Cornwall Council: Langarth Garden Village

The key challenge is delivering on ambitious targets for new housing whilst providing a consistent and effective response to the climate and ecological emergencies, retaining Cornish distinctiveness and enabling healthy living in an emerging community. The Council needed an approach that delivered better placemaking for people and wildlife, that could create climate resilient developments, that delivered biodiversity gains, and that could guarantee these benefits in the long-term.

In alignment with best practice guidance in the Cornwall Council Design Guide, the Council is applying the BwN Standards Framework to the design of Langarth Garden Village. Utilising the BwN Standards ensures the delivery of high-quality GI, aiding quality placemaking and supporting the Council with its strategic objectives in relation to climate, water management, biodiversity and healthy living.

Langarth Garden Village will provide a practical demonstration to local stakeholders of how high-quality GI can be delivered, managed and maintained in new development, supporting the Council’s approach to requiring high-quality placemaking.

Gaining a BwN Design Award for the Langarth Garden Village masterplan provided the Council with the assurance that the scheme will provide local GI solutions that support Cornwall’s strategic approach to placemaking.

By applying the BwN Standards to the design of Langarth Garden Village, the scheme is on track to deliver high-quality GI that supports delivery of its strategic objectives in relation to climate, water management, biodiversity and public health. In appraising the quality of the GI in the scheme, Building with Nature confirmed that proposals for the scheme deliver:

A strong vision for an interconnected GI network: Consideration has been given to delivering a wide range of benefits across the new settlement relating to: health and wellbeing, landscape character, protecting and enhancing heritage and local distinctiveness to create a sense of place, community cohesion, biodiversity protection and overall enhancement, sustainable surface water management and mitigation and adaptation to climate change. The master plan for the scheme has made a clear commitment to maintaining the majority of existing GI assets, (around 40 per cent of the development site is proposed as GI), as well as linking with GI assets off site, using a variety of appropriate new and enhanced habitats and landscaping features. The strong vision for the GI will deliver gains for wildlife, integrate SuDS into the landscape, offer local amenity and provide attractive green travel routes that connect across the site and into surrounding settlements.

Adaptive, local, nature-based solutions to address the climate emergency: Designs create climate change resilience through multiple measures including, reducing car reliance by encouraging active travel and landscape design that delivers shading, evaporative cooling, flood resilience, carbon storage and shelter from strong winds. Sustainable design principles are embedded in the proposals and will make a significant contribution towards Cornwall Council's action plan to tackle the climate emergency. The issue of sustainable soil management has also been considered, with the inclusion of a high-level soil strategy.

An exemplar scheme for biodiversity gains: The proposals for the development will be delivering around 20 per cent BNG, which exceeds the national mandatory requirement, and local plan policy targets. The scheme seeks to protect and enhance existing on-site biodiversity, avoid negative impacts and minimise the need for restoration and compensation measures. 

Proposals include for significant Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) to offer recreational and biodiversity benefits to the new residents. The first phase of SANG (just under 30ha) will be delivered at the start of Phase 1 of the development. 

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) will enhance biodiversity and the built environment will also support biodiversity, with integrated features such as bat, bird and bee bricks and green roofs on all new buildings and Hedgehog holes required in fencing.

Community health and wellbeing benefits: The 10 design principles for the scheme were developed in collaboration with a range of stakeholders, and in reference to a specific national guidance relating to Garden City Standards. The design principles promote healthy and active lifestyles and a strong sense of community wellbeing. Utilising these principles, the scheme will create a distinctive new place to live, work and play.

Designs have considered inclusivity, proposals include 35 per cent affordable housing (for local people), as well as homes for key workers such as nurses and teachers, and extra care housing for older people and people with disabilities. The Landscape Strategy sets out a range of types of GI features with the aim of providing accessible opportunities for all across the site.

A fully integrated SuDS strategy: Utilising SuDS to manage surface water and maximise benefits for people and wildlife. Throughout the site SuDS will be integral to the GI network incorporating an interconnected network of swales, infiltration basins, a wetland corridor and wet ponds to slow the flow of surface water run-off into the wider drainage system. The proposed scheme utilises existing (historic) field patterns, topography and water courses, to inform the design of the new SuDS strategy for the site.

The Council worked with an Approved BwN Assessor at Cornwall Environmental Consultants to guide the design process for Langarth and ensure the designs deliver high-quality GI. Through working with a BwN Assessor to apply the BwN Standards at master planning stage, the design achieved a BwN Design Award, placing the scheme on track to deliver high-quality GI at subsequent design stages. As the scheme moves forward with detailed planning for the development, the Council will encourage developers to work with a BwN Assessor to support them in applying the BwN Standards to detailed proposals.

The BwN Standards require a clear approach to long-term management and maintenance - outlined in BwN Standard 6 ‘Secures Effective Place-keeping’ - that is appropriate to the local context. The Standard requires long-term management and maintenance plans to be considered early-on and be broadly in place at master planning, and fully considered at more detailed design stages, including provision for funding, governance, maintenance, monitoring, remediation and, where appropriate, community involvement and stewardship. The current thinking about stewardship at Langarth has been informed by TCPA guidance and the unadopted strategic GI, as well as GI delivered within individual development parcels, will be managed by a Langarth Stewardship Organisation, to be established in the near future. 

One of the key aims of the Landscape Strategy is the long-term retention of high-quality habitats on the site and enhancing public awareness of wildlife and ecology on the site is key to deliver on this aim. Advice will be provided to future homeowners in order to encourage them to better understand the Council’s approach to ecology and to support a wildlife-friendly approach on site.

Taking a holistic qualitative approach to integrating GI enabled better overall outcomes for the GI in the designs, delivering more multi-functionality from the GI features and greater connectivity, both within the scheme and with the wider environment.

Placing a high value on the multi-functional role of GI in delivering on multiple objectives in the Council Strategy and Business Plan was key to putting nature at the heart of decision-making for the Langarth Garden Village masterplan.   

Client support for applying BwN and requiring collaboration of design teams from the start is key to achieving high standards of interconnected, multifunctional GI.

The design team needs to involve a BwN Assessor from the start and the BwN Standards need to influence the design process.  There is also a cost associated with the BwN assessment and accreditation process, which needs to be factored into overall design team fees.

The desire to comply with BwN principles should be written into Design Codes and Design Statements.

As the scheme is voluntary and the LA has no direct powers to mandate use of BwN, there is no automatic guarantee that schemes will progress to BwN Full Award, yet the key value would only be delivered at Full Award as that certifies implementation to high standards. There should be a clear incentive and defined process to progress to BwN Full Award for detailed applications through the principles set in the design documents. If applicants can demonstrate that their detailed schemes would be eligible for a BwN Full Award, this should ensure a smoother route through planning and implementation, securing benefits over and above those of schemes not subject to BwN.

• Langarth Garden Village Outline Planning Application
• Cornwall Council Design Guide
• Building with Nature Standards
• Langarth Garden Village
• Forest of Cornwall Initiative
• Building with Nature case study: Langarth Garden Village 
• Building with Nature case study: Cornwall Council Design Guide
• Soils in Planning and Construction Task Force
• Soil strategy for England
• TCPA stewardship guidance
• TCPA Garden CityResources

Videos

• Langarth Garden Village - YouTube
• Building with Nature Director visits site of proposed Langarth Garden Village - YouTube

Birgit Hontzsch, Senior Project Lead: [email protected]