part 6 development mix - Southampton City Council

part 6developmentmix

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developmentmix6 DEVELOPMENT MIX

6.1 Variety and Choice of House Type.

6.1.1 The type and affordability of new housing shouldrespond to the local housing needs in terms of variety,choice, size, tenure and cost.

6.1.2 A neighbourhood that provides variety and choice forresidents of different ages and economic status, withdifferent lifestyles and levels of independence will createa more robust community. This will lead to a betterbalance of demand for community services and facilitiessuch as schools, leisure and health facilities.Developments that promote gated communities, zoningof uses or enclaves will not be acceptable. Refer toSouthampton City Council’s Housing Strategy andHousing Needs Assessment for further details.

6.1.3 Developers should fully integrate private housing with mixedtenure and special needs housing, by evenly distributingand mixing house types and providing equitable standardsof design and construction.

6.1.4 Full integration of different housing types and housingneeds greatly improves the quality of community,engendering a greater sense of belonging and respect forall.

6.1.5 The benefits of a mix of housing types:

• Residents can move to a smaller or larger homewithout needing to leave the neighbourhood;

• It offers more variety and choice, encouraging vitalityand diversity, and therefore creating attractive anddesirable neighbourhoods;

• It encourages a strong community to develop byproviding a diverse socio-economic base;

• It enables several generations of families to be able tolive close to each other;

• It enables several generations of families to live in thesame building, e.g. by use of an annex for grand-parents;

• It enables community self-help, such as arrangementsfor childcare, help with shopping etc;

• People come and go throughout the day, providingcommunity surveillance and reducing opportunities forantisocial behaviour and crime.

A commercial use is integrated into theground floor of this housing inBasingstoke

A Tesco Metro store, in the groundfloor of an apartment block, serves anexpanding residential community atOcean Village, Southampton

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6.2 Integration of Mixed Uses

6.2.1 Shortfalls in community services and facilities in thesurrounding area of the development site may need to beaddressed in new development as part of a Section 106agreement.

6.2.2 Detailed analysis of the surrounding area of thedevelopment site is vital. This will identify the existingservices and facilities, how successful they are, andtherefore how sustainable and how well connected theyare. In addition, consultation with the local communitywill help to ensure that proposals reflect their needs andwill encourage them to take a stake in decisions abouttheir neighbourhood.

6.2.3 Where appropriate, the development will provide acomplementary and integrated mix of uses that will allowthe community to establish, grow and/or sustain itself.

6.2.4 Uses such as a convenience store, crèche, restaurants,takeaways, open space, play space, health, spiritual,education, community and leisure facilities providedwithin development, or within close proximity could beappropriate. This is providing that they add vitality byenhancing the range and quality of facilities alreadyavailable and do not damage the vitality of existingdistrict centres or local neighbourhood shopping centres(known as the sequential approach). It should be notedthat some uses will not be acceptable such asrestaurants, cafes, bars, takeaways and sometypes of leisure establishments. The provision ofgood quality well connected facilities will alsoencourage walking and reduce dependency on the car.

6.2.5 Improvements to existing facilities, or combining severalfacilities in one complex on site, may be moreappropriate and a more efficient use of resources thanproviding duplicated facilities on site.

6.2.6 Consideration should be given to combining severalfacilities or uses in one complex, such as library, healthand community facilities. It may also be more practicalto secure improvements to the quality of an existingopen space or play area close to a site rather thanseeking additional provision on the site itself.

Here at Chapel, Southampton, morethan 37% of the dwellings are afford-able homes. They have been ‘pepper-potted’ throughout the site in smallgroups of between two and four dwell-ings, but more importantly they areidentical in their external appearance,making them indistinguishable fromthe homes for private sale

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developmentmix6.2.7 Space for future facilities should be considered.

6.2.8 If certain facilities are not currently sustainable,consideration should be given to the long termdevelopment of the community and suitable spaceidentified for facilities to be provided when they can besustained. For example, a neighbourhood may notcurrently support a health care facility but furtherdevelopment may create sufficient demand soconsideration should be given to suitable locations forthe facility in the future.

6.2.9 Minimize opportunities for conflict between uses.

6.2.10 Care must be taken at all stages of the planning anddesign process to ensure that the mix of uses and mix ofhousing do not give rise to potential conflicts betweenthe uses and the lifestyles of different groups. Integratinguses and providing opportunities for overlooking andstreet activity throughout the day will improve naturalsurveillance and therefore may help to reduce or preventantisocial behaviour or crime. Noisy activities should belocated away from residents who may be particularlysensitive to noise; and bedrooms located away fromnoise sources.

Left above and below: Two new mixeduse developments in the Old Town onSouthampton’s High Street includecommercial uses on the ground floor tohelp enliven the streetDevelopers: Linden HomesArchitects: John Thompson Architects© John Thompson Architects

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