Sustainable communities
16th January 2008, PAST EVENT, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
Where will communities of the future live in the North East? Which facilities will be available on their doorstep and how will places connect? Should residential areas be developed in the centre of cities or on the edge, and at what density? What choices are available to the North East?
Photo courtesy of Paul Medcalf
Tonight’s review is brought to you courtesy of:
• a planner’s city-led vision;
• the personal perspective of a private housebuilder; and
• a surveyor’s standpoint where society and the economy drive success.
The evening started out with what turned out to be a major theme throughout the discussion; the impact of stigma. Martin Crookston embellished on it, stating that ‘twenty to thirty years of mistaken social policy’ had led to neglect. He suggested we now have the opportunity to redress this embedded decline through developing cities. “Ludicrous!,” suggested others. There was a feeling that the pendulum had swung too far towards cities, disregarding the fact that there is limited demand for small, inflexible buildings and heading a warning to places like Sunderland not to over-develop in this area.
Photo courtesy of Paul Medcalf
Whatever the type of development, the question was soon raised, “who’s going to pay for this stuff?” By ‘stuff,’ we are, in the eyes of the housebuilder, referring to a romantic, utopian and downright fanciful concept. Some harsh realities were laid before us:
• people don’t want communal living, they want privacy;
• consumers want convention, not the quirky cladding evangelised by the sustainability brigade;
• ask ourselves – how often do we purchase from local shops, vis-à-vis out of town? And how much time do we spend mingling with strangers as against spending time in isolation on the internet?
A rational voice from the audience suggested what ‘the people’ want is choice, because we are all different. But we do all want quality and affordability.
Affordability? Unlucky, suggested Eric Morgan. Government plans for social housing cannot deliver because the numbers simply do not add up. It is for this reason that private housebuilders are being called on to subsidise this political hotbed of discontent.
In addition, housebuilders are being asked to become social engineers. Fears that the ‘pepper-pot’ approach to social housing would lead to ‘civil unrest’ only adds to a negative feeling about current approaches.
So where do we look to for optimism? Enter the young planner. She dismisses earlier claims by the developer that local authorities knock back quality build and public realm proposals because they render the development too expensive. Her reality is that planners and increasingly creative and informed urban designers, encourage quality but are told by developers that it is not possible within given budgets. Budgets that include shareholder profit you might ask? Well yes, because housebuilding is after all a commercial enterprise.
Behind the question, ‘who’s going to pay for this stuff,’ is perhaps, ‘well, why is it so expensive in the first place?’ It’s the economy, stupid, is one point of view. We are not listening to what people really want, and instead creating an artificially high paper-based market. Blame was also laid at the door of the local authorities for selling off land at such high prices. If those foundation costs were smaller, the end product would be cheaper. It’s not the price, it’s the permission contributed Phil Hughes. A stranglehold on numbers by Whitehall and the regional planning body is not only stifling what we can build, but has knock-on consequences on who we can attract into the area and who we can get to stay.
Photo courtesy of Paul Medcalf
Location will always be an important factor. ‘But we know where is good to build’ and about ‘the important relationship between location and transport.’ But this accepted wisdom seems lost, either to disagreement about the accepted wisdom or an inability/unwillingness to implement it (in the ever circular nature of these discussions, please read above for an attempt to explain why implementation is never so clear cut).
One clear demonstration of this came passionately form Eric. He was incredulous at the vast expenditure (one estimate puts £5.7million of investment into the west end of Newcastle in the last thirty years, with little improvement) into the worst affected areas. Why not build where there is already infrastructure and demand; where people, i.e. the market, dictate?
The final topic discussed extensively was ‘the machismo of density.’ The political explanation offered again points to the constraints of a Whitehall-centred planning policy. The pressure on Prescott to guard our greenfield led to a necessity to raise density. But think of the economics pleads Eric. Developers will naturally maximise density to maximise profit. Regulation should be on the size of units instead. It is suggested that the “unholy alliance” of politics and profit again rears its ugly head.
To close this summary on a positive note, I float the concept of eco-towns. Some praised the idea for the inspiration it brings, others were dissuaded by the way they are often proposed in remote areas, diverting people away from supporting more sustainable locations. The primary disincentive for developing such sites however, was stated as the financial losses incurred, as demonstrated by the Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED), the first large scale example of a carbon-neutral eco-community in the UK.
Northern Architecture is delighted therefore, to present BioRegional Quintain at our next public talk. They will discuss amongst things their vision for the sustainable regeneration of Riverside One in Middlehaven, Middlesbrough, hailed to become the largest zero carbon development in the UK and combined with a strong emphasis on design quality.
For more details on the forthcoming talk focusing on sustainable resources in Middlesbrough, click here. Passion, controversy and a will to solve are welcome.
If you were at the event and want to add a comment about the session, please email Northern Architecture on info@northernarchitecture.com
After gaining an MSc in sustainable regeneration, Victoria Eynon worked delivering environmentally sound housing led regeneration and in regional economic development policy. She currently works for National Energy Action, the leading fuel poverty charity campaigning for warm homes. Underlying her work and play is a desire for us to live in the functional, equitable and inspirational world we deserve and can achieve. She is collaborating with Northern Architecture on this project in a personal capacity.
Details of the chair and three panellists invited to lead this debate are below.
Chair: Phil Hughes, Ignite
Panel members:
Martin Crookston, Director, Llewelyn Davies Yeang
Martin Crookston is a Director at Llewelyn Davies Yeang and is responsible for the firm's economic and policy work. He is an economist and urban/regional planner with 34 years of experience in managing complex research and development projects for a wide range of corporate and public sector bodies both in Britain and overseas.
One of his most recent studies has been exploring the links between housing and the economy in the city regions of the North, on behalf of the Northern Way. Part of this considered the ways in which different areas would need to change in the future in order to meet the demands on an ever evolving economy.
As a member of the Richard Rogers Urban Task Force appointed by and reporting to the Deputy Prime Minister, Martin is frequently invited to speak and advise on issues of urban quality and management associated with the “Urban Renaissance” objectives of the current government.
Paul Medcalf, Divisional Land and Planning Manager, Bellway Homes Ltd
Paul Medcalf Dip TP, MRTPI is Divisional Land and Planning Manager at Bellway Homes Limited and sometime advisor to Leebell Developments Limited and Cramlington Developments Limited.
He began his career in what became the Department of Environment Planning Services in Whitehall before working in Development Planning at Northumberland County Council. In 1974 he moved to Castle Morpeth Borough Council, initially involved in development planning, coastal conservation and later regeneration before becoming Head of Development Control.
He moved to Bellway Homes in 1989 and advises the Company upon strategic mixed use and other development schemes and manages major residential proposals. He is an active member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Eric Morgan
Eric is a retired Chartered Surveyor and a director of Wm Leech Investments and related Charities, Hoults Estates and Next Level Developments a subsidiary of the ISOS Housing Group. He is also a trustee of Azure Charitable Trust and of The Reece Foundation. Previously he was regional Councillor of the CBI, an independent director of Bridging Newcastle Gateshead, the Government’s “pathfinder” project and a regional representative of CABE.
On housing matters, Eric believes that the balance between what planners want (high density schemes on inner city sites where people have recently chosen NOT to live) and what people want (lower density on attractive sites near good schools etc) is too much in the planners favour. On sustainability, too much emphasis is place on physical rather than social or economic issues. More importantly it is economics which drive housing markets and a better understanding of these economics is required if we are to have a successful housing strategy.
