Design Statements

27 October 2006

​​​PUBLIC CONSULTATION

Draft Supplementary Planning Guidance

Issued by the Planning and Environment Department on 27 October 2006

PURPOSE OF CONSULTATION: To secure comment about the content of the draft Supplementary Planning Guidance: Building Design and Policy G4 – Design Statements (October 2006) and specifically to secure answers to the following questions:

1) Is it clear what and who the guidance is for?

2) Is greater clarity on design statements needed?

3) Is the reason for design statements as part of planning application understood?

DEADLINE FOR RESPONSES: Friday 1 December 2006

FURTHER INFORMATION AND FEEDBACK: Please send your comments to:

Peter Thorne Planning and Building Services South Hill St. Helier JE2 4US

Tel. 448416 Fax 448451 Email p.thorne@gov.je

DETAILS OF THIS PROPOSAL HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS / ORGANISATIONS

• States of Jersey Environment Scrutiny Panel
• Chief Minister’s Communications Unit Consultative Panel
• Association of Jersey Architects

Planning and Environment Minister’s Department
27 October 2006

Planning consult on design statements

Planning and Environment Minister Senator Freddie Cohen has published a public consultation paper on design statements which support planning applications. The consultation paper suggests a number of items that should be included in design statements and the rationale behind these suggestions.

This is one of a number of initiatives that the Minister has launched to achieve his objective of significantly improving the quality of building and urban design in Jersey.

A policy requiring Design Statements to be submitted with certain applications was included in the Island Plan in 2002. The Planning and Environment Minister has now issued draft Supplementary Planning Guidance, which sets out the requirements for the content of such statements, and the types of applications for which they are submitted. The requirements do not however apply to all applications.

“Since I became Minister it has surprised me that in many cases applications simply do not contain sufficient information to enable us to give proper consideration to the proposal” said Senator Cohen. “Applications often contain inadequate information about the context of the proposal – such as the position, height and appearance of adjoining buildings. The new requirements will mean that the applicants, through their architects and agents, have to accurately survey the site and its surroundings. These statements will enable them to think critically how their proposal fits in and relates to its context. I believe that such an investment of time by the applicant, at the pre-application stage, will make it easier for the Department and its politicians to understand what is being proposed, and thus lead to better decisions.. We will also be requiring physical models of larger schemes as this is an essential tool in making good planning decisions. This is all part of a gradual process to improve the quality and design of new buildings in our Island”

The draft guidance has been published as a consultation paper. The Consultation period runs from 27 October to 1 December and a copy of the paper is available from either Planning and Building Services (South Hill) or on www.gov.je. Comments are invited from anyone with an interest and should be sent to Peter Thorne at Planning and Building Services, South Hill, St Helier or emailed to p.thorne@gov.je .

Contacts
Senator Freddie Cohen 07797 714550
Minister for Planning and Environment

• Policy G4 of the 2002 Island Plan describes the purpose of a design statement.
• Consultation period extends from 27 October 2006 – 1 December 2006
• The text of the document is attached
• It is suggested that the requirement for a design statement will only apply to proposals larger than 100 square metres in area (about the size of a modest three-bedroom house

Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG)

Consultation Draft

Island Plan Policy 2002
Building Design and Policy G.4 - Design Statements

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The Minister for Planning and Environment is determined to raise significantly the standard of building design in the Island. He has introduced a number of initiatives to achieve this aim, including fostering a close working relationship with the architectural profession in Jersey, making it the theme of Architecture Week 2006 and setting-up a Design Review Group in the Planning and Environment Department. He also proposes to restructure the planning department to ensure there is greater focus on high quality design in new buildings.

Design Principles

Early in his term of office, the Minister adopted, on an interim basis pending the results of consultation on this document, a set of design principles, which has evolved as follows:

“The Minister has made it clear that he has very particular objectives for the design of new buildings in Jersey .

The following bullet points reflect his aims in this respect, and should be regarded by applicants, the Planning Applications Panel and the Department as his design policies:

We should aim for the highest standards in the design of new buildings in Jersey ;

High standard traditionally designed schemes, modern interpretations of traditional schemes and modern architectural schemes should all be encouraged. The emphasis must be on quality.

New buildings should generally be designed having regard to their context. They should be appropriate to their surroundings, from which they should draw reference, in terms of building form, mass, height, materials and so on;

New buildings should reflect their relevance to Jersey . This may be achieved in a number of ways, including:

• the modern interpretation of familiar or traditional architectural details;
• form;
• the proportion of windows and the relationship between solid and void on elevations;
• colours; and
• the materials used
• In the residential sector in particular, the Minister would prefer to see developments that are reasonably spacious and will be amending the existing Design of Homes guidance to this effect, following consultation with the Environment Scrutiny Panel.
• Proposals for larger schemes should be properly and accurately illustrated, within their context, and represented by physical models, 3D computer models, and photo montages.”

Do you agree with the Minister’s Design Principles?

Design Statements

The submission of design statements with planning applications will assist further in achieving the Minister’s principles. They should demonstrate that the principles of good design have been taken into account in the preparation of proposals. The statements should analyse the site and its context, set out the design principles that have been adopted and demonstrate how the design solution achieves the objectives of good design.

Design Statements have two particular advantages:

• Their preparation enables the designer to think about his design in a structured manner, so that all relevant matters have been taken into account in the design, such as respect for its surroundings, how it improves the environment and so on;

• They enable those considering the applications, whether they are clients, observers or decision-makers, to gain a clear understanding of the matters that have been considered by the designer, and what the rationale is for the proposed design solution.

Policy G4 of the Island Plan 2002 deals with design statements in support of applications for planning permission. The purpose of this supplementary guidance is to clarify the circumstances in which a design statement should be submitted, and to explain more fully what their content should be.

The Island Plan

The supporting text and Policy G4 of the Island Plan are reproduced below:

“Design Statements

4.15
A design statement may be requested to accompany planning applications at the discretion of the Planning & Environment Department. Certain types of proposals will, however, always require a statement:

• any development (other than minor alterations) in the Zone of Outstanding Character;
• any development that directly affects a Site of Special Interest (or proposed SSI); or
• a building more than five storeys high.

4.16
The design statement will provide the (Minister) with justification for the design and the likely impacts on the landscape and built environment. The design statement is intended to be as much a facilitating mechanism to promote design quality as it is a controlling mechanism.

4.17
The design statement will cover all aspects of design and not simply the appearance of a building, structure or space. In the wider interests of sustainability, the applicant should have regard to the nature and origin of construction materials, the energy inputs required for construction and the lifetime energy requirements of the development. A construction and energy audit will therefore form a part of the design statement.

Policy G4 – Design Statements

Where a development is likely to have a significant impact on the quality and character of the physical and visual environment due to its location, scale or type of development, the Planning & Environment Department will require an applicant to submit a design statement with the planning application.

The design statement should provide details as to how the development responds to the need for quality design and in particular should, where appropriate, set out:

1. the principles of the design, describing how the design will enhance, re-interpret and complement the character of the area;
2. how the proposed development satisfies the requirements of any relevant development brief or planning framework;
3. a detailed landscape and visual impact assessment;
4. the extent to which the proposal retains or creates open space and evidence of its appropriateness in terms of the intended end users of the development; and
5. the construction materials to be used and their origins, the energy requirements for the construction of the development and an energy forecast for the life of the building.”

Notwithstanding the statement in paragraph 4.15 of the Island Plan, the Minister is keen to see Design Statements for most applications. To that end, Design Statements will be required for any development comprising more than 100m2 of new building (gross internal area (GIA)).

Do you agree that design statements should be provided for all developments above 100 square metres?

In addition to the requirements of the above policy, Design Statements should contain the following information:

1. a written statement describing fully the proposal and the underlying design principles;
2. a detailed site appraisal accurately indicating;

• the height and shape of adjoining buildings on and around the site
• local architectural details and materials
• points of access
• spaces between buildings
• changes of levels, existing trees and vegetation, and boundaries and their means of enclosure
• ecological features such as watercourses, ponds and wildlife habitats
• known historic buildings or structures, which should be surveyed in detail if they are directly affected by the proposals
• orientation
• local utility services, including those on site;

1. an environmental audit dealing with waste management, type and sourcing of construction materials, efficient energy and water consumption and so on
2. perspective drawings, annotated sketches, sketch details and notes of materials for any significant architectural features
3. drawings, photographs and an accurate physical model identifying the key features of the site and its topographical context, any potential impact on adjoining properties, how these can be mitigated, and the design principles of the proposal

NB. It is recognised that for smaller and less complex proposals not all of the above may be necessary – the Department can advise on what is necessary when giving pre-application advice. For smaller developments of up to 1000 square metres gross internal area, a computer-generated 3D model will normally be an acceptable alternative to a physical model.

Do you agree with the suggested contents of design statements?

Some basic principles

The Department’s Design Review Group has been set up to review the design of proposals before, or shortly after, the submission of an application. Its twin objectives are to ensure that the quality of design is raised, and to ensure that there is a consistency of approach to design matters within the Department.

It has identified a number of common themes when assessing design proposals. The best proposals are:

1. Simple – a clear exposition of a single design philosophy
2. Not overdeveloped – too many proposals suffer from being too overbearing on their neighbours, too large a building footprint, and often too much excavation
3. Respectful – of their neighbours, the local context and the site/area topography
4. Have local relevance, even if contemporary in design.

Design Guidance

The Planning Department is working in conjunction with the Association of Jersey Architects to produce an illustrated guide to good architectural design. When published, this will provide clear illustrations and examples of how the Minister’s principles can, and have, been applied in practice.

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Who to contact

Persons wishing to comment on this consultation document should submit the views in writing (letter or e-mail) to the following:

Peter Thorne

Director of Planning and Building Services
Planning and Environment Department
South Hill
St Helier
JE2 4US

direct dial: +44 (0) 1534 448416
fax: +44 (0) 1534 445528
e-mail: p.thorne@gov.je