Page4 Compiled comments
Dear David
COUNCIL BUDGET 2008 : DELIVERING YOUR PRIORITIES
Thank you for your further email of 30 January offering your single-minded comments
and criticisms of the city’s leadership in relation to development. It is for precisely the
reasons that you identify that the city appointed its own Design Champion, Sir Terry
Farrell. This appointment facilitates a co-ordinated, holistic approach to development in
the city to ensure that Place issues are central to the way Edinburgh moves forward.
Best wishes
Jenny
Councillor Jenny Dawe
Leader – The City of Edinburgh Council
FAO: Jenny Dawe - Leader of City of Edinburgh Council
Dear Mrs Dawe
In response to your last correspondence to my partner Ross McEwan, copied in below, I
now feel obligated to add my comments.
As the founding partner of AiA Art in Architecture, a Leith based company, I have been
aware of the development proposals for the Edinburgh Waterfront over several years. We
are therefore more than aware of the involvement and roles of Sir Terry Farrell as Design
Champion and Riccardo Marini as Design Leader within CEC.
At present it is apparent that Edinburgh may wish and believes it is actively moving
forward with an "holistic approach", however, this is just not the case.
It is for this very reason that AiA Art in Architecture have been committed to raising
awareness to issues relating to the quality of the built environment and open spaces
within the City of Edinburgh. We have now formed a group called JUMP (Joined Up
Master Planning). JUMP is an open interactive group of urban design professionals and
others from multidisciplinary backgrounds. JUMP is currently working on a Contra
Proposal for the Leith Docks site. On the 21st of January a meeting was held between
JUMP with landowners Forth Ports PLC and RMJM Architects who have drawn up the
live outline planning application currently sitting with the City of Edinburgh Council.
There was no representation from the City of Edinburgh Council at that meeting. This
should not be the case. As has been stated in much professional press and by local
professional bodies The City of Edinburgh Council should be taking a leading role
irrespective of whether the land is currently in the ownership of Forth Ports PLC.
Attached is the latest professional press coverage in Building Design on 1/2/08 describing
AiA Art in Architecture's work regarding this matter.
JUMP strongly request a meeting with yourself and key members of the Council and it's
officers.
Regards
Shaeron Averbuch
Dear Shaeron
CITY PLANNING, PLACE MAKING
Thank you for your email of 6 February following on from my previous correspondence
with your partner, Ross McEwan.
You suggest that The City of Edinburgh Council should be taking a leading role in
relation to the Waterfront and Leith Docks. The Council has been promoting Waterfront
regeneration to provide a new city quarter for a considerable time. Without this level of
commitment, large parts of the Waterfront area would still be unsightly brownfield sites
and the Council would now have to consider releasing large areas of greenfield land in
order to accommodate housing pressures. I should also advise that the Leith Docks
Development Framework was approved by the Council after extensive consultation. Its
key purpose is to set the high standards for the sustainable development it will require.
Now that policy is in place, we have moved on to detailing its objectives and we are
leading on implementation. There seems to be very limited value in discussing criticism
of the policy or the process.
You strongly request a meeting with me or key members of the Council and its officers.
We are currently processing a planning application. It would therefore be completely
inappropriate for Council officials to discuss it with a group of objectors. Similar
concerns exist about facilitating meetings with elected members at this sensitive time. I
very much regret, therefore, that I am unable to accede to your request.
Whilst this may be disappointing to you, I do hope that you can appreciate the proprieties
that that I must observe.
Best wishes
Jenny
Councillor Jenny Dawe
Leader - the City of Edinburgh Council
Alistair,
Having just read your article “towards a sustainable city” we thought you might like to
have some input into our attempt at getting the City of Edinburgh to rethink its current
position with regard to the Outline Planning application before them by Land Owners
Forth Ports and designed by Architects RMJM.
We have formed a group called “Jump” Joined Up Master Planning to produce a Contra
proposal.
I have attached some press coverage for you so that you might wish to see what we are
trying to achieve.
A link to the City of Edinburgh Planning portal where the full application can be viewed
is,
http://citydev-portal.edinburgh.gov.uk/portal/portal.jsp
The application reference is 07/03895/out.
We would much appreciate your comments.
Best
Regards
Ross McEwan
Dear Ross
Thanks for your email.
I think the concept of an Outline Planning Approval with a Masterplan stapled to
it, must be fundamentally too rigid for this large site, and ultimately for all
involved. Why not promote the idea of designating the site as a development area,
and allowing the vision, analysis and strategy for sustainable development to
evolve. Seems odd that things are being fixed in Masterplan terms when who
knows what will surface – they talk vaguely about the potential for cultural, leisure
and other public aspects to the development, but already have a rigid structure
which might not allow this potential to be fulfilled. Just think what fun could be
had with some more flexibility; competitions for important new buildings, new
transport links, low carbon strategies etc! And how much better, and vibrant, the
result would be.
Hope this helps.
Alastair Binnie
Director
www.ab-arch.co.uk
Shaeron
Thanks for copying me into the various aspects of the Leith Docks groups activities etc. I
was interested to read the accumulation of comments, especially those from Andres
Duay`s office.
I am certainly very interested in an alternative scheme; especially having carefully
studied ( in the Planning office) the RMJM proposals which are in for Outline Planning
Consent. I have several notes which I can pass to you for your file, though probably not
taking the debate beyond what has already been said.
On the design approach side - I am certainly concerned by a number of fundamentals in
respect of the whole approach, which we can all see is mostly from a developers site
development perspective and the concern that what the applicants call this `broad
framework` will end up as the detailed master plan. Also I am not convinced by the
consultations process which seems questionable for an opportunity this significance.
One hope in the RMJM documents, was reference to urban design principles as in effect
their aims and objectives (Section 5) but which are in fact lifted straight out of the City
Councils own urban design guide ( which I refereed to at the meeting I did attend) This
demonstrates their `good intentions` but I did not see the sorts of studies I would expect
and for example do not think ghosting in building profiles onto endless photographs was
any use at all as compared with a properly constructed 3D CAD model On the master plan and accompanying documents - there are of course the matters of lack of permeability to the Forth frontage, use of `formula block` planning, concerns regarding the lack of road hierarchy ( no tree lined boulevards leading to lower activity roads system ), no evidence of planning studies for the so called urban villages,
etc!!!..etc.
A major criticism of mine which I have expressed to City Planning on a number of
occasions, is the lack of presentation of development s of this size, as 3D CAD moving
models, which every major urban design proposal should incorporate, especially as part
of the consultations process. Artists impressions and an aerial axonometrics are of no use
in my opinion except to sell schemes to investors.
I am sure your have passed the point of merely criticisms of the scheme in for Planning
consent, and that your own team design is progressing. Pressure of work has prevented
me getting down to your meetings and I am not sure that I can be of help at this late stage,
observing you have a tight knit group now with defined roles up to your deadline of 10th
March.
Les Howson
Architect and Urban Designer
Urban Design Solutions Ltd
Shaeron
Good to meet you on Friday and thanks for the info. When the masterplan of
Edinburgh New Town was devised the architect worked to a clear brief from the
City. Do you have a copy of the brief given to RMJM by Forth Ports and agreed in
a document with the Council? Most schemes go wrong because the brief is
defective.
Jon
Jon Aldenton
The Environment Trust
Thank you for your inquiry – we are following the Edinburgh case, but exclusively for the state of
conservation of the World Heritage site,
Best wishes
M. Rossler
Dr. Mechtild Rössler
Chief, Europe & North America
UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Dear Mathilde,
RE: Leith Docks / Edinburgh Waterfront
Can UNESCO help or get involved in anyway? Please find attached further background information and press cuttings.
I would like to inform you of a major project in Edinburgh that is currently a live Outline Planning Application (OPA) sitting with the City of Edinburgh Council. The Leith Docks site in question is owned by landowners Forth Ports PLC who bought the company inclusive of the land from the British Government in 1992 for £33 million. The site consists predominantly of reclaimed land and has approximately 180 Hectares of developable land.
The City of Edinburgh should be taking a stronger leading role in the Edinburgh Waterfront and Leith Docks development. They are currently undervaluing the heritage and merits of the city and they are insufficiently forward thinking when it comes to sustainability standards and contemporary design.
With regard to the Leith Docks site, the City of Edinburgh Council have never been presented with a planning application of this size. It is on a par with the development of the Edinburgh New Town and the planned proposal presented by the winning scheme by James Craig in 1766. (The development of Edinburgh’s New Town was competition led. There were seven entries with six submitted by the deadline of May 21st 1766).
Over the next 30 years the Edinburgh waterfront is to have 30,000 new homes built along it. We are not against development and acknowledge the need for more housing stock within the city of Edinburgh. However, we fundamentally question the process, procedures and resulting quality of what is rapidly happening around us and especially along the Edinburgh waterfront. Within the city of Edinburgh more and more campaigns are growing up in order to challenge the planning committees decisions.
The Leith Docks site is huge and is greater in size than the New Town of Edinburgh. As the city of Edinburgh is internationally renowned for planning with the historic and chaotic Old Town and exemplary New Town. Leith Docks unique character presents an excellent opportunity to create a contemporary and forward thinking new area within the city worthy of internationally merit. This site is to have 50% of all the new housing proposed for the Edinburgh Waterfront. 15,900 new homes will be built over the next few years, spread between 9 “Villages” as the current live OPA outlines.
Forth Ports PLC have commissioned a master plan framework from RMJM Architects. If granted Outline Planning the land value of the Forth Ports site will vastly escalate. Current land values range between £2 - £6 million per acre. The profit that could be gained on land sales from the Leith Docks site is clearly vast. It is estimated that it will easily quadruple the value of the current site.
Our company AiA Art in Architecture has been trying to raise awareness towards the Edinburgh waterfront development generally and the Leith Docks site in particular. A symposium was held back in June 2007 in collaboration with Dennis Crompton of Archigram, Royal Gold Medallists for Architecture. The title of the event held at Edinburgh University, School of Architecture was Edinburgh: A Symposium on the City in the 21st Century.
We have now formed a group called JUMP (Joined Up Master Planning) to question the original document, the Leith Docks Development Framework and the RMJM master plan framework.
All comments and advice received will be added to our accumulated correspondence to be added as supporting information to back the JUMP groups efforts.
Regards
Shaeron Averbuch
Dear Shaeron,
Thanks for JUMP Design Workshop communicado. Absolutely the right thing to do for the City and a great
idea for constructive and creative critical response.
This cannot go without being noticed as it is pro bono effort given by professionals for professionals. This
really has to be a message that the Press should be aware of.
Congrats and see you Thurs.
Bill
WJ Cairns
Chairman & Chief Executive
Cairns Intersphere Consulting Limited
