Design Commission for Wales

• Location: Bron-y-mor, Cold Knap, Barry
• Date Completed: July, 2004
• Client: Barratt (South Wales)
• Architect/designer: Capita Symonds Ltd
• Planning authority: The Vale of Glamorgan Council
• Funding body: Private
• Contract value: £4.3m
• Project type: luxury apartments
• Full address: Bron-y-mor, Cold Knap, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
• Location type: adjacent to waterfront and promenade in coastal town
• Number of dwellings: 20
• Dwelling type: 20 luxury 2 and 3-bedroom apartments
• Site area/ Density: 5470m2 (1.35 acres)
• Parking ratio: 43 parking spaces
• Typical unit area: 2-bed apartment - 102m2, 3-bed apartment - 130m2
• Cost per unit: Not known

Images

Balcony

Balconies have good views over the neighbouring park and towards the sea. They are also generous in size and apparently well used.

Car park

The car park is communal and to the rear of the site. It is not visible from the street.

Frontage to the street.

The scheme is a contemporary interpretation of what might be suitable within an area dominated by the large white detached houses visible in this view.

Landscaping to the street

When compared to many new build schemes, the quality of finish and landscaping in this scheme was very good.

Railings detail

Rear elevations

The access to the homes.

The access is overwide, and should do more to accommodate pedestrians using the street, but the apartments acknowledge the entrance well with plenty of personalisation evident on the balconies.

View from the rear.

The image shows the communal landscaped areas and more intimate residential character.

Introduction

This scheme involved the demolition of a former public house/leisure facility (The Bindles) and the provision of 20 luxury apartments. The site is located adjacent to the Promenade and Marine Lake at The Knap, on the western waterfront at Barry, with extensive views of the Bristol Channel.

It is contained within a Marine Conservation Area, subject to an adopted Appraisal. The promenade, gardens and marine lake adjacent to the pebble beach therefore constitute a key feature of the public realm to which any development proposal has to be particularly sensitive. The Promenade and associated car park is a major focus for access to the beach, particularly in the summer months, and hence the site is a critical one in terms of impact upon the public realm.

Design Process

This scheme emerged from a background of a contentious planning history and strong local opposition to development. The site is located in a very sensitive environmental context, forming part of the Barry (Marine) Conservation Area, intended to link the coastal strip incorporating the promenade, parks, lake and surrounding housing at Cold Knap with Barry Old Harbour. Following acquisition of the site for redevelopment, a local residents' group lobbied strongly against development. Three previous design schemes for the site were refused planning permission, principally for reasons associated with inappropriate form, excessive scale and poor design. The scheme approved followed extensive negotiations and discussion between the developer, architect and the Local Planning Authority, and is quite distinct from earlier proposals.

Capita Symonds Ltd was commissioned by the developer, Barratts (South Wales) to re-appraise the design brief and offer new solutions that addressed the concerns both of the planning authority and local residents who objected to the site being used for housing. Working closely with the Local Planning Authority, Capita Symonds devised a modern scheme taking sensitive account of the marine conservation context and incorporating good detailing. The developer, Barratts (South Wales) were courageous in adopting an overtly modern scheme, involving sophisticated architectural detailing.

Materials were chosen for their robustness and sustainability given the extremes of the marine environment. The intelligent use of environmentally friendly materials, such as full-height aluminium glazing to the primary living spaces, together with white-rendered elevations and mono-pitch titanium zinc finished roofs, were deliberately chosen to provide a contemporary feel to the scheme. The housing thus demonstrates a strong contemporary approach to the form and fabric of the units, in strong contrast to existing inter-war housing.

The contemporary approach has been enhanced by a modern landscaping strategy, again befitting the marine setting.

The planning permission granted in respect of the final scheme included a large number of conditions to ensure that all the planning and detailed design requirements would be complied with, all of which have been followed through by the developer.

The resulting scheme has produced a solution more ambitious in response to its context than originally envisaged, receiving the wide support of local residents and the Vale of Glamorgan Local Planning Authority.

Evaluation

The scheme has been selected because:

• It demonstrates that a contemporary architectural approach of high quality can enhance a conservation context.
• The Local Planning Authority's determination to secure a high standard of design has resulted in a partnership with the architect and developer which has overcome local resistance to development, eventually securing a favourable response from residents.
• The high quality of design takes sensitive account of the marine context, with good architectural detailing.