Core Strategy - Adopted December 2007

Section 6 - The Environment and Urban Renaissance

6.1 People care deeply about their local area. They expect good quality design in new development, renovation schemes, and streets and urban spaces, whilst equally wishing to safeguard an area's local character, amenity and appeal. Interesting and innovative buildings, quality streets, good relationships between new and existing development, the use of public art and soft and hard landscaping can all help to develop local identity and create places which people are proud of. Indeed the application of urban design principles and values - 'the art of making places for people' - is fundamental to delivering an urban renaissance and creating a quality environment in Southend. All development, therefore, will be expected to contribute to the creation of high quality, sustainable urban environments which protect, complement and enhance the natural and built assets of Southend. This approach will aid the delivery of sustainable regeneration and growth across Essex Thames Gateway, of which Southend is a part.

6.2 Delivering an urban renaissance is now a prominent and significant aspect of urban policy in the UK, advocated and championed by the Urban Task Force, for example in its key publication, 'Towards an Urban Renaissance' (1999). This highlights a need to design localities and urban places to work well, to be people friendly, safe and to have a positive and sustainable environmental and social impact and legacy.

6.3 Good quality urban design is therefore a vital component and key catalyst in regeneration and an urban renaissance. Accordingly, there is a need for greater emphasis on the design and use of buildings, streets, open spaces, public art and landscaping – the public realm – and an understanding of how these elements relate to each other to create a unique 'sense of place' and identity. The public realm, comprising both 'physical' and 'social' elements, has a significant role to play in creating a quality environment, as it encapsulates the spaces and settings which facilitate and support social interaction and public life.

6.4 Recently Government has assisted planning authorities to play a stronger and more positive role in urban design. Local planning authorities can now influence urban quality through a wide range of statutory and non-statutory functions, enabling them to contribute to the quality of the built environment in their own right and by influencing, and requiring high quality, and sustainable, development from the private sector.

6.5 The concept of sustainable development includes environmental, economic and social sustainability. Development will need to have regard to social impacts and long term economic viability, as well as environmental impacts to contribute towards the creation of truly sustainable communities and lasting environments.

National Strategy and Policy

6.6 In response to the recommendations of the Urban Task Force, the Government published an Urban White Paper 'Our Towns and Cities' (2000). This document identified a range of measures to foster and support an urban renaissance. Its aspiration is to make all urban areas places in which people would wish to live, work and invest, and which offer a high quality of life for all, not just the few. A key feature was an intention to put urban renaissance at the heart of the planning system.

6.7 In 2003 'Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future' (2003) was published. This complements the Urban White Paper and provides the wider framework in which urban policy now sits. It emphasises the need for decent homes and a good quality local environment in all regions. It sets out a comprehensive programme to deliver more affordable housing and improve people's homes, neighbourhoods and quality of life. Key requirements are to create safe and healthy local environments with well-designed public and green space; and to ensure that new developments are sustainable, well-designed, high quality and attractive places in which people will positively choose to live and work.

6.8 In 'Creating sustainable communities: making it happen: Thames Gateway and the Growth Areas' (2003) the Government reiterates its commitment to ensuring that new development is exciting and challenging in terms of design, of good quality and sustainable construction, and sensitive and enhancing to its location, biodiversity and the natural environment.

6.9 The Government also launched a new agency – CABE Space – in April 2003. This unit champions high quality planning, design, and the management and care of parks and public spaces, and provides hands-on support to local authorities and others to apply best practice to improve the local environment and reduce crime and fear of crime.

6.10 Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1), 'Delivering Sustainable Development' (2005) makes it clear that local planning authorities should not accept poor design. The planning system should protect and enhance the natural and historic environment, the quality and character of the countryside, and existing communities. It should promote high quality development through good and inclusive design and layout, the efficient use of resources (including water) and the creation of safe, sustainable, liveable and mixed communities. Good design should be indivisible from good planning. Planning authorities and developers should have regard to good practice set out in a number of quoted documents.

6.11 This approach is reinforced by 'PPS3: Housing' (2006) which states that, to create sustainable communities, developments should be attractive, safe and designed and built to a high quality and should be located in areas with good access to jobs, key services and infrastructure.

6.12 The importance of good design, of high quality and safe environments and of safeguarding and enhancing the historic environment, green spaces, biodiversity, resources and the natural environment are also emphasised in a range of other national policy documents relating to other types of development. These include PPS 6, Planning for town centres' (2005); PPS 9, Biodiversity and Geological Conservation (2005); PPS 10, Planning for sustainable waste management (2005); PPG 15, Planning and the Historic Environment (1994), which should be read in conjunction with Circulars 01/2001, 09/2005 and 01/2007; and PPG 17, Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation (2002).

Regional Strategy and Policy

6.13 'Growth and Regeneration in the Thames Gateway' (2004) states that major improvements in the quality of existing and new housing will be needed, whereby appropriate increases in density must be accompanied by sustainable construction principles and high standards of design in all developments.

6.14 Reflecting this, the emerging Regional Spatial Strategy, the East of England Plan requires local development documents to deliver quality in the built environment. The strategy considers that urban renaissance and focusing development within urban areas will require careful attention to the form and design of development and redevelopment. It recognises that design excellence also concerns reducing the wider environmental impacts of development. It states that this may be done by promoting energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy supplies, efficient water use and disposal in developments, creating healthy buildings (e.g. use of natural light and ventilation), use of local and regional materials and products, minimising pollution (e.g. noise or light), and waste minimisation.

6.15 In addition, Policy ETG1 (Strategy for the sub-region) promotes excellence in the design of buildings and the public realm and creating new townscapes and landscapes of high quality and distinctiveness in areas in the Essex Thames Gateway.

Local Strategy and Policy

6.16 Southend's Community Plan is guided by the three overriding principles of sustainable development, equality of opportunity and social inclusion. Of the seven 'ambitions' outlined, a quality environment and urban renaissance will aid several, both directly and indirectly. First, it may contribute to comprehensive regeneration of the town centre and the creation of a high quality business environment for a 'prosperous community'. Secondly, it may contribute to a 'safer community' through the delivery of both public and private developments and spaces which discourage anti-social behaviour and which feel safe for all users. Thirdly, good, well designed and accessible public open space (particularly green spaces) contributes towards a healthier lifestyle and therefore aids the creation of a 'healthier community'. Fourthly, achievement of a quality environment is paramount to an 'environmentally aware community'. Finally, a quality environment and an urban renaissance will help contribute towards making Southend a cultural capital of the East of England by ensuring that quality structures and buildings are created (including landmarks) as well as the preservation and enhancement of open spaces, gardens, heritage and conservation sites. Core Strategy environment and urban renaissance policy must contribute to the achievement of these ambitions.

6.17 The Southend Local Transport Plan (LTP), 2006 to 2011, recognises the need for high quality, well designed and accessible transport infrastructure and its contribution towards creating an improved travel environment, aiding the delivery of an urban renaissance. It also highlights the need for good quality street furniture and townscape design to promote community safety and social inclusion, and the importance of the 'Green Grid' and greenways as sustainable corridors offering a pleasant environment for walkers and cyclists between green open spaces and urban centres. A key element of the LTP is the creation of 'Environmental Rooms' containing local environments of high quality.

6.18 The Council's approach, therefore, to delivering quality urban environments and protecting and enhancing the town's natural and built resources is based on the following key principles:

1. promote quality and sustainable design in all developments so that they strengthen local identity, respect the character of the area and the scale and nature of existing development, and create places of distinction and a sense of place, ensuring that development takes full account of the crucial interface between the detail of buildings and the public realm;
2. provide for the enhancement of all public areas and urban open spaces – the public realm – through imaginative and innovative design and the use of quality and sustainable building materials, street furniture and landscaping;
3. protect and enhance the public realm and amenities of residential areas through the provision of a range of environmental improvements within 'Environmental Rooms' and prevent development that would be detrimental to the aesthetics and function of an area;
4. work in partnership with Government and regional agencies, voluntary groups and others to protect and enhance the town's historic buildings and heritage assets, including Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Ancient Monuments;
5. work in partnership with Government and regional agencies, voluntary groups and others to protect and enhance areas designated as being of international, national or local importance for their intrinsic biodiversity or other nature conservation value, their landscape quality or their cultural significance;
6. create and maintain a 'Green Grid' of high quality, linked and publicly accessible open spaces across the town, linked to the rest of the sub-region as appropriate. The 'Green Grid' should interrelate with and help to implement other strategies to provide a focus for investment, including the Council's Green Space Strategy, Biodiversity Action Plan, cycling and walking strategies and the Public Arts Strategy, thereby safeguarding the town's natural assets, wildlife corridors and greenways;
7. protect and enhance both the natural and leisure environment and setting of the River Thames, in partnership with Government and regional agencies, water users, businesses and other relevant groups as part of initiatives such as the Thames Estuary Partnership;
8. provide for the effective management of land on the urban fringe – the interface between town and country – to provide an effective community resource and setting that enhances and protects a sustainable Metropolitan Green Belt;
9. preventing, reducing and remedying all forms of pollution, including soil, water, noise and other forms of airborne pollution.

6.19 Policy CP4 below presents a core strategic policy to give local application to Government objectives, regional and sub-regional strategy, as well as addressing local needs and priorities.

6.20 The majority of Borough Local Plan Policies in respect of the environment and urban renaissance are 'saved' and will remain part of the Development Plan for the Borough pending their review as part of the preparation of a 'Criteria Based Policies and Site Allocations' Development Plan Document, as programmed in the Borough Council's Local Development Scheme.

6.21 Detailed guidance in relation to these matters is provided in the Southend Design and Townscape Guide SPD. Southend Borough Council recognises that good urban design requires a 'partnership' approach between the planning authority and applicants for the benefit of the physical and built environment, the public and the local economy. This design guidance does not, therefore, prescribe specific solutions or set rigid or empirical design standards, but instead indicates options which emphasise and illustrate design objectives or principles. It is essential that applicants and their agents recognise the importance of, and adhere to, these objectives and principles in respect of all development.