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Project description

Name der Fallstudie
Llandarcy Urban Village - Das Urbane Dorf

Description of context
? Section 121 of the Government of Wales Act made it a legal duty for the National Assembly for Wales to pursue sustainable development in all it does.

? Neath Port Talbot County Borough Unitary Development Plan (UDP) ? Deposit Draft (January 2003) identifies that the land for Llandarcy Urban Village is part of the Objective 1 strategic site known as Swansea Bay Arc of Opportunity. Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC) have an initiative to regenerate the area and communities as a growth point which it hopes will act as a stimulus to the whole of South West Wales. The aim is to create "a thriving high quality sub-region with an emphasis on raising the quality of life through the area and key regeneration sites". (http://www.neath-porttalbot.gov.uk/downloads/udp/02_thevision.pdf). The Llandarcy Urban Village proposal has been included in Neath Port Talbot Council?s Deposited Unitary Development Plan. Outline planning permission for an early ?stand alone? phase, consisting of 5 hectares of mixed use development was approved in August 2003.

? The UDP contains a number of policies that apply to the land e.g. the designation of a Green Wedge around Crymlyn Bog/Crymlyn Burrows/Llandarcy; a protection policy for the existing Llandarcy Village and outlines the existence of a number of environmentally sensitive areas (Sites of Special Scientific Interest, candidate SAC and RAMSAR designations) of the site.

Description of project - background
The site of the proposed Llandarcy Urban Village is approx. 1,300 acres. It is set close to the South Wales coast and adjacent to the M4 motorway and close to the protected wetlands of Crymlyn bog (candidate Special Area of Conservation and Ramsar) and Crymlyn Burrows (Site of Special Scientific Interest). It is hoped the Llandarcy Urban Village development will create a strong link between the towns of Neath and Swansea.

An oil refinery opened on the site in 1917 and over the years employed up to 2,600 staff. Development of North Sea Oil and the closure of a local oil terminal resulted in the announcement in 1997, that Llandarcy Oil Refinery was to close. A small bitumen plant is the only operational facility remaining at the site.

Historical aerial photo of Llandarcy Oil Refinery in operation
Historical aerial photo of Llandarcy Oil Refinery in operation

Currently the site comprises mainly derelict buildings and overgrown land. Some of the remaining office buildings date from the 1930?s and 50?s and the refurbishment of these have been incorporated into plans for the site. Llandarcy Garden Village is located near the site which was developed by the D?arcy Family in the 1920?s for employees of the refinery.

Due to the nature of the industry, the site was contaminated with hydrocarbon products and in need of remediation.

Aerial photograph of the Llandarcy Urban Village site
Aerial photograph of the Llandarcy Urban Village site

The development of the urban village follows on from the establishment of "BP Darcy Development Ltd" in 1987 which to date has supported over 80 local organisations, created over 1,000 new jobs, loaned ?1.8M to over 400 local employers, redeveloped BP Sports & Social Club and constructed Glamorgan Health and Racquets Club, a local restaurant and hotel. A number of new businesses have been attracted to the site including the Environment Agency (UK public body for protecting and improving the air, land and water in England and Wales) whose regional headquarters building are located at the site.

Description of project - objectives/aims
The vision for Llandarcy Urban Village involved the creation of a place and a community:
? built around sustainable principles,
? respect the unique landscape,
? relates well to the local architectural vernacular,
? properly connected to existing settlements,
? where there is social prosperity.

The Masterplan for the site was produced by Alan Baxter & Associates, an engineering practice, completed in September 2002 and includes 4,000 houses, 65,000m2 of commercial/industrial space, a primary school, playing fields, parks and community facilities, 3,200 job opportunities, substantial brownfield regeneration and a total economic impact of ?1.2bn. Neighbourhoods will be interconnected by walkable streets and will be supported by public transport links. There is an existing freight line that runs through the site with the potential to be converted into a passenger link between Neath and Swansea in the future.

Urban structure and street layout are the main sustainability credentials of the urban village development though this is supported by the incorporation of sustainable design aspects such as energy efficiency and water saving measures. The development strategy for the project is:

"To provide a distinctive approach to the reuse of brownfield land to create inclusive, sustainable mixed-use neighbourhoods, not only to facilitate locally based regeneration, but to strengthen the health and economy of a much wider area? Llandarcy Urban Village"

.

Phase 1 layout plan of Llandarcy Urban Village (Alan Baxter & Associates)
Phase 1 layout plan of Llandarcy Urban Village (Alan Baxter & Associates)

Description of project - time interval and stages
The time stages of the project have been:
Nov 1997 - Closure announced of crude oil refinery,
Sep 1998 - Consultants commissioned to complete a Feasibility Study,
Feb 2000 - NPTCBC propose housing for the site,
Apr 2000 - Prince?s Foundation propose urban village,
May 2000 - Formation of Client Team / Board,
Oct 2001 - Sign off to Urban Village Concept,
Sept 2002 - Master Plan Completed,
Sept 2002 - Outline Planning Consent for 5 Hectares of the site,
Sept 2002 - Unitary Development Plan Submission included Llandarcy Urban Village.
2004 - Building work is due to begin.

The development of Llandarcy Urban Village will take place over 25 years in a series of phases.

Description of project - financing
The project is to be funded through land sales, investment and public sector contributions including Objective 1 European Funding and The Welsh Assembly Government. As the project is still in the planning stage the cost of the project is currently unknown. Private sector investment has been estimated to be around ?450 million.

Description of project - other sectors involved
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Welche Tools wurden verwendet, um Nachhaltigkeit zu beurteilen?

A project based design code;

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method).

Building Research Establishment (BRE) Sustainability Checklist;

Weiterführende Informationen (nur auf Englisch):

Für den vollständigen Bericht hier klicken (pdf)