Section 3: Place Making and Design Principles [PDF] - South Norfolk ...

3.2.1 Community facilities
Key principles
A range of community facilities should be
available within easy reach of places that
people live and work, so that they can be
accessed without needing to use the car.
Why is it important?
Successful places are about more than
providing suitable housing and places of
work for local people. They also need a
range of social and community facilities
to allow local people to interact with one
another and to support daily life.
Local community facilities help to:
• establish a sense of local identity and
community;
• encourage walking and cycling;
• support residents well-being in terms
of education, healthcare, shops,
local services and employment, and
recreation;
• create places where all members of
the local community can meet one
another.
Are new facilities required?
Local community facilities include a wide
range of uses and activities, including
schools, nurseries, shops, pubs and
cafes, local workspace, healthcare,
community centre, parks and play
areas and also a good broadband
infrastructure network.
In some cases there may be advantages
to providing a single, multi-purpose
community facility that can be used by
different groups and agencies at different
times of the day or week.
It is important to identify whether new
facilities are required or whether the
proposed residents could access
existing facilities and support their
continued viability.
For large-scale masterplans, local
community consultation is essential to
ensure that development will reflect
local needs. However, proposals for
community facilities must be realistic in
terms of project viability, management
and ownership.
There is a balance to be struck between
creating a new sense of place and
community in a new development and
supporting an existing place, which
might also help promote the social
integration of existing and new residents.
Where should new facilities be
placed?
The position of new facilities in a new
development may influence their use.
At the heart of a new development, they
may promote a sense of identity but
they may also be seen as being for new
residents only, whereas if they are sited
towards the edge of a development they
may be used by both new and existing
residents.
Where large scale urban extensions
are proposed, it may be appropriate to
create a new centre with facilities for
the entire settlement, or alternatively
to expand an existing centre that is
accessible and in need of revitalisation.
Are local facilities accessible?
Wherever possible new development
should be within convenient walking
or cycling distance of existing local
facilities. Where new facilities are
required they should be within walking
distance of as many residents as
possible (both new and existing
residents), consistent with creating an
appropriate site layout (assessed under
3.3.2 Integrate with surroundings).
Main Contents
Section 3 Start
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Uses and
activities
3.3 Accessibility
3.4 Site assets
3.5 Character
3.6 Development
form
3.7 Public realm
3.8 Design
quality
3.9 Performance
3.10 Worked
example
3.3.2
Integrate with
surroundings
127