Q-D4.1: Do you agree that this is an appropriate range of topics for a policy on the design of safe and attractive streets?
The range of topics should be extended eg it would be sensible to recognise in the list that the public realm has to accommodate a wide variety of users and include aspects for each category eg gentle gradients, benches rails for the elderly, disabled parking; play areas for children; landscaping etc. Might it be appropriate to pedestrianise some areas?
All the public places built of late are not even finished in Bidford on Avon so why are we entertaining this ?
No answer given
No answer given
Issue D4: Safe and attractive streets and public spaces: Natural England would like to see streets maximise opportunities for green infrastructure to create character and community use (where appropriate) and manage drainage and air quality. Appropriate planting and trees should be incorporated which reflect the context and climatic conditions/needs of the proposal. We would like to see innovative approaches that draw on Biophilic design attempts to achieve the benefits of contact between people and nature within the modern built environment. Recent studies have shown that experiencing nature on a daily basis supports people’s mental and physical health [7, 16,17,18,19] Table 1 below outlines the multiple benefits of biophilic design to the environmental, socio-psychological and economic aspects of urban life. 7 https://sustainableearthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42055-020-00027-0#ref-CR7 16 https://sustainableearthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42055-020-00027-0#ref-CR16 17 https://sustainableearthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42055-020-00027-0#ref-CR17 18 https://sustainableearthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42055-020-00027-0#ref-CR18 19 https://sustainableearthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42055-020-00027-0#ref-CR19 Table 1 https://sustainableearthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42055-020-00027-0#Tab1 Cities for Play: Designing streets that prioritise children over cars | Cities People Love [https://citiespeoplelove.co/article/cities-for-play-designing-streets-that-prioritise-children-over-cars]
The inclusion of a policy on the design of safe and attractive streets is supported in principle. However, any design elements must be fully evidenced and justified and should take into account Warwickshire County Highways Authority design standard, in particular where departure from those standards could affect the future adoption of development proposals.
Claverdon believes that this is too detailed for this stage of the Plan.
yes but could go further to articulate initiatives that work at neighbourhood levels to strengthen communities and build new ones.
The inclusion of a policy on the design of safe and attractive streets is supported in principle. However, any design elements must be fully evidenced and justified and should consider Warwickshire County Highways Authority design standard, in particular where departure from those standards could affect the future adoption of development proposals.
QD2: option D2b : Develop design guides and/or design codes for specific places (e.g. existing settlements or groups of settlements, or an ‘area’ in the case of a new settlement) where the spatial strategy identifies significant change.
Issue D4: Safe and attractive streets and public spaces Q-D4.1 Yes. We agree that the range of topics listed is appropriate for a policy on the design of safe and attractive streets.
No answer given
Too detailed for this stage of the plan.
No answer given
We have some concerns in terms of how easy it would be in practice to deliver and apply this policy concept within more remote rural parts of the South Warwickshire Districts countryside. Where existing small rural village settlements are surrounded by large expanses of open countryside. And also at a time when many small shops and other services within existing villages and larger centres are closing due to the challenging retail climate caused by the worsening cost-of-living-crisis, combined with rising inflation and rising energy prices. These issues are considered below. What is a 20-minute in rural areas: At its simplest, a 20-minute neighbourhood would allow residents to meet the vast majority of their day-to-day needs, including shopping, leisure activities, schools, healthcare and access to green space within a 20-minute walk or cycle from their home. (Source: Savills, 2023) Given the geography and scale of the South Warwickshire Region, with dispersed small rural village settlements, surrounded by large expanses of open countryside, it is unrealistic to expect rural areas to deliver all services to all people. It is far easier to apply the principle of a 20-minute neighbourhood within large cities (for example, the concept has already been applied successfully within other parts of the world such as Melbourne City Centre, Australia). Where there are a large range of services and facilities available within a short geographic distance to meet day-to-day community needs of city dwellers. It is abundantly clear and fairly obvious that the South Warwickshire Region is completely different from these large urban city centres where the 20-minute neighbourhood concept has been previously successfully tested and delivered. However, within heavily rural districts (with small rural village settlements, with little or no services available) characteristic of South Warwickshire, it is likely to prove difficult to apply this policy area. Particularly in more isolated parts of the South Warwickshire Region, where small rural village settlements are surrounded by large expanses of open countryside. It is also important that 20-minute neighbourhood policy approach concept is not used as a Development Management policy tool to harm and obstruct the future delivery of new housing development proposals coming forward across the SWLP area. Given the severe housing shortage and severe housing crisis present across all parts of the South Warwickshire Region, and the urgent need to boost the supply of new housing in accordance with paragraph 60 of the Revised NPPF (2021). Finally, it is also important that the Council’s preparing the emerging SWLP have confidence that they are taking forward a policy approach that is capable of being delivered within South Warwickshire Region, in accordance with guidance in paragraph 16 (indent b) of the Revised NPPF (2021).
The inclusion of a policy on the design of safe and attractive streets is supported in principle. However, any design elements must be fully evidenced and justified and should take into account Warwickshire County Highways Authority design standard, in particular where departure from those standards could affect the future adoption of development proposals.
The inclusion of a policy on the design of safe and attractive streets is supported in principle. However, any design elements must be fully evidenced and justified and should take into account Warwickshire County Highways Authority design standard, in particular where departure from those standards could affect the future adoption of development proposals.
Although we remain unconvinced by the 20-minute neighbourhood concept.
Although we remain unconvinced by the 20-minute neighbourhood concept.