Visiting the best study tours

Key Principles

Changing perceptions about density

Details

In support of its campaign for better quality new housing design, the Civic Trust along with Design for Homes and English Partnerships, carried out a series of study trips for local planning authorities.

The day tours which showed officers and members a range of housing drawn from Building for Life case studies, aimed to reverse some of the myths about high density housing and demonstrated how schemes across the country have delivered higher densities within successful places.

The study trips were planned to help build councillors’ confidence and capacity in determining planning applications for higher density housing.

One of the most popular schemes amongst members proved to be Lacuna (58.5dph). A mixed use development of 260 homes (2, 3, 4 and 5 bed homes) which are mostly detached. Densities that at the beginning of the day had been deemed inappropriate by delegate for inner urban areas, were looked on as acceptable for suburban areas by the end of the tour.

Delegates feedback demonstrated that ‘go see’ tours can have an immediate impact with many delegates having more positive views on high density following their trip.

“This has opened my eyes to what high density can be with careful forward planning. Design is very important – there is no space to ever blur mistakes and materials need to be well thought out” quote from delegate.