Planning Advice Note 67: housing quality

Planning Advice Note PAN 67 Housing Quality

Case Study 1 - The Drum - Phase 2 and 3, Falkirk

An adopted strategic master plan gave certain constraints for each phase such as density, road layout and drainage.

Working for the landowner Grange Estate, Cadell ² along with a valuer, a civil engineer and a planner evolved a potential layout and specification reflecting both the landowner's aspiration for design quality and anticipating constraints on developers wishing to ensure commercial viability.

This led to an illustrated Urban Design Framework document which covered the design of roads, houses, hard and soft landscape and park. The document included notes and diagrams describing design rational as well as streetscape sketches and an accurate layout setting out houses and garden walls, identifying different house groupings, and parking arrangements. (Courtyard houses for flat sites, terraces for slopes and a circus around an old mine shaft - all making the best of views, orientation, topography and site history).

The framework acted as a brief for the developer/architect teams competing in a design and bid competition for each phase. The purpose of including a design proposal was to demonstrate the design standards expected with a model solution addressing the constraints and demonstrating the opportunities of the site. However, the model solution was not intended as a prescription for the site nor has it turned out to be.

In the event the successful developers were able to address the aspirations of the framework whilst also making the most competitive offers. As a result innovative proposals have now been built and successfully marketed at phase 2 and are starting on site at phase 3.

Type 1 streetscape: courtyard house groups remove car parking from the public realm and create streets with a sense of enclosure. Walls give privacy to the gardens beyond.

Type 2 streetscape: terraced housing responding to the topography defines a shared public greenspace.

Type 3 streetscape: the general access road passing through all phases has a common character of paving, planting and semi mature street trees.

Boundaries: earth formation, perimeter hedges and structure planting will reinforce site enclosure whilst giving an attractive public face to the whole development.

Park: the street trees continue through the park.

Courtyard groupings:
the simple grouping of houses around a shared courtyard creates semi private spaces which are secure due to overlooking and intimate scale.

Coordinated master plan: a comprehensive plan allows integration between all phases and infrastructure.

Phase 3 framework plan: an example of a model plan used as part of the briefing package for this development phase.

Phase 3 competition proposals: the successful development proposals for Stewart Milne Homes by Malcolm Fraser Architects, with Horner + MacLennan Landscape Architects.

Linear park: a band of new parkland links the open countryside to the south and east with Kinnegars Park to the north.

Phase 2 work in progress: the successful development by Ogilvie Homes with Vernon Monaghan Architects, under construction.