Land, Development and Design

Development of brownfield land can address shortfalls in the availability of land for housing and other buildings, but these sites present a range of problems that must be overcome in any successful development. Land, Development and Design addresses all of the issues in the context of the reuse of urban land, providing a solid, readable overview of the principles and practice of the regeneration of brownfield sites. Divided into four parts, covering the development process and planning policies; site assessment, risk analysis and remediation of contaminated land; development issues and finally design issues, the principal focus of the book is on the reuse of urban land. It includes a full discussion of contaminated land, so that readers are aware of the issues and options available to resolve this problem. Land, Development and Design has been extensively revised since its first edition and provides final year undergraduate and postgraduate students of both planning and surveying, as well as professional planners, surveyors and developers, a solid and readable overview of the principles and practice of regeneration of the built environment.  

Table of Contents:
Author Biography x Preface to First Edition xi Preface to Second Edition xiv Part One Planning and Development 1 1 The Development Process 3 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 The phases of redevelopment 6 Preparation 6 1.2.1 Phase 1 – Project inception 6 1.2.2 Phase 2 – Feasibility assessment 7 1.2.3 Phase 3 – Site assessment 8 Options 9 1.2.4 Phase 4 – Options assessment 9 1.2.5 Phase 5 – Working design of the preferred option 10 Design 12 1.2.6 Phase 6 – Detailed design 12 1.2.7 Phase 7 – Regulatory and planning 13 1.2.8 Phase 8 – Legal, property and funding 14 Delivery 15 1.2.9 Phase 9 – Financial appraisal 15 1.2.10 Phase 10 – Works procurement and execution 18 1.2.11 Phase 11 – Sales and marketing 19 1.3 The 2008–9 ‘credit crunch’ and its impact on property markets 20 1.4 Summary 21 2 Planning Policies and Development 23 2.1 Introduction 23 2.2 Planning policy statements and guidance notes 24 2.3 The Urban task force and the urban white paper 27 2.4 Urban land-use policies and the national brownfield strategy for England 30 2.5 The housing green paper and land for housing 39 2.6 The london brownfield sites review 41 2.7 Summary 43 2.8 Checklist 44 3 Project Inception, Developers and Feasibility 45 3.1 Introduction 45 3.2 Recession and property values 46 3.3 Land for development 49 3.3.1 Residential development 51 3.3.2 Commercial development 52 3.4 Assessing the market potential 54 3.4.1 Market research 56 3.4.2 Using the tools to assess market potential 59 3.5 Forecasting rents and prices 63 3.6 Summary 64 3.7 Checklist 65 Part Two Land 73 4 Site Assembly, Investigation and Assessment 75 4.1 Introduction 75 4.2 Site assembly 78 4.3 The historical study 79 4.3.1 A practical example 82 4.3.2 Maps, scales and other sources of information 93 4.3.3 Reporting the historical study 95 4.4 Walk-over survey 96 4.5 Intrusive and other forms of site investigation 101 4.5.1 Sampling strategies 103 4.5.2 Laboratory analysis 107 4.6 The final report 108 4.7 Summary 111 4.8 Checklist 111 5 Environment and Ecological Considerations 112 5.1 Introduction 112 5.2 Natural colonisation of brownfield land 112 5.3 Environmental assessment 115 5.4 The importance of landscape 117 5.5 Soils and substrates: the platform for development 118 5.6 Biodiversity of previously developed land 121 5.7 Policy and legislative framework for biodiversity conservation 123 5.8 Ecological surveys and the formation of new habitats 125 5.9 Land and development in a changing climate 129 5.10 The response to climate change 131 5.11 Summary 135 5.12 Checklist 135 6 Heritage and Archaeology 137 6.1 Introduction 137 6.2 Conservation policies and guidance 137 6.3 Planning and the historic environment 141 6.4 Archaeology and redevelopment 143 6.5 Summary 144 6.6 Checklist 144 7 Community Involvement in Tackling Blight and Dereliction 146 7.1 Introduction 146 7.2 Economic and visual blight 146 7.3 The benefits of removing blight 149 7.4 Skills 158 7.5 Summary 160 7.6 Checklist 160 8 Contaminated Soil and Remediation Methods 162 8.1 Introduction 162 8.2 European Directives and UK legislation 163 8.3 Removal and containment 167 8.4 In situ and ex situ treatments 169 8.5 The costs of dealing with contamination and dereliction 173 8.6 Tackling small sites 175 8.7 Land with no development value 177 8.8 Summary 179 8.9 Checklist 179 Part Three Development 181 9 Valuation of Damaged and Restored Land 183 9.1 Introduction 183 9.2 Valuation approaches 184 9.3 ‘Stigma’ or taking account of ‘intangibles’ 188 9.4 Applying valuation theories in practice 195 9.5 Reporting contamination and other damage to land 199 9.6 Summary 200 9.7 Checklist 201 10 Urban Extensions, Infrastructure and Eco-towns 202 10.1 Introduction 202 10.2 Sustainable urban extensions 204 10.3 Infrastructure 205 10.4 Eco-towns 209 10.5 Summary 214 10.6 Checklist 214 11 Development Finance 215 11.1 Introduction 215 11.2 Financial appraisals 216 11.2.1 Institutional leases and investment yields 217 11.2.2 Viability of the project 218 11.3 Financing a new development 219 11.3.1 Creditworthiness 219 11.3.2 Costs of finance 220 11.4 Types of finance 221 11.4.1 Debt financing 221 11.4.2 Equity financing 223 11.4.3 Mezzanine finance 223 11.5 Joint ventures and Special Purpose Vehicles 224 11.6 Forward sales and rental guarantees 225 11.7 Public-sector finance 226 11.8 Summary 228 11.9 Checklist 229 Part Four Design 231 12 Public Realm and Managing Land for Public Benefit 233 12.1 Introduction 233 12.2 Planning for quality public spaces 234 12.2.1 Design and upkeep of buildings and spaces 237 12.2.2 Green space and green infrastructure 237 12.2.3 Treatment of historic buildings and places 238 12.2.4 World-class Places – Action Plan 239 12.3 Urban and rural waterfronts as public spaces 242 12.4 The economic value of urban design 244 12.5 Summary 251 12.6 Checklist 251 13 Designing out Crime 252 13.1 Introduction 252 13.2 The basis for crime preventative design 252 13.3 The role of the local authority in promoting design-based approaches to reducing crime 253 13.4 Advice on crime preventative design: an outline of UK guidance 255 13.5 Case studies in crime preventative design 257 13.5.1 Wharf Close, Manchester 258 13.5.2 Residential development and car park, Sale 262 13.5.3 Comparisons between the case studies 266 13.6 New developments and crime 267 13.7 Summary 269 13.8 Checklist 269 14 Design Standards for Residential and Commercial Developments 271 14.1 Introduction 271 14.2 Urban design, smart growth and new urbanism 271 14.3 Design codes 275 14.4 Modern methods of construction (MMC) and zero-carbon homes 280 14.4.1 Modern methods of construction 280 14.4.2 Zero-carbon homes 281 14.5 Development densities and the Code for Sustainable Homes 282 14.5.1 Development densities 282 14.5.2 Code for Sustainable Homes 284 14.5.3 Lifetime homes 287 14.6 Achieving quality in commercial development 290 14.6.1 BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) 290 14.6.2 Design Quality Indicator (DQI) 290 14.7 Summary 291 14.8 Checklist 291 15 Planning for the Future 293 15.1 Introduction 293 15.2 Planning and development 295 15.3 Land 296 15.4 Development 297 15.5 Design 299 15.6 Conclusion 300 References 302 Further Reading 317 Web Links 319 Index 321

About the Author :
Paul Syms is an Honorary Professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape at the University of Manchester and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. A Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor by profession he was, between 2004 and 2008, Director of National Brownfield Strategy and National Brownfield Advisor to English Partnerships and the Department for Communities and Local Government (formerly Office of the Deputy Prime Minister). Prior to this he was Professor of Urban Land Use at Sheffield Hallam University.