LDA Design’s Post

It's been great working with Somerset Council on a new strategy that gives #Taunton’s waterways a strong #placemaking role in the town's future. As Somerset’s first Garden Town, Taunton is planning for #regeneration that celebrates its history and its culture, as well as making the town greener, improving its transport network and creating high-quality neighbourhoods. Fantastic partnering with CALM ENGINEERING and EAD Ecology on a #strategy that redefines Taunton's waterways – the River Tone, the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal and multiple tributaries – as a substantial linear #park serving the whole town. LDA Design Director Paul Connelly said that the strategy brings all kinds of opportunities into focus. "For example, it will help with regeneration of the multiple #brownfield sites which are linked by the river corridor. The linear park will be realised incrementally over time through targeted investment, creating a series of connected spaces that enrich life across the town.” Consultation is open until Thursday 28 November. Let us know what you think. Details here ➡️: https://lnkd.in/e_vmf447 More information here ➡️: https://lnkd.in/eu_Mzr3b. Our story here ➡️: https://lnkd.in/edqPcQX2 A hugely detailed piece of work. Well done to all involved, including Paul Connelly Catherine Ham Benjamin Adams 👏 💪 #Somerset #blueinfrastructure #Taunton #rivers #rivernetwork #landscape #planning #framework #strategy #placemaking #SomersetCouncil #RiverTone #BridgwaterandTauntonCanal #landscapearchitects #planners

How Placemaking Can Take Conservation and Historic Preservation to the Next Level: The Case of Woodstock, Vermont https://lnkd.in/e76wc_fB by Fred Kent, #KathyMadden and Tayana Panova, PhD "Place is the missing link to land conservation and historic preservation. By starting with the public spaces – streets, sidewalks, open space and architecture – social and economic life in small towns can be revitalized. So many of our beloved small towns have been deeply damaged by the transportation industries that have reshaped them around cars and traffic. To get back to the beloved village dynamic that many small towns across the US have lost for this reason, we need to put place at the center, and let this idea radiate out into the ways that we approach historic preservation and conservation. The character of our neighborhoods need to be defined by the people who live there, not the cars that pass through. To that end, focusing on the ways our sidewalks, intersections, and other shared spaces work is at the core of how we continuously create and sustain a feeling of welcome." #PlacemakingVermont #PlacemakingUS #Placemaking #Preservation #Conservation

Breaking news! We are delighted to announce that our Selby Centre and Bull Lane Park project, for Haringey Council, has been granted planning approval. The new Selby Centre and Sports facilities will form part of the transformation of Bull Lane Playing Fields into a local hub for leisure, sports and community use. The new park is an opportunity to create a new community asset, which both Haringey and Enfield residents will benefit from. A key priority for the park is to balance the provision of sporting activities with wilder and biodiverse areas to ensure all types of people and interests are catered for. The Selby Trust and Haringey Council’s vision for The Selby Centre is to provide a new home for this important civic space which has long played a significant local role. It provides a place for local businesses, organisations and people to come together and to share, learn and participate. The new centre will enable activities to spill out into the landscape and allow local people to reclaim and use this urban green space which has become physically disconnected from nearby homes. Link to project > https://lnkd.in/eDF-drdi Design Team Accessibility - David Bonnett Associates Civils - Lewis Hubbard Engineering Ecology - Tim Moya Associates Fire consultant - BB7 Landscape - Adams & Sutherland Landscape M&E - XCO2 Planning - Tibbalds /Jennifer Ross Consultancy Structures - Elliott Wood Transport - Velocity Haringey Council & THE SELBY TRUST

Philosophical question for the heritage sect...at what point is a renovated and converted listed building no longer worthy of its listed status? How much of the original building would have to be reused, saved, etc. in order to stay listed? I ask because this is a common situation when converting an historic building. What percentage of the building's original and historic fabric would need to be retained and reused? If it is less than say 30%, should the building remain listed? Is there a figure that can be used to quantify this? The conversion of a listed building, especially ancillary buildings like barns, can be quite a balancing act. Do you insulate on the inside or outside, how many new openings do you create to add light and ventilation, do you add a mezzanine level into the large volume of the main barn, how do you heat the building, etc. Do you retain all of the timber framing so that it can be seen? The same can be asked if an historic building has a fire. If the majority of the listed building has to be replaced, should it still be listed? I have come across these queries as a conservation officer in an LPA, as well as in the private sector. They provoke interesting debates with colleagues! What are your thoughts?

News update: Homes for Nature, developed by On Site Nature Measures Working Group and convened by the Future Homes Hub, will ensure a bird-nesting box or brick is installed for every new home built, as well as hedgehog highways created as standard on every new housing development from September 2024. The voluntary commitment is in addition to the recently implemented Biodiversity Net Gain regulations, which require all new developments to achieve 10% more wildlife. The initiative will run for a minimum of 6 years, whereby annual reporting will track progress and identify further suitable measures to encourage wildlife to thrive. More than twenty of the UK’s largest house builders have signed up to achieve this, including, Barratt Developments plc, Bellway Homes, Bloor Homes, Cala Homes, Crest Nicholson plc, Croudace Homes Limited, Deanfield Homes, The Duchy Of Cornwall, HAYFIELD HOMES LIMITED, Hopkins Homes Limited, Keepmoat, Miller Homes Ltd, ORBIT Homes , Persimmon Homes, Redrow, Strata, Taylor Wimpey plc, Thakeham and Vistry Group. Photo: Courtesy of Construction Enquirer. #bats #hedgehogs #birds #birdbricks #bridboxes #hedghoghighways #wildlife #nature #ecology #wildlifelighting #wildlifefriendlylighting #batlighting #batfriendlylighting #lighting #architecture #planningpermission #planningcondition #lightingdesign #ecologicallighting #ecologicaldesign #planning #project #design #property #propertydevelopment #newbuild #housingdevelopment #housingdevelopers

Since Stephenson's original City Planning Scheme and its subsequent revisions, key documents like the Urban Design Framework (2009) and The Perth City Snapshot (2016) have shifted the focus toward resilience, ecology, and sustainability, aiming to reshape Perth as both a destination and a liveable city. Further initiatives, including the City of Perth Sustainability Strategy and the Perth City Deal, highlight this ongoing effort. This important event seeks to explore how the Ten Principles of good design might further inform strategic planning and provide a clear, actionable vision for addressing Perth's urban challenges and aspirations. https://lnkd.in/gP8wMX_n #planning #urbandesign #designwa #tenprinciples #citypolicy #capitalcity #perth #perthplanning #perthurbandesign #perthfuture #perthurbanresearchlab #curtin #dbe

As Chair and Co-chair of several Local Government Design Review Panels and an Urban Designer, I am amazed at how often poor design follows poor planning. I am also inspired by how the Local Government's commitment to design across planning and development policy can rapidly lift design standards and outcomes. So, how far should the Capital City go to champion great design? As I dragged myself through a half marathon yesterday, looking at the City from South Perth as it sat on a mirror of water, the skyline looked like a collection of glass boxes distinguished only by their tone of grey. Few were spoilt by the relics of antiquated, liveable urbanism, such as balconies and terraces, and none more than dabbled in integrating the biophilia that sat at their feet. Fortunately, living skylines do not make cities; it is streetscapes and interstitial spaces. In that regard, Perth is evolving quickly; look at the images in the 1992 City Spaces and City Life Study (Prof Jan Gehl et al. [including myself] for Perth City Council and the State of WA) and note the wins and losses over the last 30 years. We have to ask, where will we be in another 30 years? I am looking forward to this important conversation on this Wednesday night. It seems timely and critical not only for the panel but also because, right now, Francesco Maria Mancini and a handful of others are animating a conversation that could reshape the City’s future. 

South Florida development firm Terra is moving ahead with the construction of Upland Park, a $1 billion mixed-use community across from the Dolphin Park-and-Ride/Transit Terminal in West Miami-Dade County. Upon full buildout, the project is anticipated to include more than 2,000 mid-rise and garden-style residential units. Images: Terra Read more from Multi-Housing News: https://lnkd.in/eG3YanYC #Terra #mhnonline #terragroupmiami #uplandpark #southfloridarealestate #southfloridanews #southfloridarealestatemarket #southfloridadevelopments #newdevelopments #dolphinpark #transit #westmiamidadecounty #miamidadecountynews #realestatenews #articles #luxuryliving #luxuryrealestate #luxuryrealestateproperties #luxuryresidences #luxuryhomes #luxurycondos #luxurylifestyle #onesir #reiterpropertygroup #karenreiter #karenreiterproperties

Our built heritage is a fundamental part of our identity, culture and sense of belonging. Making productive use of the beautiful structures is vitality important

Balancing Heritage and Housing Needs - We are thrilled to share that our designs for Elmers Field in Ockley, Surrey, were approved at planning committee! This carefully considered scheme of 20 new homes, located just beyond the village boundary, balances the need for housing with highly sensitive local landscape, heritage and biodiversity. Situated within an Area of Great Landscape Value, partly within Ockley’s Conservation Area, and adjacent to Ancient Woodland, the development respects the rural setting. The masterplan retains views of nearby Leith Hill from public footpaths, and the homes that are orientated to preserve visual connections for neighbouring properties to the surrounding countryside. The design includes a mix of homes, with 40% affordable housing to meet the needs of local young families. The architecture reflects the local vernacular, using a palette of bricks, clay tiles, and oak-framed porches. Sustainable features such as air source heat pumps are carefully integrated, along with native hedgerow and tree planting, enhancing local biodiversity. The Parish Council said: ‘House design is in line with the local vernacular and meets the need in the village for 2 & 3 bedroom homes. This will encourage young families to the village which in turn will bring economic gain to local businesses and revitalise the village’ We are proud to have worked as part of a great team to create a landscape-sensitive scheme that thoughtfully balances heritage with much-needed housing. Find out more here: https://loom.ly/jL7ny8Y Thank you to the whole team: Savills: Guy Dixon Lizzie Withall The Ecology Co-op: Sam Lunn Aegaea Limited: Daniel Cook BSc (Hons) MSc C.WEM MCIWEM Ardent Consulting Engineers: David Howson Kevin M. Ecology Solutions: Alastair Macquire #hnwarchitects #makepossible #masterplan #sensitive #landscape #biodiversity #housing #affordablehousing #planning