FIG 7.0 (chapter opener) Double height CLT formed community facilities serving new housing at Marmalade Lane, Cambridge by Mole Architects, 2018. CLT use has significant social consequences at various levels and scales. Consequently, there are an increasing number of ‘timber-first’ policies being established globally, with policies introduced from Germany to Japan.1 Interest from planners across the UK is significant and one UK local authority, the London Borough of Hackney (LBH), has done more to promote the use of CLT and timber building than any other. Following the completion of Waugh Thistleton Architects’ milestone Murray Grove (2010), the London Borough of Hackney hosted a Wood First conference in May 2012. The council proposed a wood-first policy for new developments, recognising that building with timber would enable a reduction in the carbon content of new development to reflect sustainability policies. Trade associations representing other material suppliers quickly raised objections, threatening legal action challenging proposals for a formal policy, a move the borough lacked the resources to challenge.2 Much development in the borough over the decade since has been of medium scale, multi-storey up to 10–12 floors and relatively high density. This scale is often well suited to CLT use in terms of readily achievable performance, efficiency and good value and as such, an informal wood encouragement policy has resulted in a concentration of buildings exploring various forms of timber use, notably across all sectors, including some of the tallest and largest CLT buildings in the world (when completed). In the UK, development potential – the value of a site and resultant profit potential – is typically defined by planning permission (or the potential for such a consent). Easing the development process and obtaining a favourable reaction from planning authorities, whether officers or members, has huge value. This can unlock further funding and offer a degree of certainty by defining project direction and form. As such, an official policy prioritising timber use is one of the most powerful tools that might be used to encourage the take up of lower carbon forms of construction, and as seen in Hackney, an unofficial policy can still deliver surprising results. Countries rich in forest resources typically benefit from a heritage of building with timber and the associated established skill base. Promoting the increased use of timber for buildings in such regions not only promotes economic activity and employment but also can generate significant additional benefits through further investment and innovation.
CHAPTER 7
PLANNING AND SOCIAL ISSUES
THE INFLUENCE OF PLANNING POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT CONTROL
National/provincial impacts