Planning

WE PLAN TOWNS AND CITIESAtkins leads game-changing projects that transform our built environment. Our innovative solutions keep places moving – physically and economically. From rebuilding dense urban centres to delivering the social and leisure amenities and infrastructure that support them.

WHAT ARE THE KEY QUESTIONS?

PEOPLEWho are we designing for? How can they get involved?

FUTURE PROOFING

How do we plan for changes in lifestyle & climate change?

ADAPTABILITY How do we live in an old city?

REINVENTIONHow do we

accommodate growth?

LAND-USE MIXWhat is right for the site?

INFRASTRUCTUREHow can we expedite the

consenting process?

RESOURCESWhere do we plug in?

PROGRAMMEHow do we minimise risk

and ensure flexibility?

ECONOMICS How do we maximise

benefit and minimise risk?

DELIVERY When is the time right?

Atkins is a major force in urban planning, delivering sustainable solutions throughout the world. We have an established reputation for providing imaginative, practical and independent advice, taking projects of all kinds and sizes, for both public and private sector clients, from initial study to completion.

A major strength is our multidiscipline capability which equips us to address the economic, social, physical and environmental aspects of any development in a fully integrated manner and our planners lead many large multidiscipline projects.

Our planners are passionate about making a real difference whatever project they are working on, large or small and wherever it is in the world.

HOW DO WE MAKE IT HAPPEN?

Committed, creative, diligent, effective, enthusiastic, flexible, helpful, pragmatic, professional, thorough, thoughtful, sensible and providing significant added value, expert knowledge and a high quality ‘can do’ approach, are all ways our clients have recently described us.

Atkins planners have ensured imaginative high-quality planning solutions and successful multidiscipline project delivery on numerous projects from a local to an international scale. Some key recent projects are illustrated here:

WHAT DO OUR CLIENTS THINK?

WHAT HAVE WE DONE?

The Future Proofing Cities report assessed the risks to 129 cities – from climate hazards, resource scarcity, and damage to ecosystems – and proposes ways in which cities can be empowered to future-proof their communities. The report has been influential in

informing DFID’s (and UK Government wide) strategy on urbanisation and has been endorsed by the World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Cities Alliance and ICLEI.

Future Proofing CitiesClient: Department for International Development (DFID)

We undertook the EIA of the Country North section of HS2, an 83km stretch of the route through Warwickshire, Solihull and Staffordshire. The findings of the EIA were reported in an environmental statement covering the entire route which was submitted to Parliament in November 2013 as part of the HS2 Phase 1 hybrid Bill.

Atkins was one of four consultant teams responsible for delivering the HS2 EIA, the largest EIA ever undertaken in the UK.

High Speed 2 (HS2) London to West Midlands: Country North EIAClient: HS2 Ltd

Our team have an in-depth understanding of how local and regional economies work in relation to transport infrastructure. We have been working with TfL to identify the potential long term land use impacts of extensions to Tramlink, the DLR

and to the Bakerloo Line, as well as East London River crossings, and have worked extensively throughout the boroughs likely to be affected by the proposed river crossings package

Atkins, supported by Arc4 Ltd and Edge Analytics Ltd, was commissioned to prepare an assessment of the housing and economic needs of the district over the local plan period. A range of alternative demographic scenarios were tested to identify the

District’s objectively assessed needs for housing, and this evidence has been used to inform the District’s Local Plan housing requirement. The Consultant team recently appeared as expert witnesses at the local plan Examination in Public.

Thames River Crossing Development StudyClient: Transport for London (TfL)

Housing and Economic Needs AssessmentClient: Derbyshire Dales District Council

Atkins secured a hybrid planning permission for redevelopment of Dunsbury Hill Farm to provide a high tech business park, hotel and conference facilities.

The 60ha site forms a Strategic Gap between the A3(M) and the residential area of Leigh Park with views towards the south coast and north towards South Downs National Park.

Dunsbury Hill Farm High-Tech Business ParkClient: Portsmouth City Council

Lisson Arches RegenerationClient: Westminster City Council

In 2013 Westminster City Council embarked on a programme of regeneration and renewal and Atkins was appointed to lead Stage 1 of the ‘Church Street Futures Plan’. The contract required Atkins to assist with formalising the final proposed designs, assess whether an EIA was required, take the various developments

though pre-application discussions with planners, prepare and submit the necessary planning applications and then lead negotiations with both Westminster, the GLA and TfL post submission. We successfully secured a formal planning consent for the works.

Atkins assisted in the preparation and submission of successful DCOs for new Nuclear Power Stations at Hinkley Point in Somerset. Working alongside EDF Energy’s Planning and External Affairs

Team, Atkins had the responsibility for liaising with the Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) and managed the Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) with the LPAs.

Preparation of Development Consent Order (DCO) for Hinkley Point C Power StationClient: EDF Energy Development (EDF) Atkins secured Outline Planning

Consent on behalf of the HCA for a large scale residential development (1,100 homes) which was shortlisted for the RTPI North West Planning Awards. The scheme represents

the largest consented residential development in the north-west over the past year and will see the development of a 52.5ha Greenfield site to the north-west of Preston, Lancashire.

Cottam Hall Residential Development, PrestonClient: Homes and Communities Agency (HCA)

In November 2009, Cockermouth and its adjoining communities were severely flooded when the Rivers Derwent and Cocker swept through the town, inundating 565 properties and causing £267.5m of damage. With strong local involvement, we devised an innovative scheme that meets the needs of the community,

is sympathetic to the historical surroundings, and has had a positive impact on tourism. The scheme was shortlisted in the ‘Leading the way for planning in the community’ category at the RTPI awards.

Cockermouth Flood Alleviation SchemeClient: Environment Agency

This framework illustrates a strategic vision for the City of Manizales. It provides an analysis of the wider region’s economic growth towards the year 2035. Atkins developed spatial development proposals for key areas and projects that will help to achieve the city region’s growth potential.

The framework was developed through stakeholder engagement. It has now been adopted as part of the City’s statutory planning document.

Manizales Development Framework, ColombiaClient: Findeter/Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)

Atkins provided one of the three town planning managers and two senior planners responsible for successfully securing a Development Consent Order for the Thames Tideway Tunnel. They had particular responsibility for the central section comprising the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, City of Westminster, City of London and London Borough of Lambeth. Atkins also provided environmental,

sustainability, heritage, carbon capture and community consultation specialist support and specialists in Health Impact Assessment and Equalities Impact Assessment.

The Thames Tideway Tunnel project was made a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) by an amendment to S14(3) of the Planning Act 2008.

Atkins has advised and agreed with the County Councils appropriate strategies for the disposal of surplus school sites in Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire. Atkins Planners also secured planning permission for disposal of the surplus sites and arranged all the “disposal consents” from the Secretary of State.

We also support the County Councils with the development of new schools, we secured planning permission for a new primary school in Banbury (Orchard Fields) and have recently prepared a planning application for a new school at Didcot (Great Western Park) on a site which Oxfordshire County Council procured through a section 106 Agreement.

Schools ReviewClient: Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire County Councils

Thames Tideway Tunnel Client: London Tideway Tunnels Delivery Team

Atkins was commissioned by a housing developer to undertake a strategic housing land search to help them consider whether there are opportunities to acquire land with long term potential for housing delivery. The focus of the study was on two search areas in the south east of England. Atkins considered the case for strategic housing development by reviewing

how much housing development is already planned for the area and how this compares to objectively assessed needs for housing; assessed potential constraints on development (such as environmental and landscape designations); assessed the current approach to housing growth and where this will be located; and assessed the current rate of housing delivery.

We prepared a masterplan, EIA, Sustainability Statement and Outline Energy Strategy to support a successful outline planning application for 800 homes and supporting facilities. The site is located approximately 2km north of Ely City Centre with views towards the historic Ely Cathedral.

The new settlement will include a local centre, primary school, community centre and a country park. We supported the Church Commissioners in extending the site allocation and in preparing a supplementary planning document to guide development of a further 2,000 homes.

Highflyer Farm Urban Extension, ElyClient: Church Commissioners for England

Strategic Land Search Client: National Housing Developer

Located on the New Energy and Technology Business Park, near Billingham, Teesside, Air Products plc are proposing to develop the world’s largest Renewable Energy Facility (REF) using advanced gasification technology to process municipal and commercial / industrial waste from the region, diverting non-recyclable waste from landfill for the production of renewable energy.

Atkins secured planning permission for the 49MW facility which will provide renewable electricity for up to 50,000 homes in the North East. Our team advised on all environmental aspects of the development, the most challenging of which was the need to justify the location on land within close proximity to a SSSI, Ramsar and Special Protection Area (SPA).

Atkins has been providing a consents and environment project management service in relation to several transmission schemes across the UK. We have been responsible for procuring and managing teams of environmental consultants, liaising with design, construction and developer teams, communicating with statutory bodies and preparing and submitting the relevant consents.

Consents have been secured for: overhead power lines; upgrade of high voltage transmission infrastructure; new substations; underground transmission for wind turbines and a DCO application has been prepared for the East Thurrock Connection Project.

Planning and Environmental Services Client: National Grid

Renewable Energy Facility, Tees Valley Client: Air Products Plc

Atkins was commissioned by the ODA to undertake the EIA of the London 2012 Olympic, Paralympic and legacy facilities.

Atkins was also the planning agent for the London 2012 enabling works, which was an Olympic Park site-wide project comprising large scale earthworks, land remediation, river

walls, and utility diversions to facilitate the development of London 2012 facilities and their legacy transformation. We successfully discharged over 200 conditions and secured permissions for revised earthworks at Eton Manor, the installation of a gas main, changes required to the Olympic Park utilities corridor, and the low-voltage electricity network including 80+ substations.

Led by our Glasgow office, Atkins provided a full multidisciplinary design service to New Campus Glasgow Ltd to deliver designs for this major college redevelopment in the heart of Glasgow. The project aimed to bring together three separate and disparate colleges together into one integrated campus across two sites. A key part of our multidiscipline service was to undertake an EIA of the proposed

development. We were responsible for the coordination of the EIA and for various environmental topics including heritage and the landscape and visual assessment with a number of elements of the assessment undertaken by other consultants under our coordination. Atkins also managed the stakeholder involvement.

City of Glasgow College Client: New Campus Glasgow Ltd

Planning and EIA of the London 2012 Olympic, Paralympic and Legacy Facilities Client: Olympic Delivery Authority

HOW DO WE STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME?

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS FOR ENGLAND

HOMES AND COMMUNITIES AGENCY

LONDON BOROUGH OF HARINGEY

EDF ENERGY

HITACHI

HS2 LTD

WORLD BANK

CAMBRIDGESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

DFID

FINDETER

GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY

CROSSRAIL LTD

OLYMPIC DELIVERY AUTHORITYTHAMES WATER

NETWORK RAIL

PEEL PORTS

ST MODWEN DEVELOPMENTS

NATIONAL GRID

URENCO

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

TRANSPORT FOR LONDON

ZENDAI

PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL

AIR PRODUCTS

CREST NICHOLSON

WEST ENGLAND PARTNERSHIP

SEVERN TRENT WATER

WESSEX WATER

CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION

In addition to our large planning team in the UK, many of whom work around the world, Atkins has teams in the Middle East, China and the United States.

The cross-fertilisation of ideas this international dimension makes possible plays an important part in keeping us at the forefront of our profession and we take great pride both in exporting solid UK planning expertise and in bringing back good ideas and incorporating them in our ever developing approach.

Innovation and thought leadership are central to our ethos. We are fully committed to pushing the boundaries and taking planning thinking forward, not just ‘cranking the handle’. Our Future Proofing Cities report is an excellent example of our imaginative approach in action.

We place strong emphasis on technical excellence and have a formal professional development initiative guiding Chartership progression and enabling CPD opportunities through a focus on developing new skills. Technical Excellence Seminars are held monthly with a focus on encouraging active discussion, training and quality assurance certification.

WHO ARE OUR CLIENTS?

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

KEY CONTACT

Joanne FarrarPlanning Director

Joanne.Farrar@atkinsglobal.com

www.atkinsglobal.com