Zero carbon town

Planning, 27 July 2007

Taunton: riverside regeneration efforts

Name of project: Project Taunton

Launch date: June 2007

Commissioned by: Taunton Deane Borough Council, Somerset County Council, South West of England Regional Development Agency and Environment Agency

Purpose

Establishing Taunton as a regional and national centre of excellence for delivery of sustainable development through regeneration of key town centre sites.

For many local authorities, regenerating large tracts of rundown land in their town centre would be a tough enough target. But planners in Taunton aim to go one step further and turn their town into a template for sustainable urban renaissance.

Project Taunton, officially launched last month, has been charged with the task of managing the physical renewal of 47ha of land stretching through the heart of Somerset's county town. It hardly sounds the most daunting of programmes. But the project's long-term aspirations are far more ambitious. It aims to pave the way for the UK's first zero carbon town.

Would-be developers will need to detail measures to reduce energy demand through good design, supply power as efficiently as possible and maximise use of renewable sources. The project team has produced a guidance note, Design and Sustainability, which outlines the commitment required from developers to pursue exemplary standards and sets challenging goals for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Commercial buildings must achieve an excellent rating under the Building Research Establishment Environment Assessment Model or improve on building regulations requirements by ten per cent. New homes will need to attain an excellent eco-homes rating or reach level 5 in the code for sustainable homes. Beyond that, all schemes will be expected to push towards zero carbon output.

"We are not giving lip service to sustainability. We want to push the boundaries as far as we can," insists project director Ian Franklin. "Buildings that take sustainability seriously will be more valuable buildings. Ultimately we aim to see Taunton establish itself as a regional and national centre of excellence for the delivery of ambitious sustainable development."

However, the scheme is not pursuing sustainable construction in isolation. The project team is committed to a sustainable employment programme to give local people, especially those in Taunton's deprived wards, access to training and job opportunities.

Vocational centre set for key project role

Somerset College of Arts and Technology's centre of vocational excellence is set to play a key role in co-ordinating such initiatives. The team behind Genesis, the college's award-winning sustainable construction resource centre, is supporting the process of selecting developers by scrutinising proposals for their appreciation of sustainability, resource use and energy efficiency.

The urban context is also vital. "Anytown" urban environments will not be accepted, the team insists. It is looking for "contemporary and imaginative" designs for buildings with a strong regional and local identity, sitting appropriately in the surrounding environment and making maximum use of local, low-maintenance materials. To help ensure high standards, South West Design Review is checking out proposals as they emerge.

An improved public realm is high on the project's shopping list. The River Tone waterfront is to be reinstated as a civic hub and spine for walkers and cyclists through better access and maintenance, high-quality public spaces, children's play facilities and public art. Developers will be encouraged to promote biodiversity by incorporating sustainable drainage systems, abundant tree cover and roosting and nesting sites for wildlife into their schemes.

So a great deal is expected of the Project Taunton team, which only began to assemble last year. But it has several things going for it. First, it has heavyweight backing from Taunton Deane Borough Council, Somerset County Council, the South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWERDA) and the Environment Agency.

Second, the ground has been laid in previous planning exercises. Options and aspirations for the town's future development up to 2025 were explored in the RTPI award-winning Taunton Vision exercise, spearheaded by the local authorities and SWERDA back in 2002. An urban design framework produced three years ago suggested ways forward for the string of key town centre sites on which Project Taunton now has lead responsibility for delivery.

Much of this material has found its way into the Taunton town centre area action plan, scheduled for submission this autumn following consultation on preferred options at the end of last year. Taunton Deane senior policy officer Mark Leeman says: "There has been a lot of stakeholder involvement on Taunton Vision and the action plan. We are getting a lot of support for the principles of what we are trying to achieve, whereas previously we found a lot of negativity."

Third, the action plan provides an opportunity to embed the project's sustainability aspirations in the local development framework. The council intends to take on board the emerging regional spatial strategy's ambitious timetables for energy efficiency improvements. But senior planner Roger Mitchinson adds: "The submitted plan is likely to set out an expectation that carbon neutrality will be sought on sites owned or controlled by the local authority."

In the event, stricter planning controls may not be necessary. "Because the borough council owns 85 per cent of the land involved, we do not have to rely on planning powers. We can cover sustainability issues through contractual obligations," Franklin argues. The first major test for this two-pronged approach will come at Firepool.

This 7ha council-owned site next to Taunton railway station is currently occupied by a car park and livestock market. But it is set to be transformed into a 50,000m2 mixed development led by an office park along with retail, leisure and residential uses. Five national developers are in the running and a selection is expected within the next two months. "The bids must be right in their design and sustainability credentials. It is not just a financial decision," Franklin insists.

Meanwhile, the project team is overseeing the implementation of LDA Design's masterplan for a cultural quarter running along the riverside, linked by walkways, improved open spaces and a mix of independent shops, cafes, creative workshops and apartments. Other proposals are in hand to bring Somerset County Cricket Club's ground up to international standards and to expand the Brewhouse arts complex. A major upgrade of the county museum is also in the pipeline thanks to a £5 million Heritage Lottery Fund award.

The next area falling in the project's scope is just upstream at Tangier, where planners envisage an edge-of-centre mixed development featuring flexible managed office space, shops and high-quality homes in place of the present sprawl of parking lots. A Tesco superstore is now trading and a development of 225 homes due to start later this year will incorporate a riverside walk.

Retail plans respond to local competition

The final phase will focus on Taunton's retail core around a pedestrianised High Street. "Taunton is facing real competition from Cribbs Causeway, Exeter and Yeovil, so we have asked consultants to come up with something a bit more ambitious than previous proposals," Franklin explains. The council is discussing possibilities with developers, but it is likely to be three or four years before any schemes start to take off.

The project's aspirations have won some high-level plaudits. Sustainable Development Commission chairman Jonathon Porritt believes that its combination of "daring vision and applied design and delivery plans" singles it out from run-of-the mill regeneration schemes. "At long last people are beginning to realise that delivering substantive economic improvements does not need to come at the expense of the physical environment," he maintains.

Another fan is architectural designer and television presenter Charlie Luxton. "The time is definitely right for a development such as this and it strikes me that this is the right place to do it. The South West has a strong tradition of sustainability. This is the largest scheme of its type and the first to tackle an entire town centre. By embedding sustainability you can send a message about what kind of people and businesses you want to come to the town," he reflects.

"Taunton's vision is big and brave. It is not easy being green and mistakes will be made," Luxton warns. "Everyone in Taunton has to realise that it will take a huge level of commitment. We need projects like this to happen now and to be successful. We need everyone to buy in and make it happen." Franklin agrees: "We need everyone who works in regeneration, including developers, architects and designers, to be dedicated to delivering zero carbon development," he concludes.

- Design and Sustainability is available at PlanningResource.co.uk/doc.

KEY FACTS

- Taunton is a principal urban area under regional planning guidance and a strategically significant town in the emerging regional spatial strategy.

- Over the next decade, the town will see 14,000 new homes, 200,000m2 of employment space and 50,000.000m2 of retail space, creating a total of 11,500 jobs.

- Project Taunton is managing the development and regeneration of almost 50ha of riverside land, most of which is in public ownership.

MAIN AIMS

- To regenerate a range of key town centre sites to the highest standards of sustainable construction and design while moving toward a zero carbon development.

- To create between 2,000 and 2,500 homes in the town centre.

- To provide 80,000m2 of employment space, including 50,000m2 at Firepool.

- To develop 50,000m2 of retail and leisure space.

- To create 7,000 additional jobs in the project area.