Gareth Bansor

when LGAs scream with outrage that their planning powers are being taken away by the state… i point to examples like CBUSs Walker Street development that plainly illustrates the dysfunction of LGAs being involved in development approvals. the developer has prepared 2 schemes for the site… their first scheme was sculpted to minimise its environmental impacts on the immediate neighbours and optimise view retention for surrounding developments. This created an architecturally interesting development for this very prominent site, which in turn, was rejected by the LGA planning team on largely aesthetic grounds. that’s right… aesthetics, because it appeared top heavy in their eyes… which if you think about it means a widely respected international award winning architect/developer was trying to get something bad approved… just madness! Now the developer has a second scheme from a new and well qualified/experienced architect, who would have had the same brief and been developed within the same environment. But, with the addition of ToD changes they’re now proposing a larger tower, taller podium building, more basement levels and more apartments. Whether it looks good or bad to the doyens of design quality within the LGA planning lunchroom is not known yet… I’m only hoping that when it goes on notification, that it is made clear to the immediate neighbours and wider community of North Sydney that the developers didn’t seek this pathway… it is 100% the responsibility of LGA Planning team that a new larger scheme is being proposed and nobody else’s… Yes I was involved in the first scheme and I make no comment on whether it is better or worse than the proposed scheme, as their brief is not known to me… that will be for others to consider… it is the approval process this development has been exposed to that is the subject of my outrage. My question to all is, how can this approval process have possibly served the interests of the North Sydney community? An approved development envelop was established, a largely compliant scheme was proposed, a developer/architect team with a proven track record of high quality developments and placemaking was the proponent. Yet the LGA was so determined to make “aesthetic” changes it forced a rethink with a new architect… Was the first scheme so hideous that it would besmirch the skyline of North Sydney forever? To my eye, the LGA process has achieved, needless delay, increased review costs to the council/community, increased approval/holding/construction costs for the developer, which will filter directly into the cost of apartments when they reach the market… That is why I believe LGAs should be responsible for the development of their LEP/DCP controls, and then the State should be the consent authority that takes an arms length strategic view on approvals. Letting the LGA be the policeman, judge and jury inst working for our communities.

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Having virtually attended an LABC cpd today, I really feel the direction of travel is so wrong with UK construction and regulation. The 'new' consultation/ next tweak to the regulations is for part M2 to replace M1. sounds great....but will mean every standard/modest house under construction will fail to comply and need to be bigger. when houses are unaffordable, bigger equals higher cost to build, more energy to heat, less efficient use of land, etc. etc. not to mention higher Cil, bng credit, nitrates offset etc.etc. when Labour take office, please, 🙏 put a 5year pause on new regulation as its crippling the sme builder/developer.

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Ahead of RIBA's election event on climate action: Delivering a low carbon built environment at 2.00 this afternoon, UK AD has sent each candidate (Oluwafunmbi Adeagbo, Duncan Baker-Brown and Chris Williamson) and the current RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki PRIBA, an Open Letter containing a set of key actions. More radical and systemic change is required, with the greatest action needed at the highest leverage points involved in changing any system. It is here that key institutions such as the RIBA must lead. We call on all candidates for this new term of office to engage clearly and directly with these policies as the driving force for the RIBA’s actions on the planetary emergency in the short, medium and long terms:   - The mindset or paradigm out of which the system - its goals, power structure, rules, its culture - arises. - The goals of the system. - The distribution of power over the rules of the system. - The rules of the system (incentives, punishments, constraints). - Information flows. - Material flows and nodes of material intersection. - Driving positive feedback loops. These 7 leverage point headings are taken from the Donella Meadows essay on 'Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System'. The full text of the open letter expands on the headings, explaining how RIBA can engage with these leverage points to push forward meaningful change. You can find the full text of the Open Letter on the News page of our website here https://lnkd.in/eZ5wafzX. #openletter #riba #action #climate #ukarchitectsdeclare #climateemergency #ribaelections

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I think I know the answers that will come to this but… architects / planners. Thoughts on what this may do to workloads and finances? https://lnkd.in/e4FtSPtT * Restore mandatory housebuilding targets • Build 1.5m homes by the end of this parliament - including affordable and council homes • Create a new task force to accelerate stalled housing sites • Support local authorities with 300 additional planning officers across the country • Review planning applications previously turned down that could help the economy • Prioritise brownfield and greybelt land for development to meet housing targets when needed • Reform the planning system to "deliver the infrastructure that our country needs" • Set out new policy intentions for critical infrastructure in the coming months.

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This May marks the third anniversary of the first residents moving into the remarkably transformed Battersea Power Station. Its redevelopment attracted widespread attention as a high-profile example of mixed-use spaces that can revolutionise urban areas and the high street. The iconic building was reborn as a thriving mixed-use space with apartments, shops, restaurants and a brand-new park, catering to a variety of residents and visitors. Following the trend, new proposals are being prepared for Canary Wharf, transforming another famous landmark from a primarily commercial district into a residential-led mixed-use development. Tell us your views. What do you think about the role of mixed-use developments in city living? Are we getting the mix right? Or are they failing because housing developers don’t understand our urban centres and what makes them people-centric?

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Today, following the end of the purdah period associated with the UK elections, Glasgow City Council published their Draft Tall Building Design Guide Consultation. The deadline for responses to this document is the 30th of September 2024. https://lnkd.in/eWzNPWnj Iceni Projects' Glasgow Built Heritage and Townscape Team attended both Council In-House Consultations in person over the course of the last year, and we are glad to see the consultation document go live for all to comment on! This is an important guidance document for the city, in order to balance growth, innovation and the refocusing of our city centre post covid, into a mixed use, adaptable, liveable, and successful place, which protects the city's character, listed buildings and non heritage assets, within a strong but evolving townscape. The guidance should bring clarity in relation to how and where our clients and design teams will be supported by NRS Glasgow City Council in terms of bringing density and height to the city centre. We will be reading the document in detail of the course of the next few days, in order to provide our clients with a clear briefing as to what this 76 page guidance document (+ technical appendices) means for development in the city and for the planning process that supports applications. Needless to say, it means that our expertise in relation to Heritage and Townscape Visual Impact Assessments will become even more crucial, in fact obligatory, as we move forward, and as ever, we are here to help :-) #heritage #townscape #planning #htvia #heritageimpactassessment #heritagestatement #NPF4 #retrofit #resilientcities #Glasgow Scottish Property Federation Glasgow Chamber of Commerce #development #citycentreregeneration #liveableneighbourhoods #listedbuildings #nondesignatedheritageassets #ThegoldenZ #Districtframeworks Aidan Ball Albessard / James Wood

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CIAT publishes its recommendations for the next Government The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) has published its Be the change to lead the future of our built environment document, calling on political parties to work more closely with the built environment sector to tackle significant issues facing the country. Published to coincide with the anticipated general election, CIAT's document focuses on three core issues; low carbon and retrofit, building safety, and skills shortages and recognition.The Institute is calling for greater collaboration within the sector to address these critical areas, to ensure that we can create sustainable, resilient and inclusive communities for future generations.CIAT President, Eddie Weir PCIAT, said: "We present this three-point plan to the next UK Government, outlining key areas of focus to build a sustainable future for our nation. This will require a coordinated effort from Government, the sector, and communities to overcome barriers and accelerate progress towards a more sustainable and resilient built environment."The document can be accessed and downloaded here: https://lnkd.in/etPWzbT2 Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals https://lnkd.in/emBG7jEr

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Real estate figures have welcomed some “ambitious” proposals for the built environment in the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto, the first launched ahead of the 4 July general election. The party, led by Sir Ed Davey, said it will increase building of new homes to 380,000 a year across the UK, including 150,000 social homes, through 10 new garden cities and community-led development of cities and towns. “Government housebuilding targets are regularly missed and the shortage of affordable and social housing is at crisis point,” the party said. “Newly built homes are often energy inefficient and environmentally unfriendly. Too many new houses are built as leasehold and leaseholders still face large bills, not least because of the building safety scandal. Homelessness remains shamefully high. Local authorities’ powers to build the kind of homes needed in their areas are inadequate.” Read the manifesto and real estate's response in full ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ https://lnkd.in/eq9NFeba

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I wrote this article about market activity in the London Tall Buildings bubble just before the Mayoral Election and before any bets were placed on a July General Election. The sentiment remains current, albeit there seems to be a boost to market confidence in commercial investment in London following the political context emanating from Paris. Also of note here is that Planning Applications volumes for 2023 fell to lowest levels since 2011. This would seem to be a reflection of both low confidence in the planning system and lack of commitment to construction projects due to funding restrictions and high build costs. #london #planning #tallbuildings https://lnkd.in/erYYPJEF

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Thanks Brian Waters for inviting Adam Fothergill and I to give our thoughts on the topic of Permitted Development and Designing for Future Re-use at the London Planning & Development Forum last week! It was a fantastic panel and super interesting hearing the conversations around design codes from Colin Wilson, Ben Derbyshire PPRIBA FRSA HonAIA and Andy von Bradsky (summary: codes and AAPs should be high level, strategic and capture urban design aspirations) and the new City Plan from Gudrun Andrews (making the City a destination 7 days of the week, as well as development plans and how views of landmarks have shaped the tall building policy). Look out for more detail in the next edition of Planning in London!! Short synopsis of our thoughts on PD / future of conversion 👇 We talked about how turning unused office spaces into residential buildings is reshaping our urban landscapes, boosted by revised permitted development rules removing space and vacancy limits. This trend aligns with sustainable development goals and addresses high vacancy rates in high streets and low office occupancy in London. While navigating these rules can be complex, PD may offer quicker planning and construction processes and lower embodied energy. This led us to the conclusion that designing future buildings to be more adaptable from the outset would help increase reuse potential, creating environmentally, socially, and economically responsible urban environments for the future. #architecture #future #livingsectors #retrofitfirst #permitteddevelopment #PD #conversion #coliving #laterliving #residential

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This is a good article. Tall can be good if carefully planned/located, well designed and specified. But more importantly is what it comprises, how it meets local housing needs, how it supports as opposed to divide and dominate communities.

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It is always good to see the RIBA awards published at this time of year and there is more restoration/reuse and recognition of the need for lower energy use enroute for Net Zero. However, given the RIBA's ambitious targets for 2030, it would be helpful if the operational energy and whole life energy calculations were published for every project as a condition of being given an award. I like to review the uses as there are always a good collection of university and arts buildings and as usual over a quarter of the 121 awards are for private houses; but why are there only 2 health buildings, 5 schools and 7 that could be called office/commercial across the UK? I trust we are ready to make the case for high quality integrated design and construction for the new Government?Cullinan Studio The Edge Debate RIBA

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Looking at the NPPF through a Masterplanning & Urban Design lens, the continued commitment to well-designed homes, creation of healthy places, high quality housebuilding and making sure, through a number of safeguards, that the ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ does not lead to poorly designed development is all positive reinforcement of what we know is needed. The most significant change for me, however, lies in the clear references and points of change around increasing densities in urban areas.   Reversing the focus on local character to help determine acceptable densities for example is an interesting move. Although, understanding local character is important, there are other significant considerations that drive a need for higher densities than what exists, such as climate change and the viability of public services. But how ‘appropriate densities,’ will be determined is the challenge, if local character is no longer considered an important guide.   I was pleased to see that a strong commitment remains to Design Coding as a way of delivering great places. The change in emphasis is also interesting – moving from a District-wide approach to a greater emphasis on the preparation of ‘localised design codes, masterplans and guides’, which are focused on areas of change such as regeneration sites, areas of intensification, urban extensions and the development of large new communities. This area-based approach is also reflected in the use of ‘New Town Codes’ as proposed in today’s announced programme of New Towns. Perhaps working at this level we could provide greater clarity to design proposals and make it easier to encourage the engagement of local people who are likely to be more interested in specific sites that affect them.   Place making also features as part of the ‘golden rules’ identified in the updated NPPF to ensure public benefit is recognised in site delivery through access to good quality green space and community infrastructure. Less emphasis on the use of terms such as ‘beauty and beautiful’ is a welcome move in my opinion, given the challenge communities have in understanding and defining these subjective ideals. The new government’s preference for the continued promotion of the National Design Code and the National Model Design Code as the framework for creating well designed places feels more deliverable.

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As UKREiiF 2024 draws to a close my main takeout of the last 3 days at this engaging (and at times overwhelming!) event is that there is an incredible vision from all areas and sectors of the UK real estate to invest into a fair and sustainable growth, but there is also an endemic disjointed approach from operators and stakeholders. The greatest power of this conference lies in bringing so many people together, reflecting on many topics and experiences and highlighting how tranport strategies, energy supply, people and community investment, protecting and enhancing our natural environment, are some of the most vital infrastructure that is required for our built environment to thrive in the future. #Leeds #realestate #investments #propertydevelopment #architecture #socialvalue #sustainability

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A new park by LDA Design is at the heart of proposals for a £1 billion development in #Salford, submitted for #planning by Henley Investment Management Ltd with Savills and Matt Brook Architects. It will be the first park in the area in a generation. The development will transform the big box units of Salford’s Regent Retail Park to create a sustainable new place to live with a car-free core. The central green space sits within a wider two-hectare linear #park providing places to play and bringing close contact with nature. The #masterplan represents a 40% biodiversity net gain, transforming a large surface car park into a thriving green space. LDA Design delivered a #placemaking strategy prior to the #masterplan being developed to ensure landscape was at the heart of any new thinking for the area. LDA Design #Manchester studio lead Mark Graham said: “This is a significant development with landscape and placemaking at its heart. It demonstrates the importance of connecting new homes to playful, quality green space and investing in local infrastructure so that new and existing communities can benefit together.” A huge effort by many to get to this point, from LDA Design this includes: Mark Graham Ashleigh Davis and Sarah Brooks. https://lnkd.in/eicpcB2Z #Salford #Manchester #newhomes #homes #development #placemaking #landscape #landscapearchitecture #bettercity #greenercity #biodivesity #BNG

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Obligated to share Jason Boyle FRSA FRIBA’s post below. It is a sad indictment on our sector that we can produce such awful buildings. Let’s up the game and aim for the best designs and most sustainable solutions for our homes. 🏡 #sustainablilityleadership SDG 11 & 13

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Big visual change and it would be interesting to see the temporary works design and structural alterations needed to make it possible. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eXeFqaYZ #constructionconsulting #connectshareachieve #quantitysurveying #commercialmanagement #designmanagement #contractorsupport #construction

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