design and access statement - rossendale

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT

Proposed New Build Development

Land Adjacent to 368 Rochdale Road, Bacup

Prepared by

Michael Dyson Associates Ltd

NOVEMBER 2014

7719 Proposed New Build Development, Land Adjacent to 368 Rochdale Road, Bacup 1

Contents

CONTENTS 1

1. INTRODUCTION 2

2. SITE BACKGROUND 2

3. OUTLINE PLANNING APPROVAL 3

4. PROPOSED LAYOUT & SCALE 4

5. METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION 5

6. LANDSCAPING 6

7. APPEARANCE 19

8. ACCESS 19

9. SUMMARY 19

APPENDICES

N/A


1. Introduction

This project entails the proposed construction of 12Nr new build dwellings on vacant land next to 368

Rochdale Road, Bacup.

1.1 The Applicant

The applicant is Easybase Home who owns the plot of land and will also be responsible for constructing the

development.

2. Site Background

The site was acquired by our Client in 2014. Outline Planning Approval for 13nr dwellings has been

achieved on this site by the previous owner and it is our Clients intention to build out the development in line

with the Outline Approval. The site is currently vacant land that is part over grown and part hard standing

rubble. In the past a row of terraced houses once stood on the site, positioned perpendicular to Rochdale

Road with an access Road serving them. It is unknown when these properties were demolished but maps

indicate these dwellings present in the 1960’s. An access track is located to the west of the site that

provides access to Higher Stack Farm and Meadow View Cottage. To the east of the site is a partially

constructed development owned by another party. Discussions with the Planning Authority indicate that this

development will never be completed and may be subject to a compulsory purchase order, allowing

demolition of the part constructed units for a redevelopment opportunity. Generally the site for this

application is in a poor state of aesthetic quality and redevelopment is seen as an opportunity to regenerate

this area of land that is currently creating a negative impression on the local area.

Existing Site Plan


3. Outline Planning Approval

The Outline Approval for this site is reference nr. 2012/0538 which has an expiry date for application of

reserved matters of 5th September 2015. This approval has all matters reserved. This approval is for the

construction of 13nr dwellings utilising a new highway access from Rochdale Road. The main information

submitted which formed the basis of this approval was a detailed site plan indicating dwelling positions and

access arrangements. This site plan is located below:

The main elements of design on the layout above are:

- New access formed to Rochdale Road

- Alteration to access to existing track

- 3nr blocks of terraced dwellings

- Front access to block facing Rochdale Road

- Parking within the site


4. Proposed Layout & Scale

The proposed scheme for this site uses the plan included within the outline approval (inserted above) as a

starting point with the necessary adaptions to suit the requirements of the new developer Easybase Home.

The outline approval is for 13nr dwellings, however our Client feels 12nr dwellings provides an improved

layout on the site, in particular to parking requirements. The previous layout had a shared parking area

without defined parking areas linked to individual dwellings. This fell short of providing 2nr parking bays per

dwelling which would be a requirement for 26nr spaces in that scheme. Our Client wishes to adopt a

minimum of 2nr parking bays per dwelling, which can be assigned to individual dwellings. With regard to the

overall layout of the site this has been kept as similar as possible to the original site design of the Outline

Approval. The proposed site plan is located below:

Proposed Site Plan

The main elements of this design are:

- New access formed to Rochdale Road

- Alteration to access to existing track

- 3nr blocks of terraced dwellings

Part Constructed Site


- Front access to block facing Rochdale Road

- Parking within the site at 2nr per dwelling

Separation distances achieved on this proposed site layout are over and above the requirements of

Rossendale Planning Authority and dwellings have been positioned to minimise the impact on the

surrounding dwellings. Designs include the requirements of highways with regard to the new road junction in

particular the inclusion of a footpath to either side of the new access road. One footpath serves the new

development with a dedicated footpath introduced to serve the existing dwelling to the west of the site,

Meadow View, providing improved access for this dwelling.

Overall we feel the proposed development includes the deciding factors of design from the Outline Approval

with the overall scale and mass of the development actually less due to the reduction in dwelling numbers. A

landscaping scheme will be developed to work with the new dwellings and also enhance the entry route to

this site.

5. Method of Construction

This development is utilising a Modern Method of Construction with the new dwellings being constructed

offsite. The proposed building is to be made from a structural steel frame which is factory built and fitted out

in the factory. This includes the full wall build ups from external finish to inside painted internal lining. All

internal rooms are complete with all services already installed ready for final connection on site. The

dwelling is then delivered to site in two sections, these being the ground floor unit and the first floor unit.

This build method significantly minimises the impact of construction on neighbouring residents. Typically a

full dwelling will be delivered and installed on site in 2 days with the only plant required on site being a

delivery lorry and crane. To allow the success of this method of construction there are certain elements of

design that are included to improve the efficiencies of this build method. These include the weight of the

dwellings and the overall size to allow safe transportation to site. The site layout of the Outline Approval lead

positively for the use of this build method with minimal changes required.

Photographs are included of a previous development by Easybase Home using this off site method of

construction.

Dwellings in the factory Dwellings erected on site


Completed dwellings

This method of construction contains numerous benefits compared to traditional build methods:

The programme of construction is much shorter allowing the delivery of a project to the end user in a

reduced time. This helps to meet the governments housing targets with increased certainty on delivery

dates. The dwellings are constructed within an internal warehouse environment avoiding the potential

delays caused by weather and site constraints. Furthermore the end quality of the product is increased as

the materials are again applied in a controlled manner without the influences of an external environment.

The disruption to local residents surrounding the site is greatly minimised compared to a traditional build.

The main works to be completed on site are the ground works, which from a delivery and material storage

point of view is minimal on a construction site. Therefore disruption by deliveries which on a normal build

can be up to 12 months for a project of this site will significantly reduce to a number of months in this case.

The environmental impact of the development is also reduced by this method of construction. The use of

plant on site and their associated emissions are reduced. The amount of waste is also reduced with all

construction materials installed in a factory enabling easier sorting and recycling of materials.

6. Appearance

A full study of the local area has been conducted to analyse the main and influencing palette of materials

that are present in the area.

This study is summarised on the following pages:


1. Stone


2. Dark/Weathered Stone


3. Buff Stone


4. New Stone/ Sandstone


5. White/Smooth Render


6. Course/Dash Render


7. Brick/ Render


8. Brick


9. Dark Brick


10. New Red Brick Estate


11. Mixed/ Painted Brick Finish


As can be clearly seen from the study, within the vicinity of this site there is no dominant material, with a wide

ranging array of materials and differing qualities used. It should be noted that the new build dwellings that

have been recently completed in the area have used either a red brick or sandstone. It can be concluded

from this study suitable materials for this site would be stone, brick and render.

It is therefore proposed to use this palette of 3 basic materials across this development in two different block

type styles, one for the block facing Rochdale Road and one for the inner blocks within the site. It is

proposed to use a locally sourced stone from Bacup for the facing material to the Rochdale Road block with

a red multi brick for the blocks inside the site. Both blocks will be accented with a common coloured buff

rendered panel, providing a coherent style to this development.

Proposed elevations are detailed below:

Front Elevation of Stone Faced Dwellings

Front Elevation of Brick Faced Dwellings

A roof angle of 35 degrees has been included within the above designs to create a building mass of

comparable height as similar dwellings in the area.

We feel that these proposed elevations introduce the clean lines of a modern development whilst at the

same time referencing the history and precedents that existing in the vicinity of the site. Using these

materials allows the building to be accepted within the area without competing for dominance with a pure

modern style.

7. Sustainability


Using this method of construction the following improvements over Building Regulations limiting fabric

parameters will be achieved:

Walls – 27% improvement

Roof – 47% improvement

Floor – 56% improvement

This fabric first design approach utilises modern insulation techniques to maximise the u values on a

dwelling in the construction process. This construction method aids the reduction of energy use in a

dwellings without the need for secondary add on renewable measures, providing a robust thermally efficient

building to meet Part L of the Approved Documents. Using a fabric first approach avoids the ongoing

maintenance and management cost associated with renewable technologies that if not completed by the

building owners will lower the efficiencies of these products.

8. Access

Safe access to the site is to be provided from Rochdale Road with all parking spaces located within the site.

All parking spaces are assignable to individual units providing order and ownership over these bays.

Furthermore parking spaces will therefore always be available to the resident close to their home, in contrast

to shared parking areas where a first come first basis applies.

All dwellings will be designed with level access to the entrance door with full wheelchair accessibility to the

ground floor level.

Both pedestrian and vehicular access will be maintained to Meadow View and Higher Stack Farm throughout

this construction project.

9. Summary

It is considered that the parameters set by this design statement and illustrative plans allow for a high quality

development creating a well-integrated development which respects the existing built and natural form of the

area and will contribute positively to the overall character of the area.

This document is to be read in conjunction with Michael Dyson Associates drawings and supplementary

information .