Work has started on-site to build 20 new affordable housing apartments in Midlothian. Situated on the High Street of Bonnyrigg’s popular town centre, Cruden Building is delivering the project on behalf of Midlothian Council. The new homes will support the Council’s wider ambition to reach net zero by 2030. Achieving
During last weeks budget announcement, the government announced £5.6million of funding to redevelop Marsden Mills through the Levelling Up Fund (LUF). In August last year, Kirklees Council submitted a bid for the LUF aimed at bringing Marsden Mills, a long-vacant historic mill complex in Marsden town centre, back into use.
Baxi will be supplying its 100% hydrogen boilers for the H100 Fife Project, a world-first hydrogen-to-homes demonstration delivered through a partnership between gas distribution company SGN and Fife Council in cooperation with industry regulator Ofgem. Baxi attended an event hosted by SGN on 8 March to mark the beginning of
Following a year of unprecedented growth and success in 2022, leading innovators in offsite modular solutions – VOLUMETRIC™ are celebrating after being crowned ‘Innovation of the Year – Wellbeing’ winners, at the 2023 CIBSE Building Performance Awards. The VOLUMETRIC™ team picked up the trophy for SOLOHAUS™ in the MODULHAUS™ range.
Leading and award-winning build-to-rent provider Placefirst has broken ground at its new £35m neighbourhood in Bolton town centre. Central Street will deliver 167 new high quality, sustainable homes for long-term private rent; a mixture of apartments and townhouses located opposite the former Beales department store and extending to the River
The £9.1 million redevelopment of Parsons Vehicle Workshop and Depot in Parsons Road, Washington, a project which began in the summer of 2021 for Sunderland City Council (SCC), is now occupied. Over the coming years, SCC aspires to move towards electric vehicles in lieu of petrol or diesel, therefore electric
The Housing Finance Institute (HFI) and Localis published a 30-page blueprint designed to stimulate a new generation of council homes. ‘Public Rental Homes – fresh perspectives’ provides a solution to the challenge that just 6,000 of the 52,000 new homes listed as ‘affordable’ in 2020/21 by local councils were truly affordable by 1.2 million households on
Liverpool City Council has appointed the highly experienced Nuala Gallagher as its new Corporate Director of City Development. Nuala, current Director of Planning, Environment & Placemaking at Limerick City and County Council, will take up the reins from interim Director Mark Bourgeois, at the end of March. The appointment is
Willmott Dixon has been selected as the preferred contractor by Thames Valley Police for a state-of-the-art forensics centre in Bicester as part of a wider improvement programme to transform forensic services across the force area. The purpose-built centre in Bicester will become the main forensics hub for the force, containing
Esri UK today announced the results of three pilot projects at Nottingham City Council, Dacorum Borough Council and South Ayrshire Council, which have been exploring new ways of digitising the planning process using geospatial technology. Projects have focused on solving common challenges within planning, including the improvement of community engagement,
Work has started on-site to build 20 new affordable housing apartments in Midlothian. Situated on the High Street of Bonnyrigg’s popular town centre, Cruden Building is delivering the project on behalf of Midlothian Council. The new homes will support the Council’s wider ambition to reach net zero by 2030. Achieving status as the largest Passivhaus development programme in Scotland, Midlothian Council is committed to building 182 green homes across the local community. Designed by award-winning architecture firm, AHR, eight of the new apartments will offer assisted living, with the remaining twelve apartments providing age-exclusive homes for those aged 55 and over. Achieving Passivhaus certification, the homes will offer tenants bright and spacious living spaces paired with more affordable running costs. A series of measures are being incorporated to help reduce energy consumption levels, including the new homes being fitted with Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) units to provide a constant flow of fresh air, whilst also helping to retain energy that has already been used in heating the apartments. The development will feature an attractive brick exterior to compliment its neighbouring buildings and keep with the original character of the surrounding community. With an array of local amenities available in Bonnyrigg town centre, Midlothian Council tenants will be able to embrace independent living with easy access to nearby shops, healthcare centres and transport links. Work is due to complete in July 2024. Richard Crowther, Commercial Director at Cruden Building Scotland, said: “The Cruden Group is committed to delivering more energy-efficient homes across Scotland, so we’re delighted to support Midlothian Council in reaching their wider net zero goals through building these new apartments. “Passivhaus homes can allow up to 90% of energy savings in comparison to other types of builds, which will bring life-changing benefits to local tenants, particularly at a time where living costs are at an all-time high.” Midlothian Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Stuart McKenzie, said: “We’re extremely proud to be delivering the most ambitious Passivhaus building programme in Scotland. The people who will call these flats home will enjoy living in a comfortable, warm, energy-efficient and affordable home. These flats help us towards our goal of achieving net zero status by 2030.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
During last weeks budget announcement, the government announced £5.6million of funding to redevelop Marsden Mills through the Levelling Up Fund (LUF). In August last year, Kirklees Council submitted a bid for the LUF aimed at bringing Marsden Mills, a long-vacant historic mill complex in Marsden town centre, back into use. Despite news that the bid had been unsuccessful, the project is now able to go ahead thanks to the unexpected funding boost from government. The plans include retaining parts of the mill’s façade, as a beautiful heritage piece, preserving the building’s history and personality. The remainder of the building will be partially demolished to create a new, improved building, which will support the town centre and local businesses. Once completed, the new development will include commercial units and office space, with a potential for residential units on the upper floors – all surrounded by beautiful landscaping and an attractive new courtyard. The historic façade will remain a key feature. Councillor Shabir Pandor, Leader of the Council, said: “I am pleased that the Marsden project has been given the funding it deserves. We knew when we submitted our Levelling Up Fund bids that the projects we put forward were strong ones. The fact that the government has approved another of those bids, alongside the successful bid for Batley town centre, goes to show that our vision for our towns is the right one. I look forward to seeing the work take shape.” Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, added: “This project will boost the local economy in Marsden, allowing it to thrive. I am very pleased that we can move forward on this important scheme and know that the people of Marsden and beyond will benefit from having high quality facilities in the heart of the town.” The plan is for the project to be led by private sector organisations with the support of the council. Alongside the £5.6million of funding announced through the LUF, a further £11.7million will be contributed by private sector partners. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Baxi will be supplying its 100% hydrogen boilers for the H100 Fife Project, a world-first hydrogen-to-homes demonstration delivered through a partnership between gas distribution company SGN and Fife Council in cooperation with industry regulator Ofgem. Baxi attended an event hosted by SGN on 8 March to mark the beginning of construction of the H100 Fife hydrogen homes demonstration facility. Due to open to the public this summer, the new facility will comprise two hydrogen show homes where visitors will be able to try out domestic hydrogen appliances, including Baxi’s 100% pure hydrogen boilers. The H100 Fife project enables households in the Buckhaven and Denbeath areas of historic Methil on the south Fife coast, to opt-in to be supplied with hydrogen through a new network which is due to go live in 2024. The scheme has already signed up over 300 householders who want to be part of the first 100% green hydrogen-to-homes zero carbon network anywhere in the world. Their participation will provide important behavioural and social evidence critical to help the UK decarbonise home heating. Green hydrogen will be supplied via the dedicated ORE Catapult 7MW wind turbine connected to an on-site electrolyser and storage facility. Modelling shows the turbine could provide the energy to produce enough hydrogen for up to 900 homes a year. The H100 Fife Project is the latest in a line of hydrogen projects to benefit from Baxi’s involvement, with the leading heating specialist having already supplied its full hydrogen and 20% blend compatible boilers to residential projects such as HyDeploy, Hy4Heat, HyStreet, Northern Gas Network’s 100% Hydrogen Home near Gateshead. In the commercial heating space, Baxi also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with H2GO Power to deliver the world-first commercial hydrogen boiler and demonstrate the technology’s potential to decarbonise multiple industries. Karen Boswell, managing director of Baxi UK and Ireland, said: “We are thrilled to be providing our 100% hydrogen boilers to another innovative, world-first demonstration project. It’s great to see the support for this project from the local community and hands-on involvement from Fife council and other important stakeholders in the area. With such projects, we can help the public, Government and wider heating industry to better understand the potential of hydrogen to provide safe and low-carbon heating in the future, alongside other options available today such as heat pumps, hybrid systems and heat networks.” For more information, visit www.baxi.co.uk/about-us/the-future-of-heat Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Following a year of unprecedented growth and success in 2022, leading innovators in offsite modular solutions – VOLUMETRIC™ are celebrating after being crowned ‘Innovation of the Year – Wellbeing’ winners, at the 2023 CIBSE Building Performance Awards. The VOLUMETRIC™ team picked up the trophy for SOLOHAUS™ in the MODULHAUS™ range. Designed to help overcome the homelessness crisis, these single person modules offer a safe, independent and innovative interim housing solution which helps former rough sleepers find the stability they need before making the transition to a permanent home. The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) celebrate projects that offer actual, measured performance outcomes through their awards. Finalists were invited to attend the prestigious awards ceremony, held at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London. Judges were impressed with the low-energy and cost-efficient modular homes and described MODULHAUS™ as a ‘stand out’ winner of the Innovation of the Year award. The judges praised the initiative commenting: “VOLUMETRIC™ has made a significant contribution to wellbeing, due to the close partnership with Hill Group, to design and manufacture the bespoke single-person homes, with 200 being gifted to homeless charities and councils across the country.” Trevor Richards, Director, VOLUMETRIC™ said: “To gain another award win is a fantastic way to start 2023. It is particularly rewarding that the judges not only commented on the sustainability and performance benefits of the range but also recognised the important role our modular homes have in combating housing shortages in areas of urgent need. The team are delighted and want to thank the judging panel for their positive comments.” The MODULHAUS™ range includes single-occupancy SOLOHAUS™, DUOHAUS™ for double-occupancy, and the latest addition, FAMILYHAUS™ – designed to meet all interim housing needs. All VOLUMETRIC™ homes use sustainable technologies to offer exceptional airtightness for minimal heat loss and to reduce carbon emissions. Modules are BOPAS Certified, LABC Assured and are fully fitted with high-performance, low-energy white goods and are designed to surpass the Future Homes Standard. VOLUMETRIC™ has received significant industry recognition over the past twelve months, having won the Product Innovation Award for the DUOHAUS™ model at the 2022 Offsite Awards. The team also achieved a regional winner title for Best Purpose-built Accommodation at the LABC Building Excellence Awards and the wins culminated at the NCE Techfest Awards where VOLUMETRIC™ picked up the trophy in the Offsite and Modular category. Trevor Richards added: “This has been a period of achievement and growth for VOLUMETRIC™. We have improved our product range and our manufacturing facility. The team has been working with several councils, local authorities, and charities to deliver modular housing across the UK, tackling the housing shortage head-on.” For more information on SOLOHAUS™, DUOHAUS™ or FAMILYHAUS™ go to www.volumetric.co.uk Call 01743 290020 or email info@volumetric.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Leading and award-winning build-to-rent provider Placefirst has broken ground at its new £35m neighbourhood in Bolton town centre. Central Street will deliver 167 new high quality, sustainable homes for long-term private rent; a mixture of apartments and townhouses located opposite the former Beales department store and extending to the River Croal. To mark the milestone, key members of the Placefirst project team were joined by the Leader of Bolton Council at the site. Placefirst has worked alongside award winning architects Levitt Bernstein and landscape architects CW Studio to design a scheme which will transform the 1.1 hectare brownfield site previously occupied by vacant buildings and a car park, into a vibrant new neighbourhood with communal green areas and pedestrian-led spaces. The design process has been supported by engineers Alan Johnston Partnership, quantity surveyors Walker Sime, project managers Mackie Project Consultants, and monitoring and evaluation consultants Hoare Lea. The legal team for the scheme consists of Gunnercooke and Hill Dickinson. Caddick Construction have been appointed as Placefirst’s construction partner for the first phase of works. The neighbourhood has been designed around a network of pedestrian priority streets, a spacious square and courtyards. The scheme will also deliver a range of ground floor units to expand the amount of commercial space available to local businesses. Placefirst’s commitment to placemaking and social value is showcased through repurposing the brownfield site into much needed high-quality rental homes with good public realm and features including rooftop terraces and resident gardens. The site is well connected, being in the heart of the town centre and within walking distance of the River Croal and Queen’s Park, and suburbs across Bolton. The surrounding areas are easily accessible from the nearby bus interchange and train station. The development is part of Bolton Council’s £1bn masterplan to transform the town centre by complementing the historic fabric of central Bolton through a mix of interesting, high quality buildings and well thought-out public spaces. Placefirst’s work at Central Street builds on its strong track record of creating thriving communities in the north west of England which includes the iconic Welsh Streets in Liverpool and the Elevate apartment scheme in Manchester. Once complete, Placefirst will remain on site and be responsible for every aspect of the neighbourhood. Each Placefirst development has a dedicated resident services manager and residents are guaranteed a fully maintained, high-quality home for as long as they like. Darran Lawless, development director at Placefirst commented: “We are delighted to commence work on this key regeneration project in the heart of Bolton town centre. This will be a significant development delivering 167 high quality, energy-efficient homes, built specifically for the private rental market. “Addressing the shortage of high quality available rental housing is a key part of Bolton Council’s masterplan and we are proud to be part of this, creating a new community that will have a positive impact on the local area and local economy. We look forward to bringing this new neighbourhood to life.” Bolton Council Leader, Cllr Martyn Cox, said: “Central Street is a perfect example of what we are delivering through our town centre masterplan. “Without the intervention of the council, this area would have remained an underused brownfield site. “But by working with our partners at Placefirst it will become a new neighbourhood of high-quality homes that will attract people into the centre and make it a more vibrant and attractive place. “This is an exciting time for Bolton town centre as work is now underway at a number of key sites with more projects to come later in the year.” Ian Threadgold, Managing Director of Caddick Construction in the North West commented: “There is huge demand for high quality new homes and Placefirst is leading the region by bringing to market this exciting new development, transforming brownfield land into a vibrant hub for Bolton. We are very proud to have been selected as Placefirst’s construction partner for the first phase of works and we look forward to helping to deliver these exceptional new homes for local families and the wider community.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The £9.1 million redevelopment of Parsons Vehicle Workshop and Depot in Parsons Road, Washington, a project which began in the summer of 2021 for Sunderland City Council (SCC), is now occupied. Over the coming years, SCC aspires to move towards electric vehicles in lieu of petrol or diesel, therefore electric vehicle charging was a significant element of the project. The building will act as an electrical vehicle charging hub for the council’s fleet of vehicles, utilising a large array of roof mounted solar PVs and battery storage units to obtain maximum efficiency out of the system. To make way for the brand-new, two-storey mixed use vehicle depot building, the existing workshop was demolished to be replaced by one which houses workshop spaces and office accommodation as well as a fuel station, electric charging hub, and a security gatehouse to service the entrance, which leads to parking facilities for fleet, visitors and staff. After a competitive tender Esh Construction (Esh) was appointed as contractor in the summer of 2020. In keeping with its social value strategy to work with local firms whenever possible, Esh appointed Durham-based Howarth Litchfield as architect with shared responsibility for submitting the planning application, which was given the green light in early 2021. Howarth Litchfield Director, Keith Handy, added: “We’re delighted to have been involved with the redevelopment of Parsons Depot which builds on our experience in this vital sector. In this case, the project sets the benchmark on sustainability within the context of local authority fleet vehicle management, providing a new strategic asset for Sunderland City Council, housing frontline services for fleet management, highways operations, refuse collection, horticultural services, and so on. “Specifically, it not only supports the current outgoing fossil fuel vehicles but is also heavily designed around the incoming electrical vehicle fleet both in terms of the vehicles’ everyday maintenance as well as providing a centralised electrical charging hub.” Deputy Leader of Sunderland City Council and Cabinet Member for Clean Green City, Councillor Claire Rowntree is the council’s Climate Champion. She said: “We are moving towards our aims of being a carbon neutral city and the Parsons Depot is part of this big picture. The hi-tech updates for energy consumption, carbon emissions and its environmentally friendlier facilities allow us to expand our capacity for specialist electric and other low carbon EVs. Parsons helps towards meeting our moves of making the council carbon neutral by 2030 and having a carbon neutral city by 2040.” The co-location of services on this 6.37 acre (2.58 Ha) site has led to greater efficiency and provides flexibility for future reorganisation or expansion if required. The project is very much a first in the North East within local authorities as they look at how they will facilitate and maintain a new fleet of electrical vehicles by 2030. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Housing Finance Institute (HFI) and Localis published a 30-page blueprint designed to stimulate a new generation of council homes. ‘Public Rental Homes – fresh perspectives’ provides a solution to the challenge that just 6,000 of the 52,000 new homes listed as ‘affordable’ in 2020/21 by local councils were truly affordable by 1.2 million households on waiting lists. Local authorities would have the opportunity to develop plans to slash council waiting lists and galvanise local housebuilding by partnering with private developers to build homes by adopting this new-generation PRH model, that flips the traditional approach to negotiations on ‘affordable’ provision. Currently councils negotiate with developers to determine the percentage of affordable homes a scheme can provide, based on the total private unit sales. ‘Affordable’ rents can vary from 50% of local market rents up to 90%. Subsidised sales are included in the percentages. The PRH model flips the question to ‘what percentage of private homes are needed to produce sufficient PRH homes? Under the PRH model – which deals in ‘bottom up’ plans, not top-down targets – local authorities would be responsible for identifying sites that might meet PRH criteria and initiate discussion with developers. For their part, developers would assume 100% of the risk and a 20% margin on both the PRH homes as well as their own private units. Report author, Peter Bill, said: “Families on council waiting lists are squeezed to the bottom of pile by financial pressures on councils and developers trying to agree the percentage of affordable homes. A new perspective is needed to ensure the needs of these families become the top priority on sites where PRH is viable. “The PRH approach addresses that need and provides fresh impetus to councils looking to house those on their waiting list and to developers looking for better, simpler, ways to build. Site by site viability is the key. Developers take 100% of the risk and therefore deserve a 20% profit margin.” Co-author, Jackie Sadek, said: “We need to get on and deliver. Stop arguing about the whys and the wherefores. Delivery only happens on the ground, not from Whitehall. Let’s try to crack this massive crisis, not top down, but bottom up. Every council should be supported in drawing up a 10 year Plan to deliver Public Rental Homes.” Chair of The Housing and Finance Institute Board, Sir Steve Bullock, said: “Thousands of families and individuals, both young and old, are caught in the trap of being unable to afford to buy or rent privately but finding no alternative that they can possibly afford either. More people are falling into this trap each month yet the supply of new affordable homes is actually diminishing. “The impact of the cost-of-living crisis makes finding a response ever more urgent and the HFI has commissioned this research to offer a way forward that can attract support on a cross party basis. “Putting the emphasis on building new social homes has the potential to be a win–win with homeless people having a better chance of moving to decent properties that they can afford and make into homes while the economic impact of the construction will have wider benefits. “Doing this at pace will need a different mindset at all levels of government and the HFI will press for that and work with councils, government and developers in the coming weeks to make this happen.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Liverpool City Council has appointed the highly experienced Nuala Gallagher as its new Corporate Director of City Development. Nuala, current Director of Planning, Environment & Placemaking at Limerick City and County Council, will take up the reins from interim Director Mark Bourgeois, at the end of March. The appointment is part of a reorganisation of the Council’s senior team, with the authority also in the midst of recruiting a new Chief Executive, as well as seeking to appoint new Corporate Directors for Neighbourhoods and Housing, Finance and Resources and Children and Young People. The role will focus on driving Liverpool’s economic growth and delivering sustainable development across the city centre and communities, including overseeing major schemes such as Anfield Square, Kings Dock, Paddington Village, Festival Gardens and the Littlewoods site. Nuala Gallagher will lead a team of 300 staff and will be responsible for a budget of £86 million, helping to create jobs and opportunities that are accessible to all. She will also be responsible for overseeing planning, property and asset management, an investment strategy, as well as skills, adult learning and environmental and sustainability policies. An exceptional leader, Nuala has amassed more than two decades of experience in development and placemaking internationally and is also currently a board member of Limerick Twenty Thirty, a property development company. Her previous roles include Head of Regeneration for the London Borough of Newham, Director for Economy of Place at Bristol City Council and Director of City Centre Development at Belfast City Council. Nuala has also spent time working in New York, leading on sustainable urban development and teaching at Columbia University. She is a registered architect and a graduate of Columbia University with a Masters in Urban Design. She will work closely with the Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson, interim Chief Executive Theresa Grant and the Government Commissioners to continue the transformation of the City Development directorate. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Willmott Dixon has been selected as the preferred contractor by Thames Valley Police for a state-of-the-art forensics centre in Bicester as part of a wider improvement programme to transform forensic services across the force area. The purpose-built centre in Bicester will become the main forensics hub for the force, containing laboratories, new digital technologies and dedicated training facilities. The Forensic Improvement Programme will see significant investment over the next three years to transform Thames Valley Police’s forensic services, improving investigations and the outcomes for victims. “The programme is the result of a review of Thames Valley Police’s forensics services as a whole where we’ve identified the need to modernise facilities and increase capacity. In a world of rapidly advancing technology, ensuring the police stay on the cutting edge of forensics is crucial to keeping the public safe. Whether crimes such as burglaries, sexual offences or digital crimes, the police need to get ahead of the criminals,” said Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber. Cherwell District Council’s planning committee recently granted planning permission for the new forensic centre on force-owned land near Avonbury Business Park on Howes Lane, subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement. This is the latest project for Willmott Dixon in the emergency services sector. Others include creating a new headquarters for Merseyside Police, a learning centre for South Wales Police, a new headquarters for Dorset Police and working with West Yorkshire Police to deliver a new headquarters for the Kirklees district. Construction of Thames Valley Police’s forensics centre is expected to begin in the summer 2023 and be completed in winter 2024/25, with Atkins also on the team as the appointed multi-disciplinary design consultants. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Esri UK today announced the results of three pilot projects at Nottingham City Council, Dacorum Borough Council and South Ayrshire Council, which have been exploring new ways of digitising the planning process using geospatial technology. Projects have focused on solving common challenges within planning, including the improvement of community engagement, maximising the use of 3D visualisations and managing developer contributions more efficiently. Having won a competition in Spring 2022 to find innovative ideas to improve planning, the councils have been working with Esri UK to make the projects a reality, receiving free consultancy and access to GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software. Nottingham City Council’s pilot has proven the value of using 3D visualisations integrated with other existing data, to allow constraints and impact assessments to be carried out simultaneously. Dacorum Borough Council’s project has built a prototype tool which visualises infrastructure and developer contributions secured through Planning Obligations on a map, replacing traditional static spreadsheet data. While South Ayrshire Council’s outcome has been the creation of a community consultation platform, with interactive methods of engagement to improve community and other stakeholder involvement in Local Development Plans. “The pilots have explored modern digital approaches to some common challenges faced by local planning authorities, all designed to help make the planning process more efficient and easier for everyone,” explained Stephen Croney, Head of Sector for Land, Property and Planning, Esri UK. “Combining each council’s domain expertise with our team of geospatial experts, the pilots have revealed how geospatial technology available today can help shape the future of the planning process by delivering significant cost and time savings.” Results of the pilots in more detail: Nottingham City Council Nottingham City Council’s project has explored how geospatial technology can help increase the use of 3D visualisations, both internally and with the public. A prototype site assessment tool has been built that brings together all relevant spatial data into one 3D environment, including the proposed scheme itself, plus conservation areas, site allocations, flood risk and tree cover. This has allowed planning teams to conduct 3D assessments of various constraints on a site, at the same time as a visual impact assessment, which speeds up the decision-making process. The project overcame the usual challenges of working with LOD3 (Level of Detail 3) performance in a browser to create a smooth user experience. “The pilot has significantly advanced our 3D development skills, created new 3D data generation and manipulation techniques and shown how it’s possible to have a 3D environment which can easily integrate with our existing datasets,” explained Mick Dunn, GIS Service Manager, Nottingham City Council. “Overall, the project has proved that 3D planning is possible from any browser at the right performance levels.” “The benefits are varied, from understanding what a building will look like in situ and trying different view corridors to assess its visual impact, to examining master planning issues, flood risk assessments or potential solar energy sites. The 3D visualisations can also be used to gain public feedback or other parties using images and fly-throughs.” Next steps include advancing the prototype site assessment tool to make it fully operational and creating some 3D showcase demonstrators to engage with internal business areas. “The long-term goal is to provide a versatile 3D environment that we are able to easily deploy and operationalise to support the needs of our business and customers, improving operational performance and enhancing customer service delivery,” concluded Dunn. Dacorum Borough Council Dacorum Borough Council’s pilot has converted existing text and spreadsheet information into a modern digital mapping environment, improving how infrastructure and developer contributions secured through Planning Obligations are managed and communicated. An interactive map was built that plots the sources of developer contributions S106 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) received and shows where the contributions have been spent. “The pilot has shown the value of using digital maps to visualise and monitor contributions spatially and understand where and how the money is being spent,” commented Councillor Alan Anderson, Portfolio Holder, Planning and Infrastructure at Dacorum Borough Council. “The tool can give a clearer understanding of infrastructure funding received and how it links to infrastructure planned and delivered, by presenting the data visually and spatially, using an interactive web experience. Providing this information in a spatial way gives Council officers a powerful asset which can be used for planning, decision making and monitoring.” Work is continuing on the tool to integrate regular, automated data feeds to make the application more streamlined and current. Once this work is completed the intention is to make the tool available online to allow the public to understand the process and engage in infrastructure funding and planning. Future plans might also include adding more layers of data, such as growth scenarios and strategic sites, to help with planning financial and non-financial developer contributions that will be needed to fund and deliver infrastructure required. “One of the most obvious findings of the pilot has been how GIS can create interactive experiences with this financial data – particularly the ability to change dull, static spreadsheets into more meaningful, visual data that can be used for multiple purposes,” continued Councillor Anderson. “The value of partnership working has also been demonstrated – Dacorum providing the data and planning process knowledge and Esri UK providing the technical expertise.” South Ayrshire Council South Ayrshire Council’s pilot project examined how a consultation platform using interactive engagement methods can help improve community and stakeholder engagement in Local Development Plans, in order to reach better planning outcomes. The collaboration between the council and Esri UK has created a platform designed to keep the public and other parties engaged and informed, to strengthen the local planning authority’s relationship with its communities and reach better planning outcomes. Built using Esri UK’s community engagement platform ArcGIS Hub, it keeps citizens informed via social media and asks their opinion on what they feel are the main planning issues within their community. The system plots these comments on an interactive map to highlight any issues and reveal policy engagement hotspots. From an
