scheme is likely to be developed over a number of years and the brief will need to be explicit as to how it might be phased to ensure that the entire infrastructure is provided and the whole of the scheme is developed.

Although many of the details of the scheme could be treated as reserved matters, due to the interrelated nature of the different parts of the scheme an outline application would not be appropriate

Infrastructure, including telecommunications

The brief will need to set out the infrastructure requirements. Given that it is expected to demonstrate an innovative approach, there should be a plan to ensure that it is fully ‘wired’

Community involvement

Whilst not wishing to see the scheme designed by committee, the brief could explore an ongoing role for the community in advising on different aspects of implementation. This might include the community benefits, the layout and use of the public realm, to ensure that it is accessible for people with disabilities; the layout and management of open spaces particularly the green space

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