More urban design expertise for Thames Gateway

30 July 2009

MORE URBAN DESIGN EXPERTISE FOR THAMES GATEWAY

Tribal to train housing & planning teams to recognise and assess the impact of urban design in Thames Gateway South Essex

Housing & planning staff from local authorities and partner Registered Social Landlords in Thames Gateway South Essex sub region (TGSE) are to receive specialist training in urban design issues to better equip them to assess the impact of new master plans and developments for the area.

Tribal’s specialist team have been chosen to provide this training, which will equip staff with a good understanding of:
• the principles of urban design,
• the benefits of good design for the community and
• how to recognise and manage issues that can arise during either the planning, negotiation or delivery stages of a development.

Through a clearer understanding of the principles, processes and language of urban design, TGSE staff will be better able to assess how planning applications fit with the masterplan for the area and to highlight any quality or delivery issues that might previously have gone undetected at the early stages.

These skills will also better equip staff to produce their own design briefs for council developments when required and to interpret the resulting offer from the developer, to ensure the work is right for the local area.

The training will provide staff with an understanding of:

• the core principles of planning and urban design
• a breakdown of the key elements of the design process – and issues to consider for each
• how these elements fit together as a tangible process – to enable staff to project plan
• how to produce a design brief for a site (e.g. a mixed use residential and commercial development), how to interpret resulting offers and potential pitfalls

The course will also include site visits – to see the design in action and also to give staff a clearer understanding of how to identify and manage on-site issues, and monitor quality and delivery once building has commenced. The course will run as six, two hour sessions over three months.

Dr Luis Juarez, an associate at Tribal’s master planning and urban design team, said:

“It is really positive to see a greater focus on understanding of urban design and the impact it can have on a community.

“This training will mean that housing and planning staff will be able to assess developments with a clear insight into the quality of its design and what its delivery will mean for people and businesses in the locality.”

Rab Fallon, Chair of the TGSE Strategic Housing Group, said:

“The appointment of Tribal will bring considerable value to the sub region given their wealth of experience both across the UK and locally in our sub region.

“This provides an important learning opportunity for our housing, planning and regeneration colleagues to learn more about how design impacts on the built environment and collectively work more closely together.”