Agenda Item 5c

TEWKESBURY BOROUGH COUNCIL

Report to: Planning Committee

Date of Meeting: 8 November 2005

Subject: Design Code for Brockworth Airfield in compliance with

Condition 19 of Outline Planning Permission
01/10875/01124/OUT

Report of: Director of Planning and Development Services

Wards Affected: Brockworth and Hucclecote

Number of None
Appendices:

Executive Summary:

Condition 19 of Outline Planning Permission 01/10875/01124/OUT for the 1900

houses at Brockworth requires that a Design Code be approved before work starts
and that each application for approval of reserved matters accord with the Design
Code. Condition approval is normally delegated but the Code will have fundamental
implications for each stage of the development and therefore it is considered
appropriate that the Design Code be subject to Member consideration.
A number of local settlements have been analysed to identify design principles which
maybe appropriate to the site. This character assessment has informed site wide
guidance covering elements such as materials, street surfacing and furniture,
parking, key frontages and landmark buildings.
The Code divides the site into 5 character areas to help create a distinctive and
legible environment and a separate code is proposed for each character area. It is
considered that while the rationale and structure of the Design Code document is
acceptable, a considerable number of changes are required to ensure that the
development is of a high quality design. Furthermore, there is a key omission in that
there has been no testing of the Code by the applicants. An axonometric for each
character area has been requested to provide a robust test of the Codes and it is
anticipated that this will be available for the Planning Committee.

Recommendation:
Approval of Condition 19 of outline planning permission 01/10875/1124/OUT be
delegated to the Director of Planning and Development Services subject to the
following being provided:
1. Comprehensive axonometric demonstrating that the principles set out
in the Code will deliver high quality design
2. Increased prescription and amendments to character area codes as
outlined in the report to ensure a high quality design,
3. Clarification and amendments to the following guidance: design
principles, parking, highway surfacing, materials palette, architectural
treatment, key frontages

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 Reasons for Recommendation:
It is considered that, subject to appropriate amendments and additions as outlined in
the report, the Design Code as amended will contribute towards a high quality
design across the site

1.0 INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND

1.1 Outline planning permission 01/10875/01124/OUT was granted for a new residential
neighbourhood comprising approximately 1900 homes on land to the South and West of
Gloucester Business Park in January 2005. Condition 19 requires that an Urban Design
Code be approved before development starts to ensure a high quality design for the site.
The condition also requires that each application for approval of reserved matters accord
with the Design Code.

1.2 Extracts from the Urban Design Code will be displayed at the meeting. The discharge of
conditions is delegated to the Director of Planning and Development Services for
determination. However, the Code will have fundamental implications for each stage of
the development and therefore it is considered appropriate that the Design Code be
subject to Member consideration. In particular, the code has implications for the design
and layout of schemes submitted for reserved matter approval.

2.0 CONDITION 19: URBAN DESIGN CODE REQUIREMENTS

2.1 The Urban Design Code will include the following elements:
• Street hierarchy and design
• Parking
• Footpaths and all publicly accessible areas
• Street lighting
• Boundary treatments
• Highway materials
• Materials palette
• Building form
• Landmark buildings
• Key frontages
• Architectural details
• Roof pitches
• Gable widths
• Massing
• Density
• Grain
• Open space design
• Local Areas for Play (LAPs)

3.0 URBAN DESIGN CODE PROPOSALS

3.1 A design statement was submitted with the outline planning permission and set out
general design principles for the site. A Design Code is a document that sets rules for the
design of a development. The Brockworth Design Code expands on the principles set out
in the approved design statement and provides more specific design parameters for the
proposed development to ensure good design. A copy of the Code is available in the
Members’ Lounge.

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3.2 Generic Design Principles
The Code starts with a set of generic design principles that identifies the elements
contributing towards good design. It is considered that these principles require
amendments and additions to ensure that there is clarity as to what constitutes good
design

3.3 Local Character Area Analysis

The Design Statement analysed 5 local settlements to identify design principles. These
settlements were:
1. Upton St Leonards,
2. Painswick,
3. Bishops Cleeve,
4. Gloucester
5. Cheltenham.
The Design Code includes a more detailed local character area analysis that excludes
Gloucester and Painswick but includes Stroud, Winchcombe and Berkeley. The analysis
includes photographic tables illustrating the urban design, architectural and public realm
qualities to be found in each of the settlements analysed. A number of the characteristics
of these settlements influence the design codes.

3.4 Proposal for Guidance and Codes

A distinction is made between “guidance” and “code”. Guidance is a general set of
principles and strategies to be applied throughout the development. Codes are rules for
variations in treatment to provide different parts of the development with a character
related to their status and function. The purpose of the guidance and code is to create
distinct spaces and places with townscape variety and interest.

3.5 Parking
Although the Guidance describes how parking will be dealt with in different
circumstances there is insufficient clarity as to how car parking will be dealt with. In
particular, it is considered that car parking needs to be reasonably close to the property it
is intended to serve. If car parking is inconvenient it will not be used.

3.6 Highway Surface Treatments

The Guidance provides for a range of surface treatments to be consistently applied
across the site. There is a concern that the proposal is primarily for grey surface
materials that will result in a monotonous development. Amended details have been
required to provide for warmer tones. Any proposed materials will have to be suitable for
adoption by the County Highway Authority.

3.7 Street Furniture

The Guidance states that provision will be made for a co-ordinated palette of street
furniture to provide consistency across the development. Although the Guidance sates
that black will be used throughout, the specifications and illustrations appear to indicate a
random mix of materials. Clarification is being sought about the proposed materials.

3.8 Tree Planting

The Guidance provides a specification of tree species suitable for planting within the
public realm. This will ensure a consistent approach to tree planting and that species are
suitable for adoption by either the County Highway Authority or local planning authorities.

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3.9 Materials Palette (defined as a range of colours/treatments)
The Code acknowledges the site’s location at the interface of between the Severn Vale
and the Cotswolds. To assist legibility and local distinctiveness the proposal is for a
“materials zoning palette” whereby materials on the lower northern part of the site would
have a palette typical of Vale settlements while the upper slopes towards the site’s
southern boundaries would comprise more stone and stone like materials typical of the
Cotswolds. A formal palette comprising predominantly render is proposed along the site’s
principal access road. The High Street would be mixed in character. While the principle
of the materials palette and the location of each zone is considered acceptable, the
proportions of materials proposed are considered too vague to deliver legibility and
therefore more precise information has been requested.

3.10 Architectural Treatment

Provision is made for general guidance on typical architectural elements such as roofs,
windows, gables. It is considered that the guidance provided is imprecise and does
contain sufficient prescription in appropriate locations to ensure good quality design.
Therefore, amended and more detailed guidance has been requested.

3.11 Key Frontages and Landmark Buildings

Key frontages and landmark buildings are proposed to assist legibility. The guidance
does not detail how key frontages would be treated and therefore is inadequate in this
respect. More detailed guidance has been requested. The guidance sets out that
landmark buildings should be significantly different from surrounding buildings in terms of
scale or architectural treatment and therefore will help create a sense of identity for the
development.

3.12 Character Areas

The site is divided in to 5 character areas:
1. High Street
2. Formal
3. Wotton Brook Edge
4. Development Edge
5. General Residential

The reasons for the character areas are:

• To provide legibility and variety in the large development area
• To create a distinctive development with a strong local character drawn from the
varied traditional urban forms and vernacular of the area
• To respond to site conditions.
It is considered that the subdivision of the site into character areas is an appropriate
approach that will assist the process of creating a distinctive and legible environment and
that there is a good rationale for the character areas proposed.

3.13 Design Codes Format

The proposal is for a Design Code for each character area. The Code provides a general
description of the character area. Rules for the treatment of the various elements of the
morphology and architecture are provided in a matrix format to ensure that each area
has a distinctive “character”. The intention is that each character area would have a
different and distinguishable character related to its status and function.

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3.14 Design Code: General Concerns:
There are a number of general concerns about the inadequacy of the Codes as currently
proposed, set out below:
• The document is incomplete in that it does not provide a composite axonometric
for each Character Area to demonstrate that the codes deliver what they are
supposed to
• It is unclear as to how the character area analysis has influenced the individual
Design Codes
• The level of prescription for the Character Areas (other than the Formal Character
Area) is very low which reduces considerably the value of the codes. Therefore,
the Codes will not necessarily deliver high quality design as required by the
planning condition.
• The Codes and Guidance conflict with framework documents such as the density
plan, building heights plan, building form plan etc.
• There are many concerns about the details contained within individual Character
Area Codes.

3.15 High Street Character Area

This is the smallest character area and is centred on the primary school, community
building and retail units. The proposal is for a mixed use area with a varied building line
and high quality streetscape. There are concerns about the excessive number of parking
spaces in the proposed squares, enclosure widths and heights and the proposal for
barge boards when this has not been identified as a typical local feature with the
character area analysis. There is also a number of concerns about the lack of information
as to how the architecture of eaves, bay windows and porches would be handled.

3.16 General Residential Character Area

This is the largest character area and comprises the streets, lanes and mews that are not
located on the primary frontages of the development. Its character comprises an informal
urban form with varying widths between frontages and gently curving building lines. The
area would comprise predominantly terraced and semi-detached buildings.
There a number of concerns about this Area Code in terms of the wide range of
boundary treatments permitted and lack of information on architectural treatment.

3.17 Formal Character Area

This character area is located along the primary access through the development. The
proposal is for a formal urban form, complementary landscape treatment and “Regency”
based architectural form. The area will have strong, consistent building lines, uniformity,
balance and symmetry.
This Area Code is considered acceptable and will provide a distinctive urban form that
will aid orientation within the development.

3.18 Wotton Brook Edge

This character area is parallel to the Wotton Brook and faces towards the Business Park.
The proposal is that architecture should be formal and create a high value setting in
combination with landscape treatment.
There is a concern that this Area Code for this area is at odds with a number of the plans
approved as part of the outline planning permission. Furthermore, it is considered that
boundary treatments should be “soft” to ensure a landscaped frontage on the Wotton
Brook corridor.

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3.19 Development Edge Character Area
This character area provides the interface between the development and open
countryside to the south and west of the site. This are will have an informal urban form
and a strong landscape element.
There is a concern that this code does not take sufficient account of the need for noise
attenuation and height restrictions. It is also considered that there is inadequate provision
for dormer windows.

4.0 OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED

4.1 None

5.0 CONSULTATION

5.1 The following have been consulted:

Brockworth Parish Council: No response
Hucclecote Parish Council: No specific comments. Past representations appear to
have been incorporated.
Upton St Leonard’s Parish Council:
• Little character analysis of Upton St Leonard’s.
• Query whether Cheltenham is an appropriate reference point. Regency
architecture relies upon a very restricted palette of materials that will not be
replicated on the application site. Appears to be an excuse to introduce 3-4
storey development with high densities.
• Design Code should recognise the site’s aviation history. This could include
commemorative plaques and sculptures, road naming and the location of a
Gloster aircraft somewhere within the development.
County Highway Officer: No reply at time of report
Environment Agency: No objection.

6.0 RELEVANT COUNCIL POLICIES/STRATEGIES

6.1 None

7.0 RELEVANT GOVERNMENT POLICIES

7.1 PPS1, PPG3, PPG13, By Design

Background Papers: Planning Application File: 01/10875/01124/OUT

Contact Officer: Mella McMahon, Development Control Manager, 01684 272102,

mella.mcmahon@tewkesbury.gov.uk

Appendices: None

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