a great place to live, work and play

The Department of Planning is working on a new plan for the City of Hamilton and, although it is not ready yet (and I have not asked when it will be), it seems there is a renewed focus is on what is needed to support Hamilton as a great place to live, work and play. While that is the framework for the current City Plan, judging by the Department's online questionnaire about the City, the creative industries, for the first time, could actually be in line to receive more attention, and that is a good thing. 

In the questionnaire we are asked about outdoor eating/drinking areas, street artists/entertainment, city parks and open spaces, residential development and - gasp! - taller buildings. 

The creative industries often comprise small workforces of collaborators, entreperneurs, freelancers who are artists (performance and visual) and designers, as well as their suppliers.

North East Hamilton may have the greatest potential to foster the arts and culture because the real estate market is weaker there than the traditional Front/Reid/Queen Street axis. That's important too because to be sustainable into the future, the creative industries must have a model that relies more on successful production than on consumption through tourism. The creative industries need to work on a business level, and cheaper rent helps.  

As it happens, there are thriving creatives at work in North East Hamilton already. Ann Spurling Photography on Princess Street, The Design Group on Angle Street, Chewstick Foundation on Elliot image: bermuda economic development corporationStreet and, soon, DNA Creative Shoppe, also on Elliot Street. (Click on the image to see a directory of the many businesses located within the Economic Empowerment Zone of North East Hamilton.)

What planning strategies can help? Flexibility when it comes to mixed uses and encouragement of live/work options: think unconventional space size, use and allocation. More difficult will be continued affordability for artists if regeneration leads to gentrification. At this point, a problem we'd love to have.

And what are the signs of success? Well, ArtPlace is in the process of developing a set of indicators to track the vibrancy of a neighbourhood. Until those are ready, ArtPlace provides these ten signs of momentum:

1 Is the neighborhood cleaner?
2 Does the neighborhood feel safer?
3 Is the neighborhood more attractive?
4 Are there fewer vacancies?
5 Are there more people on the sidewalks?
6 Is there a popular new outdoor gathering place?
7 Is there a popular new indoor gathering place?
8 Is there new evidence of arts activity?
9 Has the local press reported on it positively?
10 Do people in the neighborhood generally agree that the neighborhood is getting better?

These signs of success are something for the Department of Planning to think about as it creates policy and regulations that will support the regeneration of north-east Hamilton and the City as a whole.

urban planner, thy name is ikea

As reported by a number of media outlets in the past month, the furniture-and-everything-else behemoth, IKEA, has submitted a planning application for the development of a planned community in Stratford, East London, UK. When you think about, if you already plan lifestyles, you might as well go the extra step.

image: designboom.com

As reported by designboom.com, the new community is intended for a former industrial site located just south of Olympic Park. IKEA will construct a 26-acre neighborhood, comprising 1200 homes, a Courtyard Marriott Hotel and 620,000 square feet of restaurants, shops, and offices, as well as a school, nursery and health-care facility.

The urban plan is designed to prevent residents from needing to drive to accomplish daily errands, and includes pedestrian-only streets and zones as well as dedicated cycling routes. Underground parking offers a clean feel to the future district, and some reports suggest that garbage collection will likewise be accomplished via underground tunnels. Read more by clicking on the link above, or follow this link for the Strand East website, and envy the advantage of having a single developer for such rejuvenation.

appeal decisions reversed

I read with interest in The Royal Gazette about Minister Marc Bean's decision to dismiss the appeal of Cyrus Trust, which sought planning permission for additional lots on agricultural land. The other controversial appeal decision made by Minister Bean's predecessor, the former Minister Walter Robain, concerned Zanzara Trust, which sought planning permission for warehouses to be built in Devonshire Marsh. According to The Royal Gazette article, the Zanzara Trust appeal was withdrawn.

Both Trusts had submitted applications that were refused by the Development Applications Board, appealed to the Minister, recommended for refusal by the Planning Inspector but allowed (granted planning permission) on appeal by then Minister Robain.

Given that the Minister's decision on appeal is final, on what legal basis did Minister Bean overturn the decision made by his predecessor, the Hon. Mr. Robain?

I have not read either file but neither Trust could have claimed to receive planning permission from the Minister on appeal if the Trusts did not also receive a decision letter stating the same. Did Minister Bean formally revoke the prior permissions granted by Minister Robain?

The Development and Planning Act 1974 (section 25) does provide the Minister with the power to revoke decisions where it is necessary to do so. The expectation is that the Minister would be correcting errors made by the Development Applications Board, not errors made by the previous Minister!

Which makes this process very curious indeed.

If I was a prospective developer, I would be wary of a planning process that makes up rules as it goes along. I trust that due diligence was attended to in this case, and that Minister Bean's decision-making is clear and transparent to anyone who picks up the files.