Any Architects?

[David Morton]

Do we have any UK based architects or builders on the site ?
If so, please pm me on racemet@aol.com.
My question is : What is a good 'Design and Access Statement' to accompany an application. It's not something I've done on previous
applications.
Dave

[Malcolm]

Hi Dave

This bit of an application came in some years back. It is an opportunity for architects to wax lyrical about how they came to the design solution that they came to. Often full of airy fairy BS in my opinion. However it is where the applicant basically states the reasons for why they came to the design solution they did; for a simple example, "we chose these bricks because they match the existing bricks on the house!". Often refers to local authority references for planning criteria (local plan requirements etc) which then allows you to show the council that you considered their wishes in your design ie we live in the countryside full of farms and barns so we designed the house to the shape of a barn! Trust me it happens! I built an industrial estate to look like Hampshire barns once! BS!

A suggestion would be to go online and look up other planning applications in your area and you can see what they submitted as part of their application as a design and access statement to give you ideas. It doesn't have to be a book and if you have personally got involved in the design, I would expect someone like you to be able to make a good enough hash of it to save fees.

Hope this helps

[David Morton]

Thanks Malcolm,
It certainly is bullshit. Seems the material spec. forms part of this letter whereas
it was previously annotated on one of the drawings. What crass civil service toss pot dreamed up this garbage? I just despair.

[Daryl Adams]

While I haven't built any projects in the UK, as an architect, this thread caught my eye. It sounds like the permit agency is just making an effort to be sure that some level of design thought is being expended on the project. If you just describe the project and show that you have considered vehicular access (especially as regards service vehicles and fire/emergency equipment access) and that you are respecting the character of the immediate surroundings, you should be fine.

Consider this...I live in a rural area of horse farms where there are essentially no design restrictions at all, beyond the most basic of life safety requirements. Up until now the cost of land and the quality of existing homes has pretty much assured that all new homes have been built to a similar standard. Recently, though, a lottery winner bought a farm down the road from me and designed for himself one of the most horrific architectural disasters imaginable. A real dogs breakfast that spoils the view of all his neighbors. I've even taken to altering my drive home so as not to have to look at this thing. While I don't believe you can legislate good taste, making people at least think a bit before they build is not a bad thing.

[Ian Anderson]

Hi David

At work we just moved office and the hoops that we had to jump through seemed to keep moving. One of the main things is for disability access and this goes to a silly extent.

Door buzzer now has to have braille on the numbers and pad to allow blind people to ring the doorbell, the slope to the front door at a specified angle, the doors to be at least a minimum width, switches at wheelchair height, disabled toilet and alarm system and then fire protetion - glass that will protect for 2 hours etc.

I agree it's BS - how is a blind, wheelchair bound, disabled person supposed to get in and upstairs to the office (stairs only)? And is an operating warehouse the correct place for someone with marginal vision? And if the fire alarm sounds who in their right mind will sit inside for 1 hour 59 minutes before exiting because the glass will cope.

With all the politically correct band of nerds running the establishment I'm surprised that we don;t by law have to have a lesbian only toilet with rose scented wall paper!

Hell I feel sorry for anyone building next year as that will probably end up being a requrement!

Rant over!

Ian

[Malcolm]

I've had to put in wheelchair access/disabled toilets in buildings where the route to the said toilet is not even wide enough for a wheel chair. But because the corridor already existed but the WC did not (it was being fitted in to meet DDA requirements) it had to comply. The other stupid one I got was in the aforementioned industrial estate I had built. The location of this estate was between two towns. I had to put up a bicylce store for those cycling to work and showers in for them as well. I did make a fuss over the fact that the building control guy was asking for the showers to be disabled person showers! Eventually he backed down! I believe most of those shower cubicles now house filing cabinets and vacuum cleaners.

[David Morton]

Thanks everyone,
I'm just writing my 'BS' letter to accompany my drawings. It's just one more requirement that the nerds have imposed - they know where I live, they know the intricacies of the planning requirements in this village and have even published guidelines on this specific village that details right down to details such as what trees are acceptable, which one's are protected, what walls should be made of, and so on. They already know what they want so any letter is sycophantic script in their own image. My previous applications on other houses, albeit 20 years ago, were all contained on one comprehensive drawing. Now its 4 separate drawings, - front, rear , upper and ground floor, with 5 sets of drawings ( £55 +tax to get the copies) Block plans from Ordinance Survey at £25 and a detailed letter that they already know anyway.
Total wankers.

[Brett James-McCall]

Dave,
Really? I didn't have to on mine earlier this year. all the views were on one sheet, though we did have to send two copies. Did you have to put in a plan fee as well?

Brett

[David Morton]

Hi Brett,
yes - £130 whether it's approved or not. There is absolutely no consistency between
council planning authority's - each area has it's own nerds who deem what they want
to see - sort of making their mark in their little empires.
But not for posterity though....