As a multi-disciplined international consultancy, RPS is well placed to provide uniquely co-ordinated professional services across a range of demands for large-scale development projects. A team of RPS experts across a number of RPS offices can provide planning, design and consultancy services for many aspects of a project, helping to optimise timescales, and reduce sub-contractor costs.

A six-office strong team is working with Birmingham City Council to provide the high-quality new Birmingham Aquatics and Leisure Centre. The £58m project is planned to be completed in time for the 2012 Olympics to provide a training centre for visiting teams.

The centre will boast an Olympic standard 50m pool and diving facility, state-of-the-art leisure pool, teaching pool, eight-court sports hall, two-storey climbing wall, five-a-side pitches, fitness suite, saunas, steam rooms, café, soft play area and a crèche. As a community complex, it will also provide community meeting rooms and a community policing room. Community feedback on the proposed centre suggests that such a multi-faceted, high quality leisure complex is long overdue, and will be a vital part of Birmingham’s regeneration.

RPS is providing consultancy services for acoustics, air quality, arboriculture, archaeology, ecology, hydrology and flood risk, landscape design, planning, sustainability and transport.  The submission of the overall planning application includes organising public consultation as well as consultation with CABE and BCC Urban Design, carrying out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and co-ordinating the Environmental Statement (ES), as well as producing the Planning Statement and Playing Fields Statement.

The Centre is located beside the National Indoor Arena (NIA), in an area of intense activity on the edge of the City’s Convention Quarter where many priorities and transport modes compete for the available capacity in the transport network.  RPS’ Transport Planning experts have addressed complex issues of mass pedestrian access, parking management and arrangements for coach transport.  The team are responsible for the identification and resolution of access issues by all modes, including the design of accesses and off-site infrastructure improvements to achieve a high level of service, road safety and efficiency. RPS has also designed a pedestrian link between the NIA and the Centre, and the team are looking into a residents parking scheme alongside a range of sustainable transport measures.

The Environmental Statement is supported by a Tree Survey and Arboricultural Implications Assessment, and will also contain an acoustic assessment. RPS worked closely with Birmingham City Council’s Environmental Protection Unit to assess the potential internal and external noise impacts of the development. Noise surveys carried out around the site were used to determine maximum noise levels for the services plant and address the noise impact from various indoor/outdoor elements of the development on nearby residential areas and the adjacent school. It is situated within an Air Quality Management Area.  RPS is assessing the impact of the scheme on existing residential receptors and whether the development is likely to introduce population exposure to poor air quality.  The ecological assessment includes a BREEAM Ecology Assessment and Management plan.

The Birmingham Main Line Canal is located approximately 150m from the site, and, whilst the site is not in a Flood Zone, appropriate drainage will be necessary to ensure that on site attenuation includes provisions for the 1in 100 year plus 30%¹ rainfall event. Further requirements set by Severn Trent Water limit surface water discharge to a Greenfield run-off rate of 5 litres/sec/ha.

RPS’ Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment and detailed planting design for the scheme included designing the landscaping for the feature lower entrance area of the centre, which includes a paved public square with seating and contemporary tree, shrub and herbaceous planting. The landscape scheme has been designed to compliment and enhance the building façade. The landscape team is also considering the use of trees and lighting to revitalise the existing railway bridge wall that connects the site with Birmingham city centre.

The archaeological assessment revealed that developments in the 1960s and 1970s probably removed any below ground archaeology, but the wider area contains several listed buildings, some associated with the Jewellery Quarter Conservation Area, others with the sites former use as a railway goods yard.  The development is designed so that the buildings and Conservation Area remain intact.

RPS Operational Director, Tim Partridge says, “Major developments such as this require input from many of the services that RPS can provide. The client wanted a one-stop service for the delivery of the planning application, and RPS’ team of expert professionals delivered an effectively co-ordinated and quality service.”

Contact:
Acoustics – Noise and Vibration:
Tom Nightingale
T: +44 (0) 1212 135 500
E: Tom.Nightingale@rpsgroup.com

Air Quality:
Guido Pellizzarro
T: +44 (0) 1273 546 800
E: guido.pellizzaro@rpsgroup.com

Arboriculture and Tree Survey:
Ed Lusk
T: +44 (0) 1908 669 898
E: luskE@rpsgroup.com

Archaeology:
Dan Slatcher
T: +44 (0) 1132 206 190
E: slatcherD@rpsgroup.com

BREEAM:
Charlotte Brewin
T: +44 (0) 1235 821 888
E: brewinc@rpsgroup.com

Ecology:
Vicki Hanslip
T: +44 (0) 1132 206 190
E: vicki.hanslip@rpsgroup.com

Hydrology and Flood Risk:
Amy Rix
T: +44 (0) 1902 771 331
E: amy.rix@rpsgroup.com

Landscape Assessment and Design:
Joanne Thompson
T: +44 (0) 1902 771 331
E: joanne.thompson@rpsgroup.com

Planning: Tim Partridge
T: +44 (0) 1212 135 500
E: tim.partridge@rpsgroup.com

Sustainability and Socio-Economic Analysis:
Charlotte Brewin
T: +44 (0) 1235 821 888
E: brewinc@rpsgroup.com

Joe Murphy
T: +44 (0) 1212 135 500
E: joe.murphy@rpsgroup.com

Transport:
Graeme Roberts
T: +44 (0) 1212 135 500
E: Graeme.Roberts@rpsgroup.com

¹ The additional 30% is a measured allowance for climate change.