Community Planning: Case studies: 001
Aylesham Masterplan
intro
Exhibition of the Draft Masterplan
Aylesham 09.jpg
Nick Wates 2004
Theme
Masterplanning using Enquiry by Design
Masterplanning using Enquiry by Design
Location
Aylesham, Kent, UK (6 miles south east of Canterbury)
Aylesham, Kent, UK (6 miles south east of Canterbury)
Project leader:
Aylesham Creating Quality Places Partnership
Aylesham Creating Quality Places Partnership
One of the most successful comprehensive examples of producing a Masterplan for a substantial urban extension with the full and creative involvement of key stakeholders including local residents. Very useful for anyone wishing to use the Enquiry by Design method or involve people in producing a Masterplan.
intro
The Process
key to colour coding
| Intense community planning activity Events, workshops, meetings, open house events, exhibitions. |
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| Moderate community planning activity Surveys, consultation periods. |
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| Low level community planning activity Preparation, revising documents, survey analysis, design work |
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| Key points in community planning process Formation of organizations or partnerships, launch of initiatives, project completion. |
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| Other relevant events and activities Local election, local plan adoption, tendering. |
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| Nothing much happening Waiting, breathing spaces |
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2002
Jan
Local plan adopted
-
Identifies Aylesham as a strategic location for expansion
Feb
Mar
Development partnership established
-
Authorities plus development agencies and academic intitutions
Apr
May
May
Jun
Materplanning team appointed
- Professional consultants
2002/
2003 Jul/
Feb Background briefing prepared
2003 Jul/
Feb Background briefing prepared
- Setting out context and constraints
2003
Jul/
Mar Enquiry by design
Workshop 1
Mar Enquiry by design
Workshop 1
-
Tuesday, 25th March
Day 1 : Scene setting
- Briefing - Aylesham context
- Briefing - placemaking
- Q & A session
- Walking tours
- Group discussion
- Open evening
-
Wednesday, 26th March
Day 2: Exploring issues
- Brainstorming and visioning
- Constraints and Opportunities briefing
- Group workshops and reporting back
-
Thursday, 27th March
Day 3 : Initial design concepts
- Team working
- Discussions with key stakeholders
- Partnership briefing
-
Friday, 28th March
Day 4 : The emerging Masterplan
- Producing drawings
- Open evening - presentation,
Q & A
Apr/
May
May
Jun
Workshop with stakeholders
-
Financial and delivery assessment, refining the masterplan, preferred strategic framework
Jun
Enquiry by design
Workshop 2
Workshop 2
- Presentation of progress
- Open discussion
- Group workshops on key themes
- Presentation on design codes
- Group workshop on design code aspects
- Open evening with exhibition (50)
Aug
Sep
Draft Masterplan presentation at public meetings
- On outstanding issues. Mark out location of house around open space
2003/
2004 Oct/
Jan
2004 Oct/
Jan
2004
Feb
Independent public consultation team appointed
Mar/
Apr Public consultation on Draft Masterplan
Apr Public consultation on Draft Masterplan
- Draft masterplan circulated to every household with summary and questionnaire
- Staffed exhibition
- Face-to-face interviews
- Statutory consultees
May/
Jun Masterplan revised
Jun Masterplan revised
JulConsideration of Masterplan by authorities
Identifies Aylesham as a strategic location for expansion
Identifies Aylesham as a strategic location for expansion
JulFormal adoption of Masterplan as SPG
Identifies Aylesham as a strategic location for expansion
Identifies Aylesham as a strategic location for expansion
context
Context
- Masterplan prepared by Sir Patrick Abercrombie in 1928 for a town with population of 15,000, but due to recession in the 1930s, the original vision was not realized. Only 1,760 homes built housing 4,200 residents.
- Local Snowdown Colliery (1mile to south) closed in 1986 and since then the village has declined.
- Village identified as a strategic opportunity in Kent County Council Structure Plan 1996 and Dover District Local Plan 2002.
- Partnership formed by regeneration agencies and local authorities to seize initiative and create something of quality.
outcomes
Outcomes -
- Good use of the Enquiry by Design method to engage stakeholders and facilitate creative collaborative working. The process broke down people's suspicion that new development would be poor quality because of previous experience during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. It helped bring about a change in mood; from people seeing development as something that was being foisted upon them to an understanding that it was a way of bringing great benefits to the village which will enable it to take its proper place as a rural centre.
- Good partnership working and project management.
- Creative and robust public consultation process. In particular the face-to-face sample interviews were a valuable complement to the self completion questionnaire and open house exhibition as they gave statistical endorsement to the results. They also identified that the reason for a low level of self-completion returns was because of broad agreement with the proposals.
- Very considerable public support for the end results. The vast majority of Aylesham residents (83%) supported the plans for village development overall.
- Good documentation of the process throughout. (See Documents section)
- Relatively rapid but not rushed timescale.
- Good communication and use of IT.
- Loss of momentum after consultation process.
outcomes
Parties involved
Aylesham Creating Quality Places Partnership
Project direction and management:
- Aylesham Community Development Partnerships
- Aylesham Parish Council
- Dover District Council (DDC)
- English Partnerships (EP)
- Kent County Council (KCC)
- South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)
- The Prince's Foundation (PF)
EDAW
Masterplanning and urban design
www.edaw.co.uk
BBP Regeneration
Development management
www.bbpregeneration.co.uk
Alan Baxter & Associates (ABA)
Transport and planning
www.alanbaxter.co.uk
Donaldsons
Property
www.donaldsons.co.uk
Nick Wates Associates (NWA) and Urbancanda
Public consultation management
www.nickwates.co.uk) and www.urbancanda.co.uk
Accent
Opinion survey
www.accent-mr.com
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Funding and resources
- Funding for masterplanning process and consultation: English Partnership, South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and Dover District Council.
- Other partners provided staff resources.
- Development to be financed by private sector.
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Face-to-face interview back up
In the public consultation on the Draft Masterplan it was decided to conduct face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of residents to supplement the self-completion, postal questionnaires and test whether they provided a representative view. Although the results were not dramatically different, there were subtle differences between the face-to-face and postal responses. More importantly the process proved to be very useful in giving decision makers confidence to act on the results. It also provided the opportunity to ask people about their reaction to the postal questionnaires. See ‘Aylesham Masterplan Survey Results, Accent, June 2004’ in the Documents section for further details.
photo gallery
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Exhibition of the Draft Masterplan
Dover District Council planner Mike Ebbs (left) discussing the proposed new central open space with a local resident.
Aylesham10.jpg
Copyright EDAW
Dover District Council planner Mike Ebbs (left) discussing the proposed new central open space with a local resident.
Aylesham10.jpg
Copyright EDAW
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In the centre of Aylesham. Key aspects of the community planning weekend held in 2007.
Exhibition of the Draft Masterplan
Dover District Council planner Mike Ebbs (left).
Aylesham10.jpg
Copyright EDAW
Dover District Council planner Mike Ebbs (left).
Aylesham10.jpg
Copyright EDAW
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Documents available in date order. Please click on the image or information below it to download and display pdfs
download pdf
111 pages A4 20.9 MB Aylesham Masterplan Supplementary Planning Guidance:
Draft for Public Consultation
March 2004
download pdf
6 pages A4 411 KB Your views wanted. Public Consultation Flyer and Questionnaire
March 2004
download pdf
31 pages A4 364 KBAylesham Masterplan
Supplementary Planning Guidance
Proposed Amendments Report
June 2004
Detailed comments and responses
download pdf
114 pages A3+ 10 MB Aylesham Masterplan
Supplementary Planning Guidance
Proposed Amendments Report
June 2004
Marked up amendments
download pdf
21 pages A4 3.7 MB Aylesham Masterplan
Supplementary Planning Guidance
Proposed Amendments Report
June 2004
Proposed amendments to figures
download pdf
21 pages A4 3.7 MBAylesham Masterplan
Supplementary Planning Guidance
Proposed Amendments Report
June 2004
As approved
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Quotes
"The future of the village is something to look forward to."Male, 65+
"What a wonderful and exciting plan for Aylesham, especially the housing on the open spaces. I strongly support the plan."Male, 35-49
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Reviews
"The Enquiry by Design process changed the way that some local people viewed the village and the issues. It brought forward proposals that are not in the Local Plan. This made for contentious but better proposals."
Mike Ebbs, Forward Planning Manager, Dover District Council, email to Site Editor, 16 May 2006
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Contacts
Michael Ebbs,
Forward Planning Manager
Dover District Council
White Cliffs Business Park
Dover, Kent
CT16 3PJ
Tel: +44 (0)1304 872472
forwardplanning@dover.gov.uk
www.dover.gov.uk/aylesham
