The Jersey Architecture Commission
Introduction
The Minister for Planning and Environment has created the Jersey Architecture Commission.
Members of the new Commission were appointed following a competitive interview process. The Commission brings together a wealth of expertise in architecture, planning and urban design to advise the Minister and Planning officers on Architecture and design. The Chairman of the Panel is Jersey resident Marcus Binney, CBE, Hon FRIBA, an architectural writer and critique of international repute.
It will give independent, statutory, expert guidance on major and sensitive developments in Jersey and will be an optional service available to applicants.
The Commission will work with the Planning and Environment Department, agents and developers to promote and support the highest possible standards of design in the built environment. The Commission will be available to offer advice on a variety of schemes including schemes significant in terms of their scale, schemes that are particularly sensitive in terms of their location and schemes involving heritage and conservation.
The Commission will initially meet every second month to review schemes at an early stage in the development process selected by the Minister or Director of Planning and with the agreement of the applicant. There will be no obligation for any applicant to see the Commission even if requested to do so by the Minister. Applicants will be invited to make a presentation to the Commission who will then issue a written report to the applicant and the Planning Department giving the guidance of the Commission. It will focus on how well the scheme relates to the principles of good design and give a series of constructive comments. The advice will then be used in the assessment process of any planning application.
Commissioners will be required to declare any interests they may have of a financial, familial, or any other kind, which may be perceived as making them less than able to consider applications impartially. Commissioners will leave the review for the duration of the Commission’s consideration of the matter where they have such an interest.
Purpose and Scope
To provide an external independent forum for Jersey through which the promotion
of good architecture and urban design which is sensitive to context can take place.
To provide a forum through which external views on the design of new development
schemes can be obtained.
To work with architects and developers practising in Jersey to offer design guidance
for new schemes.
Status
It will be a statutory consultee of the Planning and Environment Department and an
external independent voice for architecture and design in Jersey. It will act in the
public interest to foster discussion and increase the debate on good architecture on
the island.
Commission make up
The Commission will be made up of up of formally-appointed Commissioners. At least three Commissioners will be called to each design review.
The Commissioners are representative of the following areas:
a) Experience in the field of architecture, design and heritage.
b) Current architectural practice
c) Urban and Landscape design
The Commissions main link to the States of Jersey will be via the Architect and
Architectural Adviser to the Minister for Planning and Environment (Executive Officer
to the Commission) who will brief and provide advice to the Commission.
Appointments will run for between two to three years from appointment date.
Code of Conduct and declarations of interest
Professional applicants currently in private practice will need to demonstrate how they will avoid any conflicts of interest. All Commissioners will be asked to sign a conflict of interest declaration.
Chairing
The Commission will be chaired by a member of the Commission.
The Chairman will be selected from the nominated Commissioners initially by the Minister for the Environment for a two year period after which the Chairman will be elected by majority of UK based Commissioners from 2012.
The Chairman will appoint a non Jersey based vice- chairman.
The Chairman will approve items to be included on the agenda.
The Chairman will agree the final report issued to applicants.
Regularity of meetings/Time commitment and expected outputs
It is envisaged that a formal meeting of the Commission will take place every two months to consider major applications referred to the panel. Where appropriate, and with particularly significant schemes, projects by architects, planners and developers can be assessed by the Panel, where an early view would be useful to developers in the pre-application stage of proposals.
Meetings will be held in private with attendance restricted to the Client body, although the Commission may request Officers to attend.
Meetings will be scheduled for one day in duration and will include up to four presentations dependant on the complexity, sensitivity and scale of projects put forward for the meeting.
Additional meetings may be called if necessary and with the agreement of the panel members.
Members of the Commission will also be expected to act pro-actively for the design agenda for Jersey over and above the formal scheduled meetings. In order to do this, prospective members will need to bring an element of service in the public interest to their role.
These terms of reference will be subject to bi-annual review by the Minister for Planning and Environment.
Guidance for Presentation to the Commission.
Commission Meetings
There are Full Meetings of the Commission every second month. The Commission with up to four members present reviews four cases (two in the morning and two in the afternoon) normally allocating one-and-a-half hours for each.
In exceptional circumstances the Commission will review schemes with a minimum of two members as directed by the Chairman at irregular intervals.
As the above implies, the Panel will often be willing to review a scheme more than once at different stages.
Panel meetings are not public meetings and attendance is by invitation only. They are held in St Helier and from time to time elsewhere.
Regularity of Meetings, Time Commitments and Expected Output
It is envisaged that a formal and full meeting of the Commission will take place every two months. Where appropriate, and for particularly significant schemes, commissioned work by architects, planners and developers can be assessed by the Panel, where an early view would be useful to developers in the pre-application stage of proposals. These meetings will be scheduled for one day in duration.
The Commission with up to four members present, the Chairman, a UK based Commissioner, a Jersey based Commissioner and the Executive Officer will review four cases (two in the morning and two in the afternoon) normally allocating one-and-a-half hours for each.
.Additional meetings may be called if necessary with the agreement of the panel members and the department.
Members of the Commission will also be expected to act pro-actively for the design agenda for Jersey over and above the formal scheduled meetings. In order to do this, Commissioners will need to bring an element of service in the public interest to their role.
Types of Schemes to Put Forward
Development proposals should be put forward to the Commission that are significant because of their size or public impact, their sensitivity, because of the strategic location of the site or because they exemplify persistent design problems facing developers from the Planning Department or interest groups such as the National Trust and Societe Jersiaise.
How Schemes Are Put Forward
The Commission will meet every second month and will look at schemes selected by the Director of Planning including commercial and residential developments, urban and rural regeneration, landscape improvements, engineering projects, heritage conservation, and cultural provision. Developers may also request that their schemes are put forward for review at cost.
Although the Commission has an important role, it is not a part of the statutory planning process. Schemes are brought to the Panel freely and voluntarily and there will be no obligation on any party to put forward a scheme for review. The Panel itself decides what schemes it will accept for review.
Early consultation with the Commission is essential, when the project is at a formative stage and when the expertise and advice through the Commission can be most effective. Typically this will be early in the pre-application stage, once the basic design approach has been defined.
Schemes brought forward at an earlier stage will be more beneficial to the Client body, indeed some schemes may not be part of any formal planning process. If requested by a client body these types of schemes and those that are requested for review at pre-application stage the client body will be asked to pay costs of the Commission meeting.
Schemes that are presented at a later stage in the planning process will therefore be more informative to the Planning Officers as part of the decision making process.
The Commission may be willing to review a scheme more than once at different stages.
Meetings are not public meetings and attendance is by invitation only. All participants will be informed of the venue for specific meetings.
Before the Meeting
To request a review, contact the Executive Officer. Please supply an outline of the scheme in a few lines (including scheme title, location, stage reached) giving any particular reasons why a review is sought. It is helpful to clarify the stage reached with the Planning and Environment Department (including name and contact details of the appropriate officer).
The Executive Officer will then decide (in consultation with the Chairman) if it is a case the Commission will take and if so in what form of review and when.
Once a date has been confirmed for a future Commission meeting, the design team will be asked to supply a synopsis. 1-2 pages A4, this will be sent in advance to Commission members attending the meeting. It should include:
· Name of project
· Design team
· Site address
· Type of planning application with date submitted/date anticipated for submission. Main statutory constraints (registered buildings, green zone etc).
The emphasis should be on the background, the context and the brief rather than a detailed description of the scheme. Location and site plans should be appended (they will be used for a site visit) and photographs of the site and any existing buildings on the site. The synopsis may be supported by a small selection of drawings and digital images; alternatively, a web address should be given on which one can view the images.
The typical timetable in the run up to the meeting is for the synopsis/location and site plans to be required two weeks before the meeting date.
The agenda sent to the Commission members attending the meeting will be copied to the design team and Planning and Environment Department.
The principal line of communication is between the Executive Officer and the primary contact in the design team. It is down to the primary contact in the design team to liaise with colleagues in the design team and with the client. For example, it is down to the primary contact to ask the client to attend and contribute to the meeting.
Presentations
For full meetings and new cases the Commission asks for a presentation of the scheme.
On returning cases a presentation will not normally be required and it is possible to begin with a recap and an outline of developments since the scheme first came to the Commission. Then discussion follows, often over drawings etc on the table.
The content of the presentation at full meetings on new cases will depend upon the size, scale and nature of the project and the stage it has reached in its development. The material in this section gives guidelines but some flexibility is possible. In particular presentations for new cases will usually be less elaborate than for full meetings.
The Commission does not wish to have schemes held back until a fully-prepared and polished presentation can be produced. On the contrary, it prefers to see schemes at an early stage and will not mind if presentations reflect this.
Presentation Format
Those presenting to the Panel may use display panels, drawings, models, photographs and PowerPoint presentations. Other media by negotiation.
Panels and drawings for pinning up: A1 is preferred.
For meetings at the Panel’s usual venue (TBC) display screens are available and Velcro or pins will be provided. For other venues, details will be advised.
The maximum size for pinned-up displays is 12 A1 spaces.
Models are one of the best ways of communicating the concept and design of a project and their use is encouraged wherever possible. Even ‘rough sketch models’ can be useful. Perspectives and birds eye views may be suitable for larger projects.
Powerpoint presentations including fly-throughs are acceptable but work best when complemented by static displays as they are sequential and make it difficult to refer quickly to an aspect or to look at one aspect in conjunction with another. Panel discussions will tend to focus on displayed drawings, diagrams and models.
Hard copy material may be delivered to the Panel office/meeting venue ahead of the meeting but only by prior arrangement.
When documents are brought to be handed out, please have at least five copies to distribute: one for each of the four on the Panel, and one for the Commission records.
Presentation Content
The following will often be expected:
· A plan showing the site in relation to adjoining properties, access routes and the movement network. A location plan showing the site in relation to its wider context is also useful. Aerial photographs of the site and its surroundings can be very useful in this regard. It may be useful to illustrate the historical development of the urban form over time, and it will always be important to indicate designations such as registered buildings / green zones etc. Photographs of the site and existing buildings should be supplied.
· Site plans clearly showing land ownership including public and privately owned areas and the extent of land owned by the client are essential. These should indicate the specific areas that are to be built on those that are not, buildings for demolition, retention and/or refurbishment. Sections across the site are often useful, especially where the topography is an important factor.
· Landscape analysis and details of the landscape approach.
· Plans, sections and elevations of proposed buildings.
· Photomontages and views demonstrating the development in its context.
· Detailed drawings communicating the architectural approach and materials.
Format of the Meeting
The Chairman of the Commission will invite the client, design team, planning case officer and/or other stakeholders to contribute in turn.
The presentation usually begins with a short overview presented by the client describing the aspiration and concept for the project and the brief established and issued to the design team (5 minutes maximum).
Following this comes the main part of the presentation by the architect or lead designer to present the project (up to 25 minutes).
The Commission will expect the project to be explained in particular order, first by outlining the brief and describing the nature of the intended site and its context and moving on to a broad description of the design proposal and the principles used before concentrating on the detail of the scheme.
The case officer will then be asked to comment on the policy background, key issues and (if they wish) to give their views of the proposals (5 minutes).
If the scheme involves buildings or sites of historic significance, representatives of Jersey Heritage Trust / National Trust and Societe Jersiaise may be invited to comment (5 minutes).
It is open to any of the above – client, design team, local planning authority, Jersey Heritage / National Trust / Societe Jersiaise – during their contributions to invite the Panel to address particular issues on which guidance would be particularly welcome.
Following the presentation, questions are asked of any of those presenting by members of the Panel. There is then discussion, often around the model or other visual material (30-40 minutes).
Towards the end of the discussion the Chairman will usually endeavour to draw together the consensus of the meeting and summarise the main points of guidance that have emerged.
The Panel will then discuss the scheme in closed session still using the displayed material (10-20 minutes). Those presenting are asked to withdraw – but to remain nearby to collect their material at the end of the session.
Attending the Meeting
The Panel welcomes having the client or a representative of the client organisation present.
The size and range of the design team who come will vary with the nature and complexity of the scheme. Frequently, there will be representatives of the architects, planners and landscape architects involved. Sometimes others will attend too e.g. transport, engineering, heritage, environmental sustainability, ecology.
For the Department of Planning and Environment, the representative is often the Assistant Director of Development Control (or similar). Sometimes others will attend too e.g. transport, heritage. The Panel welcomes having representatives of planning policy as well as development control. The Director of Planning and Chief Officer are also welcome to attend as well are elected States Members.
After the Meeting
A formal written response will be sent to the Minister of the Environment and copies sent to the primary contact in the design team and to the .Department of Planning and Environment and to other interested bodies.
When a scheme is in the public domain – that is, if it is the subject of a planning application or is being publicised by its promoters – then the guidance letter is a public document.
When a scheme is not in the public domain, the Commission’s view is not made public and the letter carries a caveat*.
With regard to material submitted a similar split applies. When a scheme is in the pubic domain then the Commission assumes that material submitted is public and that the Commission may make use of it in its own publications, presentations, web material etc. When a scheme is not in the public domain, then material will not be published without the permission of the clients and/or designers.
*Since the scheme was not the subject of a planning application when it came to the Commission, this letter is offered in confidence to the addressee and those listed as being sent copies. There is no objection to the letter being shared within the respective practices/organisations. The Jersey Architecture Commission reserves the right to make the guidance known should the views contained in this letter be made public in whole or in part (either accurately or inaccurately). The letter would also be made available to any public inquiry concerning the scheme. The Jersey Architecture Commission also reserves the right to make the guidance available to a subsequent meeting for the same site (or, if relevant, an adjacent site) or to another design review should a scheme go before them. If you do not require this letter to be kept confidential, please let me know.
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