Birmingham Design Guide Consultation

daniboy173 said:

Nice words, but will have zero effect on the reality of what actually happens.

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This is the kind of hardcore cynicism which guarantees nothing will ever happen.

I was involved in an initiative to improve design standards in the city way back in the mid-1980s.

Did everything change for the better overnight? No.

Was it frustrating? Yes.

Did it feed into gradual change for the better? Yes.

Did I waste my time? No.

daniboy173 said:

Nice words, but will have zero effect on the reality of what actually happens.

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Not true As a Development Plan Document, it will have "weight" in planning decisions. The document doesn't talk about the way buildings look and nor should it. Changes to the way a building looks from such a document will not be realised. However, things like level thresholds, active frontages to main roads etc. will come from this document.

daniboy173 said:

Nice words, but will have zero effect on the reality of what actually happens.

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According to Wikipedia a material planning considerations will have to be considered in every planning application. That is a considerable impact on reality, even if just a bureaucratic one!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_consideration

I would be interested to know from anyone with a planning background what impact material planning considerations have on what is actually built? Are there any material planning considerations already in place in Bham?

*edit: posted before I saw djay's response

leonigmig said:

According to Wikipedia a material planning considerations will have to be considered in every planning application. That is a considerable impact on reality, even if just a bureaucratic one!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_consideration

I would be interested to know from anyone with a planning background what impact material planning considerations have on what is actually built? Are there any material planning considerations already in place in Bham?

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Yes, Places for Living which is basically the same document as this design guide. The new guide i suspect, will give more detail about city centre buildings where as the current one is based (obviously) on residential homes.

As i said above, it probably won't change the "attractiveness" of the building. What similar documents have done before are allow the Council to insist on a house with rooms of a certain size, include chimneys to reflect the character of an area for example.

"These environments range from individual homes to shopping centres and work places...they must all fulfil their function, and positively contributing to place. This will require designs to consider a range of elements to achieve the high quality outcomes desired. From ensuring proposals effectively integrate and enhance their surroundings; to creating active, safe spaces and places that invite use; and provide sufficient internal and external environments for individual users or residents"

You'd think that would be enough to prevent buidlings like Phase 2 of the Park Regis gaining approval on the grounds that; "A 17-storey dull building is better than a 30-storey dull building. "It's not much of a building to look at but that's no reason to turn it down."

We need a revision of attitudes towards medicority.

One example of why this is just a load of guff. "This will ensure that the cities historic environment plays a crucial role in its future". They say this when they have just approved the demolition of a large chunk of Selly Oak's Victorian high street. And that's just one example. It's all lip service, you guys get excited by it if you want but I'd rather see action over words, and I'm afraid I don't see any.