Architecture + Design Scotland

Whitecross Masterplan

20 April 2010

Introduction

This report relates to the masterplan for a major enlargement of Whitecross, Falkirk around the site of the former Manuel Brickworks, which was presented at an A+DS Design Review meeting held on 23^rd February 2010 in Edinburgh. This project is part of the Scottish Government's Scottish Sustainable Community Initiative (SSCI). The project was reviewed when it was the subject of a PAN (Proposal of Application Notice) and the subsequent issue of the report on 11^th March 2010 was restricted. As the PPP application has now been submitted, the report is now made available without restrictions. The designs referred to are those reviewed at the PAN stage.

A+DS Views

1          Ambition and quality of proposals

1.1       Brief, ambitions and analysis

We welcome the project team's high aspirations for the generation of a new socially sustainable settlement that incorporates employment and communal facilities alongside a large quantity of new residential property. The quality and depth of analysis of the local built, social, and landscape contexts is commendable, and it is refreshing to see these factors being considered and understood from the outset.

1.2       Principles of new proposals

We also welcome the way in which the proposals have been developed to form a vision for a future community, incorporating some sound principles which respond well to the analysis. A number of considerations have been well thought out and worked through, including the strategies for landscape, built form, street pattern and public spaces. There are some aspects, on both a large and small scale, where further clarification is required or some improvement is encouraged during the continuing design development, to make the most of the opportunities and overcome some of the difficulties presented by the site.

2          Wider strategic issues of the site

2.1       Working with the existing village

This project represents a major extension to an existing village. Site restrictions, which we acknowledge, mean that new housing will have to be largely located to the west away from the existing housing area, and separated from it by a proposed area of community facilities and offices. A strong physical and social connection between east and west is critical if a divided community is to be avoided. We welcome the project team's commitment to working with the existing community, and their proposals to improve the environment of the existing village, and encourage continued efforts towards the integration of the future residents throughout the development process.

2.2       Public transport connections

While useful new road connections are proposed to the nearby M8 motorway, the village is also adjacent to the main Edinburgh to Glasgow rail line. The lack of any station to serve the village is a major missed opportunity. If realised, this station would make the village significantly more sustainable in environmental and economic terms. We urge the Council and other parties to work further with Network Rail to ensure this will be considered in the future, and to provide readily usable public transport links in any case.

3          Landscape strategy

3.1       Successful resolution of a landscape strategy is crucial on this semi-industrial site in an attractive rural setting. We welcome the way in which the landscape proposals have been integral to the designs and have driven the planning of the whole scheme. We also welcome the intention to put in major planting early in development to be established before the first residents arrive, and suggest that additional temporary landscape proposals could be used in redundant areas awaiting later development.

4          Sustainability strategy

4.1       The project's strategies to achieve social and economic sustainability appear well formed, and we acknowledge that high standards for the overall development are to be incorporated. However, it appears that the energy supply strategy is still vague and needs further investigation. While we acknowledge that new possibilities are continuing to arise as technologies develop, we believe that more specific supply proposals need to be set-out at this stage such that decisions on important matters can be made, e.g. on the incorporation of the infrastructure for heat or power distribution if required, and for later development areas to be planned to then work with these systems.

5          Localised Design Issues

5.1       ‘Employment park' area

We acknowledge that the project team have had to work around the restrictions on development placed on the land between the existing village and the new centre, where a non-residential employment area is proposed. We suggest that further measures might be taken to address the disjunction between the two residential areas. These could include making the layout to appear less like a standard ‘business park' model, which in practice is often not conducive to creating a sense of community among businesses. The project team may want to re-consider the size and localised density of the proposed office buildings, e.g. to permit smaller or tighter-knit spaces in this area. In particular we would suggest looking at ways of minimising the impact of car parking, and encourage more concentrated or shared parking arrangements, or measures to contain them better between the buildings e.g. in courtyards. It would be beneficial to provide a more continuous frontage along the proposed High Street, and encourage all efforts to pursue any possible measures to achieve a sense of continuum of along this part of the street.

5.2       High Street design

Further to the above, we feel that the designs for the new High Street could benefit from some further work, strategically and in the more detailed design. We suggest that a less ‘zoned' approach would be beneficial, and that some flexibility be introduced into the buildings facing onto the street to create the potential of more mixed-use in the long-term e.g. residential buildings at the western end to potentially become live-work units, or to have commercial frontages. We suggest that the street layout could also be refined to better suit its role as a High Street: we welcome the proposal for on-street parking, but question whether the indicated layout with a ‘central reservation' of trees could divide the sides of the street, and suggest that an ‘avenue' arrangement should be considered.

5.3       Proposed ‘gateways'

We suggest that further work is required on the proposed spaces labelled as ‘gateways' at the outer ends of the main routes through the village, to describe how they will become attractive public spaces and entrances to the village. We support the idea of making a publicly used place and destination at the west end of the High Street with a connection to the Canal, and encourage further development to make this into a high quality and distinctive place at a new entrance point for those arriving by car, boat or from the towpath.

5.4       Almond Castle proposals

We welcome the incorporation and integration of the ruined castle as a local focus and main feature of the scheme. We note that the design and proximity of the adjacent buildings need to be handled carefully, so that this attractive archaeological remnant is given an appropriate and attractive setting. It will also be important to consider how the building will be used, and that a meaningful role is found that will place the castle at the heart of the community.

6          Delivery issues

6.1       Phasing

A clear plan for the phasing of delivery over the extended period of the site's development needs to be demonstrated. We would highlight the issues raised above in relation to the incorporation of landscape proposals and note that a plan to establish their maintenance in the long run will be crucial.

6.2       Current and future resolution of design information

We note that the project team will need to strike a balance in their upcoming submission between firm principles to ensure the quality and character of future phases, and flexibility to permit variety and new solutions in construction and layout. The proposed development of Design Coding as a next step in this process will be an interesting challenge. It will need to permit sufficient flexibility at a smaller scale e.g. in details, form and building uses, and permit a variety of scale and density. We look forward to being further involved in the process through our support to this SSCI programme.

Conclusion

We welcome in broad terms this ambitious and well considered proposal to regenerate a currently isolated village in an attractive area, and commend the aspirations of the project team, and the quality of work produced by them so far. The designs present a strong vision for the creation of a sustainable mixed-use community and an attractive environment for both new and existing residents, which seeks to integrate well with the existing village and the landscape. Alongside the development of the designs in some local areas of the village, it will now be crucial to set out the process by which the intended high quality will be maintained over the long timescale of development, and to resolve crucial large scale issues such as the strategy for sustainable energy supply, and particularly the possibility of a local train station. We request that we see the project again at subsequent design stages, as part of our support of the SSCI programme, and we hope to see the continued development of this exciting proposal to standards that could set an exemplar for similar schemes elsewhere.

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