I often introduce myself as a planner, 'but I'm alright now' - an attempt to defuse the hostility that planning is so often subject to. It is often (not always - I'll come to that) unjustified. We have to recognise for a start, that something like 70-80% of what happens in the built environment is not designed - by anyone and no planner, architect or urban designer has seen it or had any say. It isn't surprising therefore that so much of our surroundings are simply crap - crap for which the 'planner' is a convenient scapegoat.
Even so, planners do get things wrong - especially at the detailed level - usually I believe because of a failure of imagination or perhaps nerve. Which is why I think this is an example of reasonably good planning at the level of detailed design. The photograph at the left shows a pleasant terrace of historic buildings in Bristol. I could have done without the bright purple shutters, but even so the building has character and style. The photograph at the right is of the rear of the building, which is where the good planning comes in. I say it is good planning because it demonstrates quite clearly that the development control process can produce reasonable quality if planners and designers recognise their roles. Clearly someone has wanted to extend the building and fit in new stairs and a link to the lower level extension. The designer has chosen a modern design. It would have been easy for the planner dealing with the application to ask for a traditional design, but somebody had the sense not to and so we have this rather nice tower.
It isn't the Taj Mahal or Blenheim Palace - but then nor are most buildings. I'm sure too there are many ways in which it could be improved but even so it works. The building remains exactly what it started as - pleasant and human in scale - but now it which has been brought up to modern standards and makes a pleasant contribution to the street scene. A victory all round I think.
