Longbridge

Birmingham

Masterplan for the redevelopment of the former Austin Rover car plant site in Birmingham and Bromsgrove, including 2,000 new homes, employment, education, offices, and retail uses. Designed by Barton Willmore.

We have also reviewed proposals for the Former General Office Block Site, which is part of the Longbridge masterplan.

Summary

We find much to admire in the Longbridge masterplan proposals, brought forward through a close working relationship between St Modwen, Advantage West Midlands, Birmingham City Council and Bromsgrove District Council. We are supportive of many of the key structural elements of the urban design, particularly in its strong approach to landscape as a means of creating a place with distinctive character. It is our view that some further work is required before outline planning approval to improve connections with the station and existing communities, flexibility to accommodate different building types, and the phasing strategy. We are confident that with the support of the local authority, the design team will be able to address our concerns in these areas.

The format of the outline application necessarily leaves many questions about design quality at a detailed level unanswered. For this reason, we support the local authorities’ proposal to require development briefs, prior to the submission of reserved matters applications, and think this should be a condition of any outline approval. However, we are not confident that design quality will be secured by development briefs in the form in which they are included in the design and access statement. We think that a further stage of design iteration will be required before these can be approved, including plot testing by architects based on the parameters of the masterplan. CABE would welcome a continued dialogue with the local authorities and design team as these important documents are worked up in more detail.

Landscape

A particular strength of the masterplan is its strategic approach to landscape, building on the presence of the rivers Rea and Arrow as central elements within the scheme. The parks created alongside these rivers form a welcome counterpoint to the generally orthogonal arrangement of streets and development plots. We understand that architects will shortly be appointed by St Modwen to work with the masterplanners to bring forward more detailed design proposals for the local centre and Austin Square. We understand that this will include testing the size of the space, in relation to the level of activity that will be generated by the uses surrounding it. We think the location of this space in relation to Longbridge station should also be given further thought, as discussed below.

Movement and access

The masterplan area is well provided with existing transport infrastructure, and the detailed planning application for modifications to the A38 show a commitment to build on this. However, there are three aspects of the movement and access strategy that we think could be improved.

Firstly, we think that it is essential that the masterplan secures strong links between Longbridge station and the proposed new local centre. The station and Austin Square are currently linked by a diagonal route, and we think retaining this will be essential to the success of the masterplan. In this regard, we think the location of the vehicular access point from Longbridge Lane, which crosses this pedestrian route should be reconsidered. It appears that this will provide service access to an area of mixed use development, including retail and leisure uses. In our view it would be preferable to extend the vehicular access route from the A38, to serve this area of the masterplan. We understand that Network Rail are responsible for the train line, and Centro for the station building at Longbridge. Network Rail has a strong track record bringing forward station redevelopment projects that support wider regeneration initiatives, for example in Birmingham New Street and London Kings Cross. We would encourage them, working with Centro, to take a similar approach to improving passenger experience and supporting the local economy at Longbridge. For many people living, working or visiting Longbridge, the experience of arriving at the station will play an important part in defining the character of the place.

Secondly we think that a more robust approach to creating links between the masterplan and existing communities should be pursued. The design team have identified future potential linkages which are unlikely to be achieved without strong leadership from the local authority. Proactive planning will be essential for the creation of links that will allow existing communities to benefit fully from the redevelopment proposals.

Lastly, we understand that the detailed planning application for modifications to the A38 has now been approved. As detailed design work continues towards implementation, we think every opportunity should be taken to improve the experience of pedestrians and cyclists as much as the efficiency of traffic flows. We support the decision to create at grade crossings for pedestrians moving between Longbridge North and West. We also welcome the proposal to create a landscaped central reservation, and bring building frontages forwards to help create the feeling of a street rather than a highway. The success of these strategies to humanise the A38 will depend on the care with which their detailed design is resolved. For example, traffic sequencing to create generous gaps in traffic for pedestrians to cross.

Building types

The illustrative masterplan accompanying the outline planning applications for Longbridge North and West relies to a large extent on perimeter blocks for both employment and residential development. We are concerned that the dimensions of perimeter blocks shown may constrain development options, and architectural creativity. For example, the perimeter block forms currently shown raise questions about the use of the centre of the blocks. Although the courtyards within perimeter blocks may not form part of the public realm, they will play an important role in the experience of people who live and work here. It would be disappointing if these were to become dominated by car parking. A well considered parking strategy will be essential to allow high quality private or shared private landscape spaces to be created for homes and offices. We also think that the local authority should assure itself that the block and road layout will achieve sufficient design flexibility, by requesting that plot testing by architects is undertaken.

We think that further exploration of the way in which the industrial past of Longbridge could inform the character of this new place would be valuable. Although now demolished, the vast car plants could provide inspiration for architects working within the masterplan framework. This could provide one means of creating variety, to enrich a scheme that currently relies heavily on perimeter block development as its principal urban form. We understand that the masterplan is intended to provide flexibility for architectural interpretation of the development plots it creates. As detailed development proposals come forward, we think alternative building types should be encouraged by the local authorities.

A tall building is proposed by the masterplan as a marker where the local centre meets the A38. We think a case could be made for a tall building in this location, but that the masterplan should provide greater flexibility for the architectural resolution of this element. The modest height currently proposed may not result in a building of elegant proportions. We also wonder if a group of two or three towers might create a more successful point of emphasis in the urban design.

Phasing

We understand that a 10 to 15 year phasing of development is envisaged at Longbridge, and that this timescale may be further extended by current market conditions. This presents particular challenges for a brownfield site, where the former industrial buildings have now all been demolished. A plan for the short to medium term use of areas of the site awaiting development is essential in these circumstances. The phasing and delivery strategy for the scheme does not yet address this convincingly. We would encourage the local authority to work with the design team to resolve this issue for the benefit of both the existing and new communities at Longbridge.

Sustainability

We commend the aspirations set out in the Longbridge Area Action Plan to achieve high standards of sustainability. There is unusual scope to realise this aspiration on a site where comprehensive redevelopment is to take place. Various approaches have been taken to achieve a holistic approach to sustainability, and it will be essential that the masterplan and development briefs provide robust tools to ensure these aspirations are achieved. The local authority should use all tools at its disposal to maintain this level of ambition as detailed designs are developed.

Planning process

One of the biggest challenges in the delivery of the Longbridge masterplan will be ensuring that benchmarks for design quality are maintained at every stage of the planning and development process. We understand that the local authority intend to set up an Implementation Panel, as a means of achieving this. In addition, it is CABE’s view that the submission of detailed development briefs for each of the zones identified in the design and access statement should be a condition of any outline approval in advance of reserved matters applications. These development briefs should provide more detail than is made available in the design and access statement accompanying the outline application. Further work will be required to test the parameters of the masterplan and establish a clear vision for the character of each area. CABE would welcome an opportunity to comment on these development briefs, and we suggest that this could be a further condition of any outline approval.