Site Selection
Definition
Site Selection
describes the process of identifying the optimal location for the project. The selection process needs to be rigorous, needs professional advice, and needs to balance the numerous opportunities and risks associated with each site &/or building looked at.
Guidance
Site selection is one of the most important decisions required within the development process. Where there is an opportunity to do so, a number (4-5 ideally) of different site options should be looked at. The Development Brief for the project will help create the search criteria for sites, and the priorities given to the various determining factors (location, orientation, site value, proximity to public transport, distance from district centre, distance from competing or complementary facilities, etc, etc).
Once a short-list has been created, an evaluation process needs to take place. An appraisal document, or Schedule of Risks and Opportunities should be created for each site. Apply the same criteria for each site to ensure the decision-making process is as objective as possible. Professionals, such as Commercial Agents, Chartered Surveyors, Chartered Architects and Building Consultants, can add value to this process.
In essence, the appraisal process will determine how closely the site lends itself to the Development Brief and Vision, what the main associated risks of the site are, and what the implications of both are for the project’s value and budget.The Appraisal document could include the following:
Design feasibility :
- Does the site or building generate the right amount of accommodation (net area)?
- Does the site provide easy access – vehicular, servicing, pedestrian, disabled?
- Does the site or building meet the qualitative aspects of the Brief?
- Does it possess enough character, drama, charm, or if not could it easily be designed in?
- Does the site allow future flexibility (adaptation, extension, etc)?
Planning Assessment:
- Does the site have any major Planning Policy issues that may prevent or delay the project?
- Does the site have the same Use Classification as the project?
- If not, how easy will it be to get a Change of Use?
- Is the site within a Flood Risk area?
- What are the implications of the development on adjacent sites or properties, and visa versa?
- Is the existing building Listed, or is the site within a Conservation area?
- Are there any protected wildlife species – bats, great crested newts for example?
- Is the site likely to have any contamination, or be of archaeological value?
- How sustainable is the site, and / or how sustainable could it be made to be?
- What traffic impact will the project have, and how will people journey to and from it?
- Are there any noise issues associated with the site and its context?
- How supportive will the community be to the proposals?
Legal assessment:
- Does the site have any legal issues that may prevent or restrict the proposed development?
- Are there any restrictive covenants?
- Are there any Rights of Access, and can access from the Highway be guaranteed?
- Does the site rely on any Third Party land?
- Are there any Rights of Light issues with adjacent properties, or potential Party Wall issues?
- Does the existing building have the required Asbestos Survey?
Site assessment:
- How well does the site meet the aspirations of the Brief?
- Are there any abnormals that may affect its deliverability and value?
- Is there any wider regeneration benefits to be gained from the site; social, economic?
- Is there any information from the Statutory Undertakers (gas, electric, water, drainage, etc)?
- Are there any major services that cross the site?
- Are there any invasive plant species (e.g. Japanese Knotweed) that require expensive remediation?
- Is there any topographical and / or geological information?
- What is the quality of the existing landscape, and are there any Tree Preservation Orders?
Building Assessment:
- How well does the existing building fit the quantitative (floor area, efficiency) and qualitative (character, vision) aspects of the Brief?
Most towns and cities contain a diverse building stock that is ripe for redevelopment and refurbishment. Character buildings will often be situated on important sites due to their past significance, and can provide wonderful gravitas to a project. Unless they have been well maintained, however, they normally need to come with a health warning. A thorough Building Survey is required to identify such issues as structural integrity, water-tightness, conformity with current Building Regulations, damp penetration, infestation/ infiltration of timbers.
The above list is not designed to be exhaustive, but rather to highlight the need for awareness of the many issues that could impact on the project’s success. Fore-warned is fore-armed. The best site in the short-list may well be the site with the most issues to resolve, but being aware of the issues enables the team to manage them. Implications for site valuation, project Budget, and programme can be identified and dealt with. The relative balance given to Quality, Cost and Time factors will help determine the priorities for the decision-making process. For example, tight timescales for the project or Funding stream may well dictate that a lower quality site with fewer issues is selected.
What to avoid:
The important things to avoid are making a decision in ignorance and isolation.
Site selection is rarely carried out without emotion, or instinct, influencing the process. A strong emotional attachment to a Period building, or a strong gut-instinct for the wider regeneration benefits of a particular site and location, may well be the over-riding priority for the decision. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as the associated risks to the project have been identified, and a strategy for limiting / managing the risks has been put in place.
The timescales involved with the site selection process may also mean that a lot of information and survey work has not been sourced or commissioned. Decision making will need to rely more on the trust of the Professional Team, and their collective judgement.
If the risk exposure of a preferred site is high, then make any purchase of that site Conditional (on resolving the identified risks). In these cases, it is advisable to have a backup plan; a second site that can be delivered with relative ease.Conversely, in a world that is dominated by risk, it is also important not to be too dismissive of sites. An innovative architect may find a way of unlocking the huge potential of a site or building. A well connected and clever Commercial Agent may well be able to structure a deal which limits the risk of Purchase. A strong professional team is vital to this process.
External Links:
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): http://www.architecture.com/
Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI): http://www.rtpi.org.uk/
Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS): http://www.rics.org/
Institution of Structural Engineers (ISE): http://www.istructe.org/
Association of Consulting Engineers (ACE): http://www.acenet.co.uk/