Director at ADAM Architecture, Robbie Kerr, demonstrates the long-term benefits of legacy developments for better quality homes and places. He highlights the success of combining legacy development principles with robust design codes and sustainable partnerships to help deliver housing targets. 

Over the past 25 years ADAM Architecture has been one of a small number of practices to pioneer new ways of working collaboratively with landowners, developers and communities to produce better new places. This approach has become known as ‘legacy’ development. This year, we published Meeting the Housing Challenge, a report with Bidwells, reflecting on how legacy development principles can help deliver the government’s housing targets. Poor quality homes and places leave a toxic legacy for future generations; landowners that take the long view create better places and reap financial rewards. 

We tailor urban developments to local needs, incorporating a mix of uses to enable residents to live healthier, happier, low-carbon lifestyles. Lower cost housing isn’t inevitably low-quality design; the homes in our schemes – while making sense economically – are also beautiful and enduring. The tenure blind properties integrate residents from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds without creating visible distinctions or stigmas associated with different housing tenures and contribute to more vibrant communities.  

The social, environmental and long-term economic benefits of legacy developments is becoming better understood and we are passionate about explaining how to achieve these goals. Our recent report demonstrates compelling financial evidence of premium returns, alongside the social benefits. Affordable housing does not necessarily mean low returns. People are drawn to the rich social infrastructure, the holistic and responsible environmental design, and the focus on community. Walkability assessments using PLACE LOGIC (placelogic.org.uk) shows that the legacy sites in our report consistently outperform non-legacy counterparts on the 20-minute neighbourhood index, scoring between 7.5-8.7 versus 5.4-7.5 for conventional developments. 

Strong design codes that are backed by robust legal frameworks that allow ongoing oversight, throughout multiple development phases, are fundamental to maintaining quality and delivering on the legacy vision.  

Most industry experts will agree that creating valuable, sustainable communities requires sustaining strategic focus, particularly throughout the early phases of development. Design codes help provide a commercially viable framework. Legal frameworks ensure that they are not diluted. It takes a strong landowner, plus these frameworks and the patience to take the long view and attract all sorts of tenure which in the end creates good communities. 

The ultimate marker of success working with public bodies can be found in the confidence expressed by the Local Development Order (LDO) granted by Cornwall Council and the legacy development at Nansledan, ADAM Architecture’s extension to Newquay, showing where controls, designs and holistic vision can come together.  

Our work with the Church Commissions for England operates within the strong ESG framework they have recently launched with key focus on the housing crisis and the delivery of housing for all that is ‘sustainable, safe, stable, sociable and satisfying’.  

Partnerships based on shared vision and agreed outcomes are pivotal for successful legacy development. Some areas of the public sector should have the ability to take the long view in a similar way and be a part of this model to deliver better and more affordable homes in well designed and integrated communities.