Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas

20
Planning Guidelines
to be improved if permission for a revised application is be
considered 10.
Design of residential streets
3.13 The UK’s “Manual for Streets” (Dept of Communities and Local
Government, 2007) 11 defines a street as a highway that has important
public realm functions beyond the movement of traffic. These
functions include place-making, providing access to buildings,
parking, and the location of public utilities and public lighting. While
it is essential to provide for movement along the street, designers also
need to consider the appropriate balance between these different
functions, and not treat one in isolation.
3.14 The following design principles should influence the layout and
design of streets in residential areas:
• Connectivity and permeability: Convenient access needs to be
provided between and within areas, particularly to larger
community and commercial facilities and to places of work.
Routes within the area should be accessible for everyone and as
direct as possible, and for this reason “gated estates” should be
discouraged. The design process should consider what levels of
permeability are appropriate for different street users, with
permeability for pedestrians and cyclists taking precedence
over permeability for vehicles. River or canal paths for walkers
and cyclists can provide attractive connections within and
between areas;
• Sustainability: Priority should be given to the needs of walking,
cycling and public transport, and the need for car-borne trips
should be minimised;
• Safety: Streets, paths and cycle routes should provide for safe
access by users of all ages and degrees of personal mobility;
• Legibility: It should be easy for both residents and visitors to
find their way around the area; and
10 Compensation may not be payable – see Fourth Schedule, Planning and Development
Act 2000, reason no. 16.
11 This Manual is a useful complement to the Traffic Management Guidelines published
in 2003 (see Appendix B – Further Reading)