Learning Point 95 Delivering Mixed Use Development in a New Neighbourhood
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CONTENTS Page 2
Contents
Page 3
Introduction
Page 4
Policy context
Page 5
Barriers and key issues
Page 7
Learning points
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What next?
Find out more
This report has been produced by A+DS with Douglas Wheeler Associates Limited, in partnership with the Scottish Government 2
INTRODUCTION
Image 1: (Glasgow Green). The East End extends from Glasgow Cross in the city Centre to the boundary with North and South Lanarkshire. The East End was once a major industrial centre.
WHAT ARE LEARNING POINTS?
Learning points share what people have learned from their experience in regeneration – from people working or talking together, or from research into issues and evaluation of what is happening. Learning points can help people and organisations to improve their practice through identifying what works and what doesn’t. The views described in learning points do not mean that the Scottish Government necessarily support them. They simply reflect what has been debated and what those involved at the event considered useful learning and lessons from their perspectives.
WHAT IS THIS LEARNING POINT ABOUT?
Image 1: Mixed Use Development. Bo01, Malmo, Sweden 3
This learning point summarises the learning from the A+DS/Clyde Gateway event: Delivering Mixed Use Development In A New Neighbourhood that was held at West of Scotland Housing Association on 5 May 2011 and attended by an invited group of people from a range of different disciplines including: planners; urban designers; architects; chartered surveyors; a funding specialist and a lawyer. It was facilitated by Douglas Wheeler. This learning point follows on from the learning point published in April 2011 that established a working definition of mixed use development (‘Barriers to Mixed Use’1) and principles to overcome specific barriers to delivering mixed use development. It explores the specific issues around delivering a mixed use neighbourhood at Dalmarnock Cross. Dalmarnock, in Glasgow’s East End, is an area of mixed residential and industrial character, where until recently regeneration has been a gradual process reflecting the complexity of land assembly, ground conditions and infrastructural problems.
POLICY CONTEXT Delivering reform of the planning system in Scotland has created a strong foundation of national guidance on mixed-use development. There is already a general acceptance that mixing uses both at the scales of the neighbourhood, street block and individual building can be valuable in producing vibrant, adaptable and pleasant environments. Mixed use can play a positive role in meeting challenges posed by the Climate Change Act by minimising travel, continuing to improve health and wellbeing and support demand for local goods and services. Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company (URC) was formally established in December 2007 as a partnership between Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government. The URC’s Operating Plan 2008 – 2011 identifies Dalmarnock, along with Shawfield, as having the greatest potential to contribute to the projected outputs of Clyde Gateway. Dalmarnock’s status as a priority district is underpinned by ongoing developments in the area in particular the East End Regeneration Route which will be completed in 2012 and the redevelopment of Dalmarnock Station which is scheduled for completion by November 2013. As a first step in redefining the area, the South Dalmarnock Integrated Urban Infrastructure Framework was prepared. The Framework envisages Dalmarnock Cross as a new Cross to be created adjacent to the East End Regeneration Route at Dalmarnock Road which will be the hub and local centre with local amenities and a redeveloped Dalmarnock Railway Station. It will also be a focal point for new office, retail and residential developments.
Region
Whole settlement
Block / Street Image 2: Dalmarnock Station is a vital transport hub for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and essential to the regeneration of the east end. It lies next door to what will be the Athletes’ Village in 2014 and is at the heart of Clyde Gateway’s regeneration area. 4
District
Plot
BARRIERS AND KEY ISSUES The main barriers and key issues that were identified were: Placemaking: What Kind Of Place Will Dalmarnock Cross Be? There was clear agreement about the need to build on the South Dalmarnock Integrated Urban Infrastructure Framework and identify what will make Dalmarnock Cross a distinctive mixed use place. In particular there was a requirement to identify and articulate the key elements of a 21st Century Glasgow Cross. As a result there would be more clarity on exactly the kind of neighbourhood that is being created: this is ‘not city centre or business park pavilions’ so what is it? Dalmarnock Cross is also the Gateway to National Indoor Sports Arena/ Velodrome/Celtic Park and so will perform a particular function on event days.
Image 3: Construction of NISA (National Indoor Sports Arena) and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome began on a 10.5-hectare site in Dalmarnock at the beginning of 2010
Articulating What Is Distinctive About the Dalmarnock Cross Neighbourhood As a response, a neighbourhood focusing on the redeveloped Dalmarnock Railway Station could be a particularly sustainable form of mixed use development. A mix of mid-rise (4/5 storey buildings) and activities around the rail station and interlacing the area with pedestrian amenities would be a direct response to more car-dependent business park and estate residential locations. The focus on mixed use could be combined with ‘green urbanism’ measures to reduce energy use, emissions, water pollution, and waste production. This could include pocket parks and community gardens rather than hard surfaced car parks. Renewable energy might come from solar and wind power, as well as biofuels. Insulation, tripleglazed windows, airtight construction, and use of low-impact building materials would further shrink the environmental footprint of the Dalmarnock Cross neighbourhood. Case For Distinctive Sustainable Development: Stimulating Demand In addition to being a vibrant place, this would be a particularly sustainable form of development because, firstly, higher-density buildings have lower heating and cooling costs from the embedded energy savings of shared-wall construction. Second, higher densities can support district heating/cooling and combined heat and power, two of the best ways to improve energy efficiency in buildings. Third, higher densities enable innovations that rely on volume. For example, producing renewable energy from wastewater is only possible in a high-density setting. 5
The actual financial savings from lower energy bills and reduced transportation costs in the Dalmarnock Cross neighbourhood could be promoted to increase the demand for this kind of more ‘compact living’.
Image 4: Mixed use development can create vibrant, walkable cities
The intermixing of housing, shops, restaurants, workplaces, and other uses locates many destinations close together and so encourage more walking and cycling: not only to reach the rail station, but also to enjoy in-neighbourhood shopping and socialising. Having both commercial and residential uses in proximity also allows the complementary heat and energy needs of commercial and residential spaces to be matched. There is far more waste heat from commercial uses than there is demand for commercial hot water for example, so adding adjacent residential space allows the reuse of a higher proportion of commercial waste heat. In the future charging stations and electric-battery swap depots could also be part of the rail station.
BARRIERS AND KEY ISSUES Development Economics: Resilient Places: Delivering Investment & Occupiers Despite the strong case for higher density mixed use development there was real concern about the market’s ability to deliver because of reluctance from potential residential and commercial occupiers and investors. It was noted that in terms of the commercial office market, multi level high density business space is traditionally regarded as being located in prime city centre sites/buildings. The higher value of prime locations can cover the increased level of specification and other additional user requirements. Offices in city centre locations also have low levels of car parking due partly to the advantages of proximity and close business relationships within walking distance of each other, high land value costs make car parking expensive to provide and good public transport serves as a suitable alternative to the use of the private car. Outside the inner city core and in secondary locations, business space is traditionally arranged within more “affordable” 2 / 3 storey Class 4 accommodation with occupiers requiring good access to road networks and good levels of car parking provision. There also needs to be a degree of flexibility in the ‘terms of offer’ for such accommodation as businesses may wish to lease or purchase the premises. The view was that high density office space outside the inner core in a location like Dalmarnock Cross may struggle to attract funding as there will be little market evidence to support this kind of proposal at the present time. Whilst the market conditions are challenging the Framework provides a twenty year vision for the area which will hopefully see market conditions improve.
Therefore to retain existing East End local residents and business by offering housing and business space choice as well as attracting new residents/businesses to occupy the 4/5 storey buildings at the new Dalmarnock Cross was seen as a significant challenge. On the one hand identifying target economic sectors that would generate occupiers and clarifying their property requirements was seen as crucial. On the other hand there is possibly a tendency to focus more on ‘hard’ economic interventions including promoting small business start-ups, inward investment, the availability of land and premises for business: rather than ‘softer’ aspects of place, such as good transport connections, community and business networks and an environmentally sustainable neighbourhood.
which is realistic about the future opportunities and challenges, needs to be articulated. Area Management Structure & Factoring Arrangements There is a potential barrier because of the difficulty of reconciling different environmental health and building control requirements within a mixed use development like Dalmarnock Cross. Addressing these issues at the early detailed master planning stage is crucial. As a result of the more intensive use and extended use patterns, regular and high quality maintenance is even more important with mixed use development focussing on Dalmarnock Station.
It seems secondary factors are also important in determining economic strength and resilience2; in particular, ‘the interacting roles of the public, social and commercial economies, together with wider factors such as strong transport links, health, aspiration and environment’. As a result longer-term investors at Dalmarnock Cross and growing existing local businesses may value other aspects of a place rather than short term incentives and subsidised infrastructure. These aspects could include local community and business networks, quality of life, access to further education and training, and connections to markets. Success at Dalmarnock Cross could also be about providing effective and high quality services such as schools and hospitals or where there is a high quality natural environment. This kind of alternative ‘honed vision’ for a successful Dalmarnock Cross, 6
Image 5: 4/5 Storey developments outside the inner city core face significant challenges to find new occupants
LEARNING POINTS What has been learned? Delivery Principles Placemaking: A Resilient Dalmarnock Cross Neighbourhood The South Dalmarnock Integrated Urban Infrastructure Framework is a good starting point but there is a need for more details and clarity on what will make the Dalmarnock Cross neighbourhood a distinctive place. This could be based on the vision of a very sustainable higher density mixed use development focussing on the redeveloped Dalmarnock Railway Station. Encouraging building formats/structures that are more adaptable to different uses over time will be vital. It will be important to illustrate the ‘ground texture’ of this vision, in the context of 4/5 storey buildings. This ‘honed vision’ and the more detailed case needs to be articulated and publicised. Secondary factors are also important in determining economic strength and resilience such as local community and business networks, good transport connections, quality of life and improving environmental sustainability in the neighbourhood. Need For Closer Integration of Land Use Planning with Economic Development There is a tendency to use a fairly narrow definition of what we mean by ‘local economy’ which is constrained to issues around jobs, levels of GVA, skills and productivity. Widening the consideration to include other aspects of a place, such as community and business networks, quality of life, access to further education and training and connections to markets is essential. A high quality environment at
Dalmarnock Cross which attracts people to the area either to work or live or both will include good public transport connections, public green space, access to the river and community sports facilities as part of the Commonwealth Games legacy and an emphasis on environmental conservation. This could also include provision of allotments and strong policies on green space in planning. New Models To Deliver Mixed Use Development & Fund Infrastructure: CGURC Role Clyde Gateway’s role has to be long term and includes actions that are already underway namely: site assembly; master planning; procuring design teams; infrastructure and remediation investment; recycling investment/any land/disposal values; public realm investment. Clyde Gateway also needs to continue to liaise with investors and promote the ‘honed vision’ and progress on site to potential occupiers and residents to build confidence in Dalmarnock Cross. Other specific suggestions included Clyde Gateway: • Taking a longer term ownership stake to develop/own/manage/incentivise occupiers, to include for example a budget hotel, in the first instance and look to long term investors, like pension funds, to invest in occupied buildings. • Negotiating ‘progressive land values’ that reflect on the difficulty of the particular opportunity. It would be possible to package more and less difficult opportunities to spread risk. 7
Neighbourhood Parking Solution To take account of business and residents reluctance to accept lower parking provision in the short term, despite the redeveloped and improved Dalmarnock Railway Station and enhanced bus service, a phased and flexile neighbourhood parking solution should be explored. This would include using spare land for temporary parking. In due course the aim should be to promote more valuable neighbourhood multi storey parking as an investment opportunity in parallel with significant promotion of the much improved public transport connections. Promoting Creative Industries & Temporary Uses Part of the Dalmarnock Cross Neighbourhood regeneration response might be to encourage the ‘creative industries’ to colonise part of area. This kind of temporary use of buildings/sites by WASPS for example would create some early interest, energy/ enthusiasm and engage with local residents. The creative industries could also stimulate the evening and night-time economy. Management & Maintenance Establish a clear proactive management and maintenance regime for the Dalmarnock Cross neighbourhood that reflects the different intensity and temporally nature of the uses. This kind of regime and proactive after-care will ensure that the quality of the mixed use Dalmarnock Cross neighbourhood is maintained and continually enhanced so that it remains a vibrant, pleasant and sustainable environment and as a result most property values will continue to improve.
WHAT NEXT?
FIND OUT MORE
What needs further exploration?
Scottish Government Architecture & Place Division
Policy For mixed use development, planning in the traditional land use sense is not flexible enough and still tends to encourage fixed proportions of single uses: explore introducing a new planning designation in the form of a ‘flexible’ land use category: presumption in favour of a good idea as opposed to presumption in favour of retail/shops.
This document is published by the Scottish Government. If you would like to find out more about this publication, please contact Geraldine McAteer in the Architecture and Place Division of the Scottish Government on 0131 244 0347. The views expressed in this Learning Point are not necessarily shared by the Scottish Government.
Practice How can land use planning and economic development be more closely integrated and be part of the mainstream in Scotland? Does this require more dissemination, training and skills development? Research How can the softer ’aspects of place, such as local community and business networks, neighbourhood environmental sustainability be taken into account in a wider social cost benefit analyses? Next Steps The issues identified at this event will form part of a programme for follow up events to provide support and help people to exchange information and ideas about delivering mixed use development. If you would like to find out more contact diarmaid.lawlor@ads.org.uk, geraldine.mcateer@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or view www. douglaswheelerassociates.com
References (1) Scottish Government Directorate for the Built Environment research on ‘Barriers to Delivering Mixed Use Development’ by Douglas Wheeler Associates, With Ann Flint Associates, Austin-Smith: Lord, Edinburgh College of Art (School of Architecture-ScotMark) (2) Productive Local Economies: Creating Resilient Places: Neil McInroy and Sarah Longlands: CLES: December 2010 Sarah Longlands: CLES: December 2010
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