Last month the two senior Labour figures were given a guided tour of the mixed-use suburb of Newquay, developed by long-term custodian the Duchy of Cornwall the estate formerly overseen by the king before its was passed on to Prince William in 2022.The residential-led urban addition will eventually deliver nearly 4,000 homes over its 50-year phased delivery programme. The scheme, with its traditional design, has again come into the media spotlight as the government looks to build a wave of new towns.Here, ADAM Architectures design director Hugh Petter, who designed the masterplan and pattern book for Nansledan, sets out what has, and hasn't, worked at the development, and what the government needs to do to create similar projects.AdvertisementStreet view on Lergh Trewollek at Nansledan, photographed by Hugh Hastings for the Duchy of Cornwall.What do you think is the main lesson from Nansledan that could be used in other urban developments new towns?Nansledan enjoys a Local Development Order (LDO), which, in essence, is a detailed planning consent within agreed parameters. When an LDO is granted, the development team takes over the day-to-day regulation of the project, avoiding the endless little planning applications that would normally be required as things change. This makes the developer team lighter on their toes and able to tune each phase to the market, reduces risk and professional fees, and becomes an attractor for businesses that want new premises. It takes away delay and planning risk and, in turn, declutters the overworked local authority planning officers, giving them more time to regulate bad development elsewhere.The LDO is monitored by the local authority and, if it is abused, it is taken away, so the developer team is incentivised not to abuse the trust that they have been given. An LDO is therefore a virtuous circle and could be used more widely to encourage better development outcomes.Has it got anything wrong? Does it feel like a busy, inhabited town yet? Is it too reliant on car transport?There are over 800 homes built and occupied; 40 commercial units occupied; a work hub and a nursery school. There is also a new two-form entry primary school. Many residents work from home so there is a pleasant buzz but it will become more bustling when the high street opens this spring, and when the first phase of Market Street opens next year.The tight road network allows cars to move around the development but only slowly and many people choose to walk or cycle because it is easier and quicker.There was nowhere to park white vans except on the adopted roadsInevitably some mistakes are made for example, in the earliest stages, we underestimated how many small trade businesses would operate from the development and there was nowhere to park white vans except on the adopted roads.AdvertisementEvery house has the required amount of off-street parking for cars. So more recent phases have several oversized parking spaces in each parking court, which are owned by the management company. This means that commercial vehicles can be parked off the road so as not to create a nuisance for other residents. Source:Hugh HastingsBuilding progress and street views/community activities photographed for The Duchy of Cornwall by Hugh HastingsFuture new towns may not be in the right place initially, and people may need encouraging to move there when services and amenities take time to build. So how do you encourage people to move there?Development should be popular. When done well, it can benefit a local community. We spent a long time listening to local needs and so are providing affordable housing; family housing; employment space; high-quality green space and all the things that any responsible development should do.As a result, Nansledan is popular and has grown from the original allocation of 400 homes to 4,000 homes. It was the first major development in Cornwall to get fast broadband into every building. The elevations are bespoke and use local materials and detailing so it has a strong sense of place.Inevitably some mistakes are madeOf the properties, 30 per cent are tenure-blind affordable homes and, of the remaining 70 per cent, nearly three-quarters go to buyers from Cornish post-codes so we are confident we are meeting local needs.It is in the right place. All residents can walk to some shops within five minutes and to the new Market Street, when it is open, within 10 minutes. These facilities will benefit many existing residents too, who currently live in residential suburbs of the old town.Our Market Street will form a new sub-town centre. We used our network analysis tool, Place Logic, to help ensure that the commercial uses are on naturally busy routes.We are currently working on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership project with Strathclyde University and The Polytechnic of Milan, in partnership with Innovate UK, to develop a new walkability tool for Place Logic which looks not only at physical connectivity but also at other attributes of urban form which trigger an emotional response and so which will affect how likely someone is to choose one possible route over another.What changes do you think the government could make to kickstart similar developments?Most development is unpopular because it is bad, is not tuned to local needs and provides only housing estates without supporting infrastructure.The best way to control development is to work with local SME housebuilders who are less constrained and more innovative than the bigger PLCs. They also care more about their local areas. The planning system needs to be simplified to encourage them back into the market.The planning system must be simplified to encourage SMEs back into the marketLandowners should be encouraged to retain control as they have a long-term interest in doing right by their neighbours. At present, the landowner sells land sequentially to developers to keep that control, they pay twice as much tax as they would if they sold it all up front: this should be equalised.We are hoping the government will recognise this stewardship approach as an alternative strategy to conceive and deliver better development through long-term collaborative partnerships that tie landowners, developers and their communities together, linked to the more widespread use of LDOs to encourage better development outcomes. Source:Hugh HastingsAerial photography at 8.30pm on a May evening, of the buildings of NansledanDo you think the projects overtly traditional design deters some developers and architects from taking the transferable lessons from Nansledan?There is no silver bullet when it comes to design, but I and others continue to try and explain the deeper principles behind such schemes as Nansledan in the hope that, by sharing ideas, we can work together to make better new places for everyone in a variety of styles.Nansledan is not Classical, but it is rooted in the local vernacular traditions to help it feel familiar and appropriate on the north Cornish coast; to facilitate the use of local materials with low embodied carbon; to help put money back into the local economy, and to create a place that is tough, beautiful and enduring in the harsh maritime climate where it sits.It is worth remembering too that the majority of new speculative development is, to a greater or lesser extent, rooted in tradition. Much of it is poorly designed and much is not designed by architects at all. We may hope, over time, that architects will become reacquainted with traditional design and compositional principles and will choose to get more involved in commercial buildings to help raise standards and improve the quality of design.How can the government encourage landowners/housebuilders to be long-term custodians of a place (and what are the benefits of having the continuity of ownership)?The long-term stewardship of legacy schemes is usually through a consortium of the landowners, the SME developers, and the local community. Over time the first two may fall away and the community will assume a more hands-on approach, but the developers may choose to hold some buildings, and the landowners may choose to hold some of the key green spaces and some of the buildings too.If the government could remove the current tax obstacles and help people understand that a project conceived, delivered and sustained by stewardship can create better new places that enable people to live better, healthier and happier lives, this would be a big step forward. It would still enable the current mainstream models of development to continue, but it would help broaden and diversify the gene pool, which in turn will help the government to reach its ambitious housing target.As it becomes better understood that more controlled design and delivery in tune with local needs can produce a social and economic dividend for all parties, the likelihood is that it will encourage the PLCs to tune up their offer, which will benefit everyone.Can having such a custodian restrict the evolution of a place?At some level, possibly, because there are often covenants that sit outside planning law. However, the management company is run in concert with the community and so if, collectively, they want to make changes, these can be made if there is a majority in favour.Changes can be made if there is a majority in favourThere is strong evidence that people are willing to pay a bit more to buy a property where there is a management company because they have the comfort of knowing that their neighbour, for example, cant leave a broken washing machine in their front garden.People like certainty. There is evidence to suggest that, with a management company, the residents take a more active interest in the management of their public realm and so often it is maintained to a higher standard than if it was adopted by the council.What do residents mention most to you when you go back to see them?There is ongoing dialogue and consultation to ensure that everyones views are taken into consideration. Some of my answers above give examples of this.People really appreciate the attention we pay to their questions and the effort that has gone into creating a better place with more facilities and amenities. Source:Hugh HastingsThe Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in Nansledan photographed for The Duchy of Cornwall by Hugh Hastings.2025-03-03Richard Waitecomment and share