Planning Appeal News: housing land supply
An inspector has allowed an appeal for 130 houses on a greenfield site in Devon, on the grounds that there was a housing supply shortfall in the district as a whole and that the scheme would not prejudice the review of the local plan. What is of interest in this case is that the appellants...
Merry Christmas
To all: locally in the Dorset and particularly Poole area, to our clients and colleagues in London, Dubai and Qatar. We wish you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2012 has been a challenging year for ECA with a frantic frenzy of activity right up until the last. We look forward to working with you all in 2013. ECA...
RIBA talk at the Arts University College Bournemouth
We are delighted to have helped give a short talk to the architectural students at the Arts University College Bournemouth. Doug Withington (RIBA project Coordinator) talked about all aspects of what the RIBA can do for students nationally and what it does for the whole profession. We (Adam Covell from ECA and Sarah Mitchell from Bright Space Architects) were...
Poole Beaches Masterplan
We are extremely keen to see proposals for the future of the beaches at Poole. Currently Poole Borough Council are assessing the future of the beachfront as part of a supplementary planning document (SPD) due to go out to public consultation later this year. The document defines different characteristics for each of the beach areas (Sandbanks = dune landscape, Shore Road = social beach,...
The Olympic legacy
ECA have enjoyed experiencing the London and Weymouth Olympic venues first hand at full throttle. They were able to comfortably handle many thousands of visitors without their feeling crushed or disorientated. The buildings were on the whole well designed – the Velodrome a particular favourite of ours. The parks spilled over with wild flowers, contained a plethora of complex hidden audio systems and appeared...
J-Class Super Yacht in Poole
Fantastic to see J-class yacht Rainbow in Poole: every bit as beautiful as we imagined.
Sustainable homes completed at Weymouth
We are pleased to see the completion of a development at Officers Field, Osprey Quay on the edge of the Olympic site. The 58 houses have achieved code level 4 of the BREEAM rating system, which is a real achievement. The development will be used for accommodation during the Olympics then sold individually afterword. Each house is pleasingly simply: its form reading more clearly...
Poole High Street in Decline
As a business located on Poole High Street, we are sad to read this article (and see for ourselves) about the difficulty in running a business here. The High Street is a gem and it is a shame there are so few useful and thriving shops here. The reinvigoration of the High Street is key to the success of Poole...
Arts University College Bournemouth Show
We attended the summer show opening at the Arts College, Bournemouth last night. Fashion and Photography were particularly strong. Architecture is also coming up fast and and with recent ARB Diploma accreditation it is bound to be a rising star over the next few years.
Beach Hut sold for £170,000
Despite much doom and gloom in the property world, it appears beach huts are still a must-have. This beach hut is located in Mudeford, Christchurch – a beautiful spot but totally inaccessible. The hut has been done very well, making use of limited space and limited utilities.
The Edridge – 23-storey high-rise apartments design
ECA have been developing architectural and interior designs for this proposed 23-storey, high-rise residential tower in Croydon, London. ECA are the consultant architects on this project, working with the project architects MDR associates. The project was submitted for planning permission by MDR two years previously. The site has since come under the control of a...
Gun Wharf Quays
ECA-P recently ventured to Portsmouth-based retail outlet, Gun Wharf Quays. Retail parks are not the favoured hangout for this company of architects and town planners. Retail parks are generally on the edge or out of town and kill town centres. They often make pretty unpleasant architectural environs, largely made up of tin sheds, fast food outlets and...
Durlston Castle
ECA recently visited the now restored Durslton Castle, near Swanage. It is located on the headland of the same name. The castle is not so much a fort as a 19th century folly/restaurant. It was built by rags-to-riches local chap George Burt and is a mixture of Scottish Baronial, medieval fort and Victoriana. The park contains a strange collection...
Port of Poole Railway Lies Idle
We notice with regret that the railway branch linking the Port of Poole has been fenced off and sits idle. The line runs right the way into the heart of the port and up to the dockside. It is a fantastic piece of infrastructure of the ilk that many local authorities and planners would envy. It remains...
RIBA Low Carbon Conference
ECA attended an excellent gig in Bristol given by the RIBA called The Low Carbon Conference. The day featured the RIBA dignitaries (new president and CEO) professing about the importance of the low carbon challenge. The meat of the day however concerned two case studies. One was a code 6 house/refit in Birmingham. It was amazing to see how...
Two Bespoke Houses, Poole
ECA recently obtained planning permission for two quite special houses located in Lower Parkstone (between Poole, Bournemouth and Sandbanks). The client and their family have lived on the site since the existing house was built in the 1930s. But the house is nothing special and has become dilapidated. ECA-P were appointed to produce designs for a...
OMA and The Constructivists: Exhibitions
ECA has just returned from seeing two exhibitions back to back. Firstly the Building a Revolution at the RA (Royal Academy) and secondly OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture, AKA Rem Koolhaas). The RA show was an interesting mix of constructivist drawings from the 20s and 30s: the usual suspects – Malevich, Tatlin, Popova, El Lizzitsky and Melnikov – mixed with...
Contemporary Addition To Historic Barn
Edwards Covell Architecture and Planning obtained planning permission for a significant addition to an extremely sensitive site in Cheltenham. The site is a 16th century barn adjacent to a Grade 2 listed thatched cottage. The barn is small, barely accommodating two stories and is a simple gable ended structure with many original timbers in the...
The Architecture of Poole Quay
It is fantastic to see the Quay buzzing with people: an eclectic mix on this evening of bikers and sailors (!). Look a bit harder though and it is a shame that the vista of buildings in this view doesn’t do much for this superb location. Dolphin Quay, the building at the rear centre of...
The Square and Compass Pub, Worth Matravers
Its official – The Square and Compass Pub is the best pub in the world*. We spent a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon listening to the Water Tower Bucket Boys and drinking great beer, not to mention the view of course – Purbeck Hills and the rolling sea beyond. *As ranked by ECA, but don’t tell anyone....
