The Name of the Class (Course)
The Name of the School (University)
The City and State
Sustainable Design and Construction
Abstract
In the recent past, several environmentally inspired projects have been built in the United Kingdom and around Europe. These projects have claimed to embody the principles of sustainable development. The Greenfield and Brownfield are examples of sites that have been used to parade such projects I bet in small scale. These projects have always presented debates regarding their sustainability and maintainability.
Introduction
In 2009, the Hometown foundation revealed an ambitious plan in south Lanarkshire to build a brand new town named Owenstown (About Owenstown 2014). The town’s design was inspired by the work of a former Scottish industrialist and reformer Robert Owen centuries ago. The development of the town was to be cheaper and affordable because of the low cost of the farmland, the home owners would not be slapped with massive debts from the outset and ordinary citizens would reap from the affordable, high quality housing and all the social and business facilities needed to create not only residential houses but also a municipality. In 2014, the developers were however disappointed when their proposal was turned down by the South Lanarkshire Council on numerous grounds (BBC News 2014).
The overall sustainability analysis
The project is economically viable, the Owenstown Co-operative New Settlement was projected to bring with it economic benefits to the region and national economy. The developers had projected that the project that would cost over € 500m would develop over 3,000 residential homes and approximately 10,000 full-time career Jobs (Co-operative News 2014). The jobs would be created by the attraction of private business into purpose built workshops, building of house building factories using local labor. The cost of buying the 2000-acre piece of farmland was cheaper, meaning that the overall cost of the house units would be lower and affordable to the locals. Regionally the project would have revitalized the economy of the South Lanarkshire, which had been ravaged by the decline of coal mining and other traditional industries that the area dependent on.
Courtesy of Owenstown.net
In addition to the cheap housing, the heating cost during the winter would be low because of the eco-building designs, the district heating that is provided by the waste to heat system and insulation. The rent for commercial space in the town would be less than € 100 per week (About Owenstown 2014). The economic properties of the project was not stated as a basis of refusal to grant the project the green light, however, I believe the planning evaluation committee did not grant this aspect due consideration during its evaluation. The objective of the project also includes attracting households and investments from across Scotland and the rest of Europe. This would mean the effects of the new town would affect the migration patterns across Scotland and Europe. The management of the Owenstown project will draw personnel who are competitive in both skills and experiences drawn from working on such projects around the world. The project was already poaching for such professionals across Europe and North America. The marketing of the project is also expected to be globalized to cover overseas.
The social benefits of the plan, which would rise from the co-operative ownership, would be priceless, the homes and the town as a whole would be owned, governed, and managed by the local residents. The planning committee had proposed that the new town once established was to be handed over to a board of trustees who would be elected annually by the local residents; this proposal to me seems sustainable and achievable, as there have been successful projects that have been run by community cooperatives in the past to great success.
The energy considerations of the project had raised questions from both supporters and critics in equal measure. Eco-towns are deemed as unattainable dreams by many, the energy strategy that is proposed for Owenstown is projected to provide sustainable forms of buildings to serve as exemplar projects which will include combined Heat and Power divisions for heating and recycling plants designed to be out up during the first phase of development. This division will also include a recycling plant for waste reduction, an onsite production, and processing divisions (BBC News 2014).
The town is expected to grapple with key issues in the economy sector; the first issue is the provision key basic services and utilities by corporations that are seen to be faceless and unresponsive to the local needs. For example, economic activities such as electricity, which will be controlled by co-operations, which are distant from the town, could mean trouble and frustrations. However, the aim of a self-sustaining town model in Owenstown is to encourage large swathes of economic activity to be locally owned and controlled. The second problem could be the retreat of the state in supporting the town due to financial depressions like in 2008 and other desires such as meeting the demands of the local people satisfactorily (Gallent 2008). It is worth noting that most political parties have engaged the public with the ideas of using co-operatives such as Owensville to boost services to the public sector. The final problem that the planners’ might face is the need to rebuild communities, which are fractured and achieve social capital by politicians.
The town is designed on certain principles and values that would assure the prosperity and sustainability of the Owenstown community (The Scotsman 2014). These key principles are;
- Promotion of communal involvement in the management and establishment of the town as a whole
- Promotion or an entrepreneurial environment to promote innovation and business in the town
- The Owenstown planners through this master plan and guiding principles sought to maximize the way in which an economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable community is developed.
- The Owenstown development fits within the objectives of the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative (SSCI) of the Scottish Government, which was launched in 2008. The plan definitely fits well with the key themes of the SSCI policy statements which are;
Apart from these rejection grounds, the project management committee needs resources that would be essential for building the Co-operative town. The processes involved would include deepening and strengthening the elements of the master plan, preparing Co-operative conferences, bringing together of key players to provide and support the development of infrastructure in the eco- town, feasibility studies that have proved that the study was achievable (About Owenstown 2014).
Courtesy of Owenstown.com
The reasons given by the South Lanarkshire council for the rejection of the proposal were as follows the scale of the development was unwarranted, the project led to the diversion of resources from the existing settlements in the regions of Lanark, Ringside and Coal burn, the project would have adverse impacts on the landscape of the region encompassing Tinto hills and that, there were objections from statutory bodies such as the Forestry Commission and the Scottish Natural Heritage, limited public transportation to serve the proposed town and its impacts on the road junctions around Lanark and finally they were not convinced on the sustainability of the economic growth and regeneration of resources within an improved urban and rural environment (Howard 2009). In the subsequent paragraphs, I will discuss the reasons for the nullifications of the project.
Diversion of Financial from already established settlements in Coal Burn, Lanark, and RigSide.
The council purported that the project would lead to diversion of resources that would be suitable for the management and improvement of already established settlements in Coal burn, Lanark and Rig Side. The head planning and building standards in his rejection statement had stated that the project would utterly fail to meet the expected objectives of policy at all of those levels of encouraging sustainable economic growth and regeneration within an improved urban and rural environment. This reason given by the council was not convincing at all and should not hold water; the financing of the project was to be through cooperatives and after all, the economy of the region would have been diversified and competition enhanced (DEFRA 2010). The competition that the project would provide will mean better housing prices and quality housing improving the lives of the people of south Lanarkshire.
Impact on key road Junctions around Lanark
The transport infrastructure of the new project would definitely have an impact on the existing road networks. The new town would mean increased traffic in the region yet the initial plans of the area did not consider a new town that would house thousands of residents. This reason for rejection of the proposal seems to be the quite valid and legitimate. The local road network will definitely be overloaded by the newly expected traffic going into and from the region (Doe 2011). The transport authority of Scotland however provided a positive response stating that for the project to proceed, the road network would have to be improved in capacity. This proposal, of course, would be expensive and would require tie to be realized.
The scale of the development was not required
In rejecting the proposal, a committee of the South Lanarkshire Council Planning member observed that the project applicants had categorically failed to prove that there was actual demand for the form and scale of development proposed at the site of interest. He also noted that the evidence provided did not avail any evidence that there were sufficient interest and demands that would fulfill their aspirations (BBC News 2014).the scales of development were compared against the housing and industrial allocation of the development plan. This basis of the decline by the planning committee was deemed legitimate because it is within the laws of assessment. However, the Owenstown project seems to be a unique, distinct project, and the committee should have given it more consideration. The project provides relatively cheaper housing and commercial rental establishments that would be beneficial (Lanark News 2013).
Limited public transport serving the site
Transport is a fundamental consideration when planning for the town. The committee noted that in the plans there was no adequate provision for transportation into and out of the town. This ground is quite legitimate. However, the project planners should be given, time to devise their plans for public transport. Access improvements of the A70 roads were viewed to achieve local road enhancements. Studies have however shown that there will be limited or minimal road capacity problems. The mean challenge is always to develop pure alternative transport arrangements required by the prospect community (Gilbert, 2013).
Adverse impact on the landscape including Tinto hills
Conservation of the environment is human responsibility; plans should consider the aesthetic beauty of the environment before altering it for economic gain. Weigh the two, preservation of the natural landscape of the environment will always take the center stage and first priority. However, the projects planning committee should defend by projecting how far they would go in altering the natural landscape of the Lanarkshire region especially the Tinto Hills that are aesthetically and historically significant to the region. However, it is suspect that the Scottish Natural Heritage gave clearance for the continuation of the project. The preservation of the natural quality of the region is always a legitimate reason to terminate the project.
Objections from statutory bodies, for example, the Forestry Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage
These two bodies form the most important grounds from which the council committee. The two statutory bodies hold significant effects in the decisions of the council. The actual proposed site of construction is in the forestry reserve and low-quality grazing land. In spite of the town’s design, which is cleverly designed into the hilly landscape, the construction of residential and commercial buildings will lead inevitable environmental issues. This ground so far proves to be very legitimate, if the planners do not satisfy the members of these two boards then the project is cannot proceed.
Future of Owenstown
The stand of the council clearly caught many by surprise; however, certain critics of the project had predicted such an ending to this ambitious project. The ground of rejection seems to be justified but professionally I believe these objections can be dealt with, and the process given a clean bill of health by the council. There is no harm in appealing the ruling using the following argument points. The following adjustments can be considered when trying to swing the committees ruling in favor of the project
The grounds of limited public transport can be countered by making adjustments on the plans that would satisfy the board on transport prospects. The Owenstown planning committee could include the proposal of community owned transport system that would connect the town to adjacent towns and villages.
The planning committee can also come up with conclusive road network reorganized road network explaining a strategy on how to deal with the impact the key road junctions. Road networks are important in any town’s existence (DCLG 2009). In the case that the project would require readjustments of the local road reserves, the Owenstown planning committee should come up with the plans including budgets on the new adjustments.
The planning committee should deal with the concerns on the statutory bodies concerns on the environmental and landscape of the site (Friends of the Earth 2008). The committee can approach the two bodies; Scottish Forestry Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage for approval before appealing at the council. The committee could seek professional adjustments that they can make on the plan so as not to alter the landscapes and the environment adversely. Adjustments can be made on the initial plans to include compensation planting of trees or preserving a region in the plan to serve purposefully as a forest reserve or pack (Dartongton Amenity Research Trust 2007). The community can limit the landscape properties of the site especially the Tinto hills that they could keep off when doing the construction. In the case these two bodies can grant a go-ahead notice after working on the compromises, and then the planners can appeal the ruling at the council once more.
However, the prosperity of this great project cannot lie on the approval of the South Lanarkshire council, the project planners can consider looking for alternative sites for their project. It is encouraging that there are current discussions that are ongoing in the Scottish government due to the magnitude potential of the project whose funding is not dependent on the government at all. The request of the government to intervene in this project could also be an option while waiting for the outcomes of the appeal.
Finally, the Owenstown planning team should explore other options such as change of site. There are special areas that have received the proposals and were willing to embrace the plans. The special areas could include sites such as London, Dublin, and Cambridge. However, this will prove to be quite expensive due to new land rates in those regions, the project will also have to be altered to fit the site requirements. This should be the last resolution if the appeals fail.
References
About Owenstown 2014, Available from: http://owenstown.org/ [10 November 2014]
BBC News 2014, Glasgow, & West Scotland: South Lanarkshire ‘Owenstown’ New Town Plan
Rejected by Councilors Available from: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-26821634 [10 November 2014]
Co-operative News 2014, New Garden City to Bring Robert Owens’s Co-operative town to life,
Available at http://www.thenews.coop/46679/news/general/new-garden-city-to-bring-robert-owens-co-operative-town-to-life/ [10th November 2014]
Cullingworth, J.B., & Nadin, V 2010, Town and County Planning in the UK, 15th Edition,
Routledge: London
DART (Dartongton Amenity Research Trust) 2007, Second Homes in Scotland: a report to
Countryside Commission of Scotland, Scottish Tourist Board, Highlands and Island Development Board, Scottish Development Department, DART: Tones
DCLG 2009 Eco-towns: Location Decision Statement, 3rd edition, DCLG: London
DEFRA 2010, Rural Housing: A Report to DEFRA by Colin Buchanan and Partners and Ucl:
DEFRA London
Doe 2011, Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing (Redraft), HMSO: London
Friends of the Earth 2008, ‘Political for affordable rural housing in England and Wales in
Housing Studies
Gallent, N 2008, Strategic –local tensions and the spatial planning approach England’, in plan
theory & Practice 9(3) pp. 3007-323
Gilbert, J. 2013, Daily Record: Objections to Owenstown, available at:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/objections-to-owenstown-2370592[10th November 2014]
Howard E 2009 Garden Cities of To-morrow, third Edition, Routledge Massachusetts
Lanark News 2013, Lanark businesses still object to Owenstown Plans, Available at:
http://www.lanark.co.uk/latest-news/news-detail/lanark-businesses-still-object-to-owenstown-plans#.VGGOLMlufIU [10th November 2014]
Lanark News 2014, Hometown Foundation continues to fight for Owenstown, Available at:
http://www.lanark.co.uk/latest-news/news-detail/hometown-foundation-continues-to-fight-for-owenstown#.VGIUPMlufIU [10th November 2014]
The Scotsman 2014, Lesley Riddoch: Box-ticking Breeds Home Mediocrity, Available at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/lesley-riddoch-box-ticking-breeds-home-mediocrity-1-3082099 [10th November 2014]
