The Scottish Government

Name

Ruth Findlay

Job title

Planning Officer

Organisation

South Lanarkshire Council

Address

Montrose House, 154 Montrose Crescent, Hamilton ML3 6LB

Telephone

01698 455943

Fax

01698 455948

Email

Ruth.Findlay@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

1 Clyde Valley Housing Association

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Development Plans Development Management Development on the Ground Community Involvement

Title of entry

Innovative and Sustainable Social Housing in Hamilton Town Centre

Professional knowledge Innovation Management Sustainable development

Partnership Community interest Regeneration Customer satisfaction

The project set out to fill a need for social rented housing in Hamilton Town Centre, whilst utilising the latest eco-friendly design and build techniques. The landmark development - formerly the site of a council car park - has created 26 flats in four, 4-storey blocks, The development formed an innovative design scheme incorporating timber facades overhanging a curved, reclaimed stone boundary wall along with copper surrounds to windows on the principle elevation. The project is an excellent example of low energy urban living making use of solar energy by orientating the buildings to the south - the southern elevations are predominately glazed to maximise this - and incorporating the power gained from the solar panels with that of a communal boiler system. The curved stone boundary wall, which runs along the front of the site onto the principle road of Low Patrick Street, has been designed to also provide an acoustic and thermal barrier.

The effective incorporation of the sustainable elements of the blocks into the innovative design have resulted in a development that not only stands out in terms of visual impact and modern design, but one that accomplishes this while adhering to the principle of effective, sustainable development. With partnership working at its core, the project has successfully married the social housing sector with state-of-the art design and low-energy urban living.

The site was identified by South Lanarkshire Council as one where re-development would be appropriate with particular reference to social rented housing. Following on from previous successful joint working with Clyde Valley Housing Association, the Council offered them the opportunity to purchase the land at market value. A 'competition' was then set up by the Association, inviting local architects to submit imaginative designs and ideas for developing the site. The Council's Planning service took on the crucial role of working on and amending the winning bid from Hypostyle architects to ensure the development was appropriate in terms of location and scale. All flats within the development have been allocated as social rented accommodation based on housing need. Throughout the development there was extensive interest to purchase the flats.

• To redevelop a Council owned car park to achieve a high standard development, which would provide social need housing within Hamilton Town Centre. In line with national planning policy, the Council aimed to create a vibrant, diverse and balanced community within the Town Centre and it was considered that residential occupation would play an important role in that.
• To achieve a high quality, innovative design that will encourage similar forms of development within South Lanarkshire.
• To provide an environmentally friendlier residential development, employing a variety of different techniques and technology including solar panels, a shared boiler system and the use of a boundary wall to provide sound and thermal insulation.

South Lanarkshire Council received the original competition entry on 6th July 2001, with the planning application submitted on 2 ^nd October 2002.

The Council carried out an initial technical / land use feasibility study of the site, which was left over from the realignment of the Motherwell Road to Quarry Street dual carriageway, looking at the range of land uses that might be appropriate. The study determined that this site was appropriate for residential use and suggested that varying tenures be considered. Social rented housing in association with a Housing Association was deemed to be appropriate in order to continue to promote a range of housing tenures within the Town Centre and to accord with Local Plan policy which looked to promote a mix to respond to housing demand.

Following the identification of the car park as a site appropriate for residential development, the site was the subject of a competitive bid for which four consultants submitted tenders. The Council and the client, Clyde Valley Housing Association, assessed these with one scheme in particular being considered appropriate for the site. Intensive public consultation was then entered into, with three formal public meetings and various face-to-face meetings with interested parties.

Upon viewing the submitted scheme, the Planning Service undertook amendments of the proposals to ensure the scale and massing of the development was appropriate and to take account of amenity issues raised during the public consultation period of the planning application. This related to the reduction in height of one of the blocks to take cognisance of the adjacent properties in terms of privacy and amenity.

Estates, Regeneration and Planning were all involved in the development from the earliest stages, while the Planning Service played a key role in achieving a finished development that allowed for the optimum development of this principle site within Hamilton Town Centre. The Clyde Valley Housing Association - the applicant - along with Hypostyle - the architect - were instrumental in the success of the development. The development was partly funded as a research project by Communities Scotland. As such, it can be seen that a number of partners have made significant contributions towards the successful development of the site.

Innovative and Sustainable Social Housing in Hamilton Town Centre - This project achieved a number of results:

• The development reflects the quality of design with the use of sustainable heating systems that the Council would always wish to incorporate, wherever possible, into future developments.
• In terms of the sustainable element of the development, the design utilises:
• Passive and active principles, ranging from:
• Thermal walls and glazed southerly elevations through to a communal boiler system and solar panel technology.
• Low embodied energy in all materials,
• Life cycle costing analysis
• Mechanically assisted passive ventilation and communal heating systems
• Each block contains a double boiler heating system with each boiler running at approximately 30% capacity, reducing running costs and ensuring a back up boiler should one fail.
• Every flat within the development benefits from under floor heating.
• Solar panels are located on the roof of each block, pre-heating water that goes through the boilers; again reducing the running costs of heating the blocks.
• Each of the four villa blocks has a thick super insulated, timber clad wall facing on to the main road.
• The elevations to the south have a light frame construction with maximum glazing for solar gain.

The Clyde Valley Housing Association residential development at Miller Street has been nominated for a Scottish Award for Quality in Planning for the following reasons:

Innovative

• The high quality, innovative example of modern architecture and the incorporation of materials and design features that significantly improve the streetscape of Hamilton Town Centre that the project exhibits, sets a benchmark for development within South Lanarkshire Council represents a prime example of innovation in the regeneration of an area that is to the benefit of the Council in the wider area.
• The incorporation of the sustainable features of the residential development into the design represents an innovative form of residential development within Hamilton Town Centre that has achieved a high standard of modern architecture with sustainable elements.

Sustainable Development:

• The development incorporates solar heating which pre-heats water circulating within the boiler and further features a system of communal heating. The southern elevation is principally glazed to maximise solar heating and has incorporated low embodied energy in all materials, life cycle costing analysis and mechanically assisted passive ventilation.
• As the project includes various environmentally friendly features it puts the development at the forefront of sustainable residential development.

Regeneration

• The project represents the redevelopment of a former car park, which forms a prominent site in Hamilton town centre to achieve effective regeneration of the site.
• It is hoped that the development will act as a catalyst for further high calibre development within the Town Centre and contribute to the continued improvement to Hamilton Town Centre.

Partnership

• The project involved inter-Service co-ordination in the commissioning of a competitive bid for the development of the site.
• The project demonstrates the benefits of effective negotiation techniques between the Planning Service and developers/architects to achieve high quality prestigious developments and as such is a good example of partnership working.

Professional Knowledge

• The project represents the effective implementation of South Lanarkshire Council planning policy in that it involved co-operation with Clyde Valley Housing Association and Communities Scotland (in terms of their Strategic Partnership Agreement) to promote and provide a range of housing in the Central Area to meet the demands of the housing market.
• The project involved the incorporation of detailed, sophisticated systems of sustainable development within a well-designed example of modern architecture and as such involved a high degree of professional knowledge by the architects.

In consideration of the above points, it is considered that the project represents a scheme that has effectively balanced the appropriateness of economic development of the site with a use aimed at improving the social housing provision within Hamilton town centre and as such is a prime example of sustainable development.

8/9/06