Creating Places

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CreatingPlaces

a chieving q ua lit y in

residentialdevelopments

incorporat ing g uida nce onla yout a nd a ccess


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The housing we build today will not only help to shape ourenvironment in the immediate future, it will also be a legacy

determining the environmental quality of many areasthroughout the 21 st century.

This guide describes the contributions to quality andsustainability that developers in Northern Ireland will beexpected to make through the design of new residentialdevelopments. It seeks to ensure that what is designed andbuilt today will be cherished by both present and futuregenerations.

CreatingPlaces

achieving quality inresidentialdevelopments

incorporating guidance onlayout and access

May 2000


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Foreword

The art of urban design has become better understood overthe past few years. We now appreciate how good designcan make a difference in shaping our built environment,and we know how the sustainability of development andour quality of life can be enhanced by more careful thoughtabout the places we create.

The Quality Initiative launched a few years ago was a call foraction - a call for developers and public officials to do better.The Government wants to build on this approach, and hasprepared this guidance as a sound basis for lifting thequality of all new residential developments throughoutNorthern Ireland.

The design of a housing development, incorporating roadsthat are the responsibility of the road authority, has to becarefully regulated to a consistently applied safety standard.But the key to the creation of quality places is in the hand ofthe designer, not the regulator.

If we are to achieve quality in the places we create, thedesigners and those who regulate must work together. Bothmust acknowledge that the process requires earlyagreement on an overall design concept that is appropriateto the site.

This guidance demonstrates how quality places, whethercreated in rural surroundings or an urban setting, willrespect their context and make the most of existing sitecharacteristics. A well-designed layout protects and respectsnatural habitat and heritage, encourages walking andcycling and provides convenient access to public transport.Traffic is calmed and tree-lined avenues and open spaces areprovided. The places created are distinctive, attractive andsafe, and serve well the needs of residents of all ages, aswell as those of visitors and service providers.

Developers will want to employ imaginative and skilfuldesigners and give them enough time to do it right. In thespirit of this guidance planners and road engineers will, fortheir part, want to respond positively to housing layoutproposals that are worked up comprehensively - and thatare demonstrably well designed.

All new developments provide opportunities to createsurroundings that future generations will cherish - theconservation areas of tomorrow.

H.S. McKayChief Executive, Planning ServiceDepartment of the Environment

C. JamesChief Executive, Roads ServiceDepartment for RegionalDevelopment


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page

Preamble ix

Introduction 1Quality and sustainability through design 2Scope and status of the guide 3Design skills 4Consultations 4Flexibility in application 5The structure of the guide - an integrated approach 6

Part 1: Context for overall design character 7

1 Respecting the local setting 8Main objectives 8Design context and visual character 9The local landscape and townscape 10Land uses 12Movement patterns 14Parking patterns 15Utilities 15

2 Responding to the site 16Main objectives 16History of the site 17Landform 20Flora and fauna 23Climate 24Noise and other nuisances 24

3 Creating attractive surroundings and places to live 26Main objectives 26An overall design concept 27Contexts for design concepts 30

Creating spaces 32Landmark features 36Variety and distinctiveness 37The totality 38

Part 2: Main elements of design 41

4 Landscape design 42Main objectives 42Quality in landscape design 43Existing landscape features 43Soft landscape works 44Hard landscape works 46Landscape management and maintenance 47

Contents


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5 Open space 48Main objectives 48Public open space 49Routes for movement 51Private open space 51

6 Local neighbourhood facilities 56Main objectives 56Types of facilities 57Location 57

7 Dwellings 60Main objectives 60Dwelling mix 61Building density and form 62Layout arrangements 62Dwelling planning 66

8 Pedestrian and cycle routes 68Main objectives 68Foootways 69Cycle tracks 70Verges 70Footpaths 71

General considerations 72Detailed design 73

9 Bus routes 74Main objectives 74Consultations 75Bus route layout 75Carriageways 76Bus stops 77

10 Routes for cars and service vehicles 78Main objectives 78

Creating permeable layouts 79Deterring non-access vehicular traffic 80Restraining vehicle speeds 81Types of restraints 83Spacing of restraints 86Direct access to dwellings 87Access to community buildings 90

11 Parking provision 92Main objectives 92Visual character 93Numbers of spaces required 93

Security and convenience 94Layout arrangements 95


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12 Provision for services 98Main objectives 98Location of services underground 99Lighting 102Emergency services 102Refuse collection 103Post boxes 103Telephone call boxes 103Aerials and satellite dishes 103Street nameplates and dwelling numbering 103

Part 3: Detailed design requirements 104

13 Planting 105Specialist advice 106Retaining existing vegetation 106New planting 107Minimising maintenance 108Design to minimise damage to trees 108Potential hazards 108Showing trees on drawings 109Acceptable species of trees and shrubs 109

14 Footways, verges, footpaths and cycle tracks 112Footways 112Verges 113Footpaths 113Cycle tracks 114

15 Special facilities for buses 116Lay-bys 116Turning space 116Bus termini 117

16 Carriageways 118Main requirements 118Turning spaces 122Junction design 123Carriageway surfacing 126Carriageway edging 127

17 Visibility 128Main requirements 128Visibility at junctions 129Visibility on bends 130Visibility above the ground 131

18 Speed restraints 132Changes in horizontal alignment 132Vertical displacement measures 135Complementary measures 138


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19 Shared surfaces 140Visual character 140Entrances 140Configuration 141Visibility 142Services underground 142Surfacing and edge restraints 142

20 Parking spaces: numbers and dimensions 144Underlying principles 144Numbers of spaces required 144Bicycle parking spaces 148

In-curtilage carports and garages 148In-curtilage driveways and hardstandings 149Parking bays contiguous with carriageways 149Grouped parking areas 150Demarcation of communal parking spaces 151

21 Utilities services 152Electricity 152Gas 153Water 153Sewers 153Telecommunications 153

Lighting 154

Appendices 157Appendix A: Definitions 158Appendix B: Information required 161Appendix C: Adoption and maintenance 163Appendix D: Planning and Roads Service Offices 165Appendix E: Public consultation 167Appendix F: Regional planning policy publications 168

Selected further reading 169

Acknowledgments 171


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This guide has been produced jointly by the PlanningService, an Agency within the Department of theEnvironment, and the Roads Service, an Agency within theDepartment for Regional Development. It is intended tohelp developers achieve high quality and greatersustainability in the design of all new residentialdevelopments in Northern Ireland.

The guide was researched and prepared on behalf of bothDepartments by Professor Mike Jenks (Oxford BrookesUniversity) and John Noble (consultant) with the assistanceof Laurence Pattacini. The contributions of Mike Stanley,Graham Smith, Paul Murrain and Ian Davison are alsoacknowledged.

The guide is for use by all those involved in the design ofnew residential developments and the rejuvenation ofexisting housing areas primarily house-builders, architects,landscape architects, urban designers, planners and roadengineers. It is intentionally not slanted towards any oneprofession or group, in the belief that what is said here isrelevant to all those who have an interest in the design ofthe places where we live.

The advice contained in the guide has been informed bypublications from Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland andother parts of Europe, in particular the guidance presentedin:

Design Bulletin 32, Residential Roads and Footpaths Layout Considerations (2nd edition), Department of theEnvironment / Department of Transport (1992), and

Places Streets and Movement, A Companion Guide toDesign Bulletin 32, Department of the Environment,Transport and the Regions (1998).

The process of producing the guide was undertaken jointlyby a range of professional disciplines within a number ofGovernment Departments. It involved public consultationand discussions with housing developers, designprofessionals, service providers, public transport undertakersand other interested parties. The aim for the guide has beento strike a balance between competing interests.

Thanks are due to all those organisations and individualswho provided comments on the public consultation draft ofthe guide entitled New Residential Developments: OverallDesign Character and Requirements for Access and Parking ,commonly referred to as the Blue Book (see Appendix E).

Preamble


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Page x

The guide constitutes supplementary planning guidance andreferences in text to the Department refer to theDepartment of the Environment which is responsible forplanning control in Northern Ireland.

With the publication of this guide the following documentis withdrawn:

Layout of Housing Roads - Design Guide, DOE (1988).

Requirements for the construction and specification of roadsare not covered in the guide. These are set out in the PrivateStreets (Construction) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994.

Nothing in the guide should be read as a commitment that

public resources will be provided for any specific project. Allproposals for expenditure by Government are subject toeconomic appraisal and will also have to be consideredhaving regard to the overall availability of resources.

All diagrams within the guide are for illustration purposesonly and should not be scaled.


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CreatingPlaces

Introduction


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Introduction

Quality and sustainability through design

1 Th e h o usin g w e b uild t o d a y w i ll n o t o n ly h e lp t osha pe our environment in the immed iate f uture, itw ill a lso be a lega cy det ermining the en vironmenta lq ual ity of man y areas througho ut the 21 st cent ury.This g uide d escribes t he cont ribut ions to q ua lity a ndsustaina bility tha t developers in Northern Ireland w illbe expected t o ma ke throug h the design o f new residentia l development s. It seeks to ensure tha t w ha tis design ed a nd b uilt t od a y w ill be cherished by bo thpresent a nd fut ure generat ions.

2 Th e co n t ext f o r t h e a d vice g ive n in t he g u id e isprovided by w ider Government po licy a nd initia tives

aimed a t achieving at t ract ive a nd susta ina ble placesthroug h be tt er design . Throug h th e Qua lity Initiative,Pla nning Po licy Sta tem ent s, the Northe rn Irela ndTransport Po licy Sta teme nt a nd the emergingRegional Strategic Framework, the Governmentw ishes to promot e:

m ore su st a in a b le pa t t ern s o f livin g , w o rkin gand travelling,

m ore e ff ect ive in te gra t io n b et w e en la n d-useplann ing a nd tra nsport ,

t he cre a t io n of a t t ra ct ive pla ce s in w h ich pe op lea re happy t o live, wo rk a nd t a ke their leisure.

3 Th e cre a t io n o f a t t r a ct ive r esid e nt ia l en viro n me n tsw ith a g enuine sense of place is a prerequisite toa chieving susta inability. The q ua lity o f w here w e livedepen ds not just on t he desig n of b uildings, but ontheir layout and lan dscaping, the a rrang ements madefor a ccess, and in particular, how the y rela te t o th eirsurroundings.

4 Th e g u id e a sse rt s t h e n ee d t o cre a t e pla ce s w h ichserve the need s of a ll people w ho use them , not just

car drivers. The la yout of housing a reas should beba sed on t he nat ure of the local pla ce, rat her than a sin the pa st, o n rigid requ irement s for vehiclemovement. Plan s for new development shouldprovide f or tra vel by fo ot , cycle and public transportjust a s they should fo r tra vel by ca r.

5 Th e g u id e t h ere f o re en co u ra g e s a g r ea t e r e m ph a sison place, community and context in the design of new residential developments and promotes:

g re a t er re sp on sive ne ss t o sit e a nd se tt in g in t helayout o f new development to a chieve a b et terba lance be tw een road requi rements and o therfactors,


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Introduction d eve lo pm en ts d esig n ed t o e mp ha sise a se nse of

place a nd community, w ith mo vement netw orksto enha nce those q ual it ies,

t he re du ct io n o f ca r u se th ro ug h th e p ro visio nof local neighbo urhood fa cilities a nd pub lictransport w ithin w alking dista nce of ho using,

t he d et a ile d d esig n o f ro a ds, f oo tpa t hs a n dcycle route s to a void dom inance by t he car,

a m ove a w a y f ro m o ve rly p re scrip tive st a n da rd sto a more integ rated a pproach to achievinghigh quality and sustainable designs.

6 Th is w i ll re q u ire g o o d d esig n t h a t b a la n ce s a ll t h efa ctors influencing q ua lity a nd susta inability a ndw hich responds to a local context by ma king the bestof a site a nd its surroundings.

Scope and status of the guide

7 Th is g u id e is in t en d ed f o r u se in t h e de sig n o f a llproposals for residential development throughoutNorthe rn Irela nd , fro m sma ll-sca le infill housingschemes t o ma jor projects on large sites incorpora tinga m ix of uses. It t herefo re cont a ins more informa tiontha n is need ed f or a ny one site - nevertheless, the

principles a nd sta nda rds in th e g uide w ill be used b ythe Depa rtment a s a b a sis fo r assessing a ny proposal.Accordingly, the guide should be read a nd und ersto odas a w hole .

8 Th e g uid e co n st it u t es su pp le me nt a r y p la n n in gguidance. It does not ta ke precedence over theprovisions of loca l developme nt pla ns or regiona lpolicy publications such a s Pla nning Policy Sta tem ent s(see appendix F), but should be read in conjunctionw ith the relevant contents of t hese publicat ions anda ny a pplicable no n-stat uto ry local design gu ides,development briefs or ma ster-plans. Such do cuments

ma y be e specia lly relevant in respects such a s:

t he d esig n ch a ra ct er o f t he d eve lo pm en t,

t he pro t ect io n o f e xist in g tre es a n d o t he rimportan t na tural or topog raphical feat ures,

t he pro t ect io n of a rch a eo lo g ica l re ma in s a n dhisto ric site s or b uilding s,

acce ss rou t e s f o r pe dest r ia n s, cyclist s, pub lictra nsport an d o ther vehicles,

re q uire me nt s f or ope n spa ce pro visio n,

re q uire me nt s f or t he pro visio n of lo ca lneighb ourhoo d fa cilities,


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b uild in g d en sit y, o r t h e m ixt ure o f d w e llin gtypes and t enures to be provided,

t he amo unt of pro visio n t o b e ma de fo rparking.

9 Wh en in do ub t a b ou t w h ich a sp ect s o f pla n nin gpolicies and w hich pa rts of t his guide w ill be mo stapplicable to their project, developers should consultthe Departments Divisional Planning Offices (seeAppendix D).

Design skills

10 To achieve the qua l ity of design expected , deve lopers

w ill need t o employ experienced design tea ms whichma y include a rchitects, la ndsca pe a rchitects andhighw ay en gineers an d, for larger developments ,planners or urban designers. Conservation specialistsw ill be needed w here pro tected f lo ra a nd fa una ,a rcha eolog ica l sites a nd m onum ent s, listed buildingsor conservation a reas are involved, anda rboriculturists w here existing trees an d m a jor shrubsneed to be reta ined a nd ma intena nce plan s forplant ed area s have to be prepared.

11 Deve lope rs shou ld g ive t he ir design t e ams enoughtime to a ppraise the site a nd i ts set t ing a nd identifythe visua l and ot her chara cteristics of the contextneed ed fo r desig n. This guide gives examples of t heinformat ion a nd a nalyses needed to provide a ba sisfor design. Adequa te t ime w ill a lso b e needed tocreate an appropriat e design concept a nd produceenoug h information for the Department to a ssess theproposal.

12 App end ix B se t s ou t requ irement s f o r in fo rma t ion t obe submitt ed w ith plann ing a pplications. Thisinformat ion is grea ter tha n in the past but do es notexceed tha t w hich any d eveloper w ho pursues qua lityin design w ill norma lly need to produce. These a ndother d esign costs w ill need to be ta ken into accountin the price paid fo r the development land.

Consultations

13 It is in t he in t e re st s o f deve lope rs t o unde rt akeconsulta t ion w ith a rang e of ag encies prior todraw ing up det ai led schemes.

14 Th e Depa r tmen t shou ld be consu lt ed abou t i t s ove ra l lplanning req uirement s, such a s policies for t heprotection o f site f ea tures or the provision of o pen

space. Advice rega rding the ad option a ndmaintena nce of roa ds, footpa ths, cycle t racks andparking area s should be sought f rom the RoadsService (see a lso Appen dix C).


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Introduction

15 Developers should a l so consider consult ing a range ofbod ies with s tat utory a nd other d ut ies, including:

p ub lic u tilit ie s a n d t ele co mm un ica t io n soperators ,

b us o pera t o rs,

educa tio n a utho rit ies,

t he emerg ency services.

16 When t he deve lop men t is la rg e , o r in an e specia l lysensitive location, d evelopers ma y a lso w ish t o consultw ith local district councils, represent a tives of lo calorga nisat ions and community groups and others withan interest in t he d evelopment . Presenta t ions anddiscussions at th is ea rly sta g e w ill hig hlig ht local issuesof concern, and help to ensure t hat design proposalsare b et ter understood by local people and publicrepresentatives.

Flexibility in application

17 To a ch ieve t he h igh q u a l it y o f de sig n t ha t t heDepa rtment expects, it will not a lwa ys be pra cticablefor developers to give eq ual w eight to each a spect o fthe g uida nce given here - a ba lance w ill have to be

struck be tw een compe ting ob jectives. It is in this sensetha t th e Depa rtment w ill be flexible w hen a ssessingproposals a ga inst th e requirement s set o ut in thisg uide. For example, a more flexible a pproa ch tolayout requirements may b e a ppropriat e w here it isnecessary t o protect importa nt herita ge or landscapefeatures.

18 Prescr ip t ive requirements in the gu ide have been keptto a minimum t o g ive de velopers as much scope a spossible t o prod uce hig h q ua lity d esign s. Scope fo rflexibility is implicit in t ho se req uirement s cited a sbeing around a specified numerica l value.

19 The D ep a rtme n t w i ll consid e r re qu e st s f romdevelopers to relax these a nd o the r more preciselyspecified req uirement s whe n th is w ould provide clearben efits in t erms of q ua lity. When ma king suchrequests developers must demonstrate tha t thepropo sal will mee t t he de sig n principles underlyingthe requirement and t hat the design q ual ity beingproposed could not be a chieved w ithout suchflexibility.

20 Deve lope rs, w h e n co nsid e ring t h e r equ irement s f o rroad d esign , should be aw are tha t t he Depar tment

ha s given a high priority to the a im of creat ing saf esurroun ding s. This priority w ill apply eq ua lly w henreq uests for rela xation a re being considered .


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21 Th e Depa r tmen t w ill conside r each deve lopmen t on i t sindividua l merits a nd d evelopers should no t t herefo reassume tha t a relaxat ion given for one developmentw ill be a pplied t o ano ther.

The structure of the guide - an integratedapproach

22 This gu ide is st ructured a round the process of des ignso tha t a ll the elements of layout a nd design a reconsidered a s a w hole. It is intended to encourag e theinterconn ection of de sign considera tions of thesett ing, la ndsca pe design , circula tion pa tt erns a ndbuildings to fo rm a coherent desig n structure. Theguide is in t hree pa rts:

Pa rt 1 co nsid e rs t he w id er co n te xt o f t h e lo ca lsett ing, the chara cteristics of the site f ordevelopment , a nd strateg ies for the overal ldesign character of a proposal .

Pa rt 2 g ive s g uid a nce o n t he ma in ele me nt sneeded to achieve high q ual ity design, from theovera ll land scape and urban designconsiderat ions to the layout of dw ellings, meansof a ccess and pa t terns of movement .

Pa rt 3 p ro vid es d e ta ile d de sig n in fo rm a t io nand sta ndards.


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CreatingPlaces

Pa rt 1

Co nt ext fo ro vera ll d esig n

character


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1 Respectingthe localsetting

To be attractive and function well, the designshould take into account the characteristics of thelocal setting. This section describes aspectsrelevant to the setting that will need to be

analysed as a basis for design, and includesguidance on assessments of design context,landscape and townscape form, land uses andmovement patterns.

Main objectives

1.01 The design should pay pa rticular at ten tion t o th echara cteristics of t he local setting. The cont ext of thesite should b e a na lysed t o ensure tha t t hedevelopment w ill:

re spe ct th e q u a lit ie s o f t he b est of t hesurrounding landscapes and townscapes,

p ro vid e sp a t ia l ch a ra ct e rist ics a n d b uild in gforms that are sympathet ic to t he surroundings,

re sp on d t o e xist in g la n d u se s a n d p ro vid e a na ppropria te mix of dw ellings and uses,

in te gra t e w it h exist in g pa t t ern s o f mo ve me nt .


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1: Respecting the local sett ing

Design context and visual character

The Northern Ireland context1.02 The d iverse cha ract eristics of th e lan dscape s a nd

tow nscapes found in different pa rts of NorthernIreland provide t he ba ckground a ga inst w hich theloca l sett ing fo r individua l developmen ts should b eappraised.

1.03 The North ern Irelan d la nd sca pe is rich, va ried a ndlocally distinctive. New de velopme nt shou ld respectlan dscape a nd to w nscape pat terns and local ident i tythrough:

cle a r un de rst a nd in g of t he sca le a nd ch a ra ct erof t he local lan dscape o r tow nscape,

a ppre cia t io n of t o po g ra ph y, fie ld p a tt ern s,landm a rks, histo ric fea tures a nd na tureconservation interests,

re g a rd t o lo ca l m a t eria ls a n d bu ild in g st yle s.

1.04 Developers should ref er to the Northe rn Irela ndLa ndscape Cha racter Assessment , a publication by t heDepartment, and the associated individual researchpa pers prod uced fo r ea ch district coun cil area 1.Count ryside Assessment s prepared a s part of loca ldevelopment plans w ill also p rovide usefulinformation.

Visual impact assessments

1.05 Develope rs w ill be expected to a ssess th e likely visualimpact of the d esign as it emerges, and t heDepa rtment w ill seek eviden ce of t he a ssessment sproduced.

1.06 Views of the d evelopme nts setting should bedescribed a nd a ssessed t o provide a ba sis fordiscussion w ith the Depa rtment , local people an dothers.

1.07 Deta iled a na lysis of t he visua l chara cter of th e loca lsetting w ill be necessa ry w hen e xisting buildings a ndspaces are sufficient ly distinctive to provide a sourceof inspira tion f or th e d esign . When t his is not the caseit ma y be useful to draw from the character of localsett ings in the w ider vicinity.

Rural Cont ext.

Village Cont ext.

Urban Cont ext.

An alysis of th e sett ing is a vital stage in ident ifying th e local dist inctiveness of any site.

1 The North ern Ireland La ndscape Chara cter Assessment is sched uled f orpublication in the nea r future.


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The local landscape and townscape

1.08 Ana lysis of t he local la ndscape a nd t ow nsca pe isimportan t to help relat e the d evelopment m oresensitively to its surroun ding s. Such a na lysis shouldinclude pa t terns of landscape an d t ow nscape, spat ialchara cteristics and building forms, and the resultsshould b e illustra ted on pla n.

Patterns of landscape and townscape

1.09 Maps and ae rial phot og raphs can provide usefulindicato rs of visua l chara cter and help to highlight t hegrain of the local lan dscape or to w nscape.

1.10 La ndscape gra in ma y consist of t he pa tt erns crea tedb y:

t he sh a pe o f t he la n d in re la t io n t o f ea t ure ssuch a s trees, hedg erow s, la nes, rivers a ndarchaeological remains,

t he w a ys t ha t ho use s, f a rm a nd ot he r b uild in g sare grouped tog ether,

t he me a ns e mplo ye d t o fit t he b uild in g s in totheir set t ings by the use of land form, bound aryw al ls and p lan t ing , and the type of vege ta t ionand i t s pa t t e rn of g row th .

1.11 Tow nsca pe gra in ma y consist o f t he pa tt erns crea tedb y:

t he urb a n f orm a n d t he sp a ce s d ef in ed by t hebuildings,

t he b uild in g plo t size s a n d sh a pe s,

t he a rra n ge me nt o f o pe n sp a ce s, w a lls, t re es

and p lan t ing ,

t he a rra ng ement of ro ad s a nd fo ot pa ths.

Landscape grain in a rural sett ing .

Tradi t iona l group ing o f bui ld ings.

Tow nscape grain .


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Land uses

1.14 The la nd uses surrounding the site should b e a na lyseda nd t he results illustra te d o n pla n. This w ill norma llyinclude the follow ing a spects.

Open spaces

1.15 Plans w il l need t o show the locat ions and uses of o penspa ces bo th o n a nd in th e vicinity of t he site -to ge ther w ith any th a t w ill result from previouslya pproved pla nning a pplications. Open spa ces likely tobe used by residen ts living in the development shouldbe not ed a s these will aff ect the dema nd fo r, and

loca tion o f, on-site provision for fo rmal an d informa lopen spaces.

Local neighbourhood facilities

1.16 The loca tion s a nd uses of existing local fa cilities an dcommunity buildings (schools, health centres, shopsetc.) bo th o n a nd in the vicinity of the site - to ge therw ith an y a nt icipat ed developments tha t w ill resultfrom previously a pproved plann ing a pplications -should be show n. Buildings a nd fa cilities likely to beused by resident s living in th e d evelopme nt should b e

noted as these may a ffect the dema nd for, theloca tion of , and a ccess to a ny ad ditiona l provisionrequired.

Dwellings

1.17 Pla ns should show the loca tions and types of existingdw ellings both o n a nd in the vicinity of the site -tog ether w ith a ny ant icipat ed developments that w illresult from previously a pproved planning a pplications.This ma y a ffect t he d w elling mix req uired in t hedevelopment .


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offices & smallindustry

secondaryschool

sportsfacilities

sportsfacilities

secondaryschool

primaryschool

primaryschool

church

church

the site

woodland

countryside

countryside

local shops

pub

settlement limit settlement limit

s e t t l

e m e n t l i m i t

SITE

Industry

E x i s t i n g C a r P a r k

Church

Park

CommunityCentre

Shops

Industry

Industry

Schemat ic land use analysis of a greenf ie ld si te a t t he edge of an ex ist ing t ow n.

Schemat ic analysis of an inner urb an si te,high light ing exist in g routes,views and p laces of int erest .

views existingtrees

existinghistoricalbuildings

existingconnections

to site

LocalDistributor

Distributorwith Bus Route

Access RoadLighter traffic

PedestrianMovement

CycleRoute

AccessRoad

Access RoadHeavy traffic

For new developments scaled maps and plan s w ill be required f or t he analyses

of the si te and i t s surroundings.


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Movement patterns

1.18 Existing routes fo r the mo vement o f ped estria ns,bicycles and vehicles surrounding the site a nd a nyfea tures that may influence t he provision and layoutof f oo tpa ths, cycle tra cks a nd roa ds in thedevelopment should be ident if ied and show n on plan.The Depa rtment a nd the Roa ds Service should b econsulted t o f ind out w het her a Transport Assessmentshould be underta ken.

Pedestrians and cyclists

1.19 The existing pede stria n a nd cycle rout e net w ork

should b e ident ified o n plan. The locat ion of proposedcycle rout es or o th er specia l provision f or cyclists w illalso need to be recorded - to help ensure tha ta deq ua te conne ctions a re provided such as cycle tra cklinks betw een t he d evelopment , local at t ract ions andschools.

1.20 The plan should indica te existing a nd pot ent ial pointsof a ccess to the site fo r pedestrians an d cyclists(including a ny links tha t ou gh t t o b e provided toa djacent development s or fut ure sites). It should a lsoindicate w hich of t hese access points w ould be used toreach destinations such as off-site public open spaces,community buildings a nd b us sto ps.

1.21 Any existing righ ts of w a y fo r pedestrians an d cyclistsshould be ident if ied and integ rated into t hedevelopment - ma king sure they w ill not be in out o fthe w ay places open to ab use in the form of illega ldumping or o the r a nti-social a ctivities.

Buses

1.22 Existing bus routes and the locat ion of b us sto psshould b e indica ted on plan. The pla n should a lso

highlig ht existing a nd po tent ial points of a ccess forbuses to the site (including a ny links tha t o ugh t t o b eprovided to a djacent de velopmen ts or fut ure sites)and w hich of th ese a ccess points w ould be used bybuses tha t nee d t o cross the site.

I t i s impor t an t t o ident i f y ex ist ing routes for movement so t ha t t he development can provide appro priate l inkages.


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Cars and service vehicles

1.23 The existing ro a d ne tw ork should b e identified onplan, to get her with a ny future roa d proposals in thevicinity of th e site . The pla n w ill a lso ne ed t o indicat eexisting a nd po tent ial points of vehicula r access to thesite (including a ny links tha t o ug ht t o be p rovided toa djacent de velopme nts or future sites) a nd w hich ofthe se a ccess points w ould be used by:

n o n-a cce ss ve hicu la r t ra f f ic t a kin g sh o rt cu t sacross the site,

resid ent s g o ing t o and fro m t he sit e f ora ctivities associa ted w ith w ork or leisure,

ve hicle s se rvicin g t he sit e.

1.24 Any existing righ ts of w a y fo r vehicles should b eidentif ied and integrat ed into the development .

1.25 Existing or proposed speed limits along roads servingthe s ite should be no ted a s these may need to beta ken into a ccount w hen set t ing ta rget ma ximumspeeds fo r roa ds w ithin the site.

Parking patterns

1.26 Pat terns of on-street pa rking on the perimeter roa dsan d elsew here nearby w ill need to b e recorded,together with existing or proposed parking controlsa nd w a iting restrictions. These could a ffectreq uirement s for on-site pa rking provision.

Utilities

1.27 A plan w ill be needed t o show the locat ions ofexisting sta tut ory a nd ot her ut ility services. These w illnorma lly follow the rout es provided by th e existingroa ds, but the re may b e ma jor service rout es in otherlocat ions that w ould inf luence the overal l form of t helayout .


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2 Respondingto the site

The design will need to respond sympatheticallyto the characteristics of the site to achieve thequality desired. This section illustrates relevantaspects for undertaking the necessary siteevaluation, and includes guidance on assessmentsof the history of the site, landform, flora andfauna, climate and noise and nuisance.

Main objectives

2.01 The cha racteristics of the site should b e a na lysed toensure tha t t he de velopment w ill:

re sp ect t h e h ist o ry of t he sit e, a nd a p pro pria t e lyprotect an d integ rate fea tures of thearchaeological a nd b uilt heri tag e,

re spo nd t o t he fo rm of th e la n d, it s co nt ou rsand view s to a nd from the s ite ,

m a ke t he be st use o f e xist in g ve g et a t io n, a n dprotect or create, appropriate conditions forf lora a nd fa una t o t h r ive,

pro mo t e d esig ns t ha t re spo nd t o t he micro -climate of the s ite , and tha t might contr ibute t othe e nergy eff iciency of t he building s design ed.


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2: Responding to the site

History of the site

Local sources2.02 Each site ha s a uniq ue history tha t ma y be dra w n

upon t o help g ive th e desig n a distinctive localchara cter. Design references ma y be g leaned fromsources such as the North ern Irela nd Monume nts a ndBuilding s Record , the P ublic Record Of fice of North ernIrelan d a nd local libra ries. These ca n he lp providema terial such a s old ma ps, tow nland na mes,phot og raphs an d illustra tions and ot her records, sucha s histo ries of local event s, custo ms and people.

2.03 The ma terial g a thered should be presented in w aystha t ident ify any physical fea tures of histo ric releva ncetha t should be reta ined, protected and integra tedinto t he de velopme nt. There ma y also be rout es,bui ldings or other fea tures tha t no long er exist b utw hich, if reinsta ted, w ould enhance the land scape ortow nscape or ad d value to the development byhighligh ting its past. The visual and w ritt en ma terialga thered ma y also b e a useful source of nam es for thedevelopment a nd f or individual buildings, street s a ndot her spaces.

Local sources of histo ric infor mat ion shou ld be used to ensure tha t the development w i l l respect the histo ry of th e si te, and info rm t he overall design concept.

(PRONI ref : OS8/34/1/2)


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Archaeological sites and monuments

2.04 The presence of a rcha eolog ica l remains within o rad jacent t o a site w ill inf luence t he d esign and layo utand can contr ibute t o th e overall chara cter of thedevelopment . Archaeo logica l remains may be visible,as a monument, o r survive only below ground.Developers w ill need t o ident ify such remains andinteg rate these appropriat ely into the development .

2.05 A monument should fo rm an integral part of thedesign and layout of t he development . It can b e aland mark or a minor focal point a nd ma y be used a s alocat ion fo r informal recreat ion, or fo rm part of alarger open spa ce. It should not be f enced-off t oprevent access, or left a s unma na ge d ba ckland s, as land -locking can lead to neglect and a t t ra ct dumpinga nd va nda lism. Building should respect t he immedia tesurroundings of the monument a nd fa ce onto thespace created to provide casual supervision. In somecircumsta nces, it ma y be ap propria te t o integ rat e amonument into private ga rden space through singleow nership for a sma ll fea ture, such as a sta ndingstone, o r sha red ow nership for a larg er feat ure.

2.06 The use of a monument as a round ab out o r t raff icisland should g enera lly be a voided, since this prevents

access and tends to isolate ra ther tha n integ rate t hemonument into the development. However, using amonu ment to introduce a curving roa d-line o r assist intraff ic calming can a dd interest t o t he development .Pedestria n a nd cycle routes should a lso respectmonuments .

2.07 Proposals for the presenta t ion a nd land scaping o f amonument should be a ddressed, a nd must bea rcha eolog ica lly sensitive and ba sed on prof essionaladvice. Masonry monuments, in particular, are likely torequ ire specialist a ssessment a nd t reat ment .Earthw ork monuments, w ith roug h or erodedsurfaces, ma y need to be conserved by a ddinga ppropria te ma terials, but ne ver by levelling th eexisting un even surfa ce. Tree plan ting should no rma llybe kept aw ay from mo numents , because root s canpenetrat e a nd d ama ge buried rema ins. All wo rks tomonuments should be completed before residentsmove in, so tha t they a ppear as mana ged spaces.

2.08 Existing field dra inag e a round m onum ent s w ill beal tered by development . New d rainage mea suresshould th erefore b e provided by de velopers toprevent local prob lems w ith run-off from t he

monument, mainta in i ts ground condit ions and ensurethe cont inuing survival of t he a rcha eolog ica l rema ins.

M onu ment s can create att ractive and int erestin g b reaks in d evelopment s. They should b e in tegra ted appropr ia te ly in to the design and layout as major o r mino r focal poin ts w ith sufficient space around them - mo num ents are never enhanced by hou ses or roads be ing bui l t too close to them.


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2.09 Where b uried a rcha eolog ica l remains exist w ithin asite , these ma y be protected by ad ding protect iveoverburden an d thus seal ing them for long-termpreservation. It ma y be po ssible to use t he spacecrea ted in this w a y provided it is certa in tha t a ny suchuse w ill not d ama ge the rema ins, for example,through compression or ot her changes to the b uriedenvironmen t. Such area s ma y be suita ble for use asopen spa ce or priva te g a rdens, or a lternat ively sea ledbenea th a hard surface , such as a road , pa thw ay orcar-parking. In some cases it may be possible to designa b uilding t o secure the preservat ion of b uriedremains.

2.10 There ma y a lso b e occasions w here de velopme nt w illbe permit ted w hich will da mag e or destroya rchae olog ica l rema ins of lesser import a nce. This w illbe cond itiona l on t he completion, by the d eveloper, oflicenced excavat ion and recording o f th e remainsbefo re the development commences.

Listed buildings

2.11 Certa in housing sites may conta in listed buildings.These should be ident ified a nd reta ined as part o f thedevelopment . Care must b e ta ken to ensure tha t t heyare integrat ed a ppropriat ely into t he layout of thescheme a nd t ha t th eir immediat e sett ing is respected.The d istinctive de sig n o f such buildings ma y be usedto inform the a ppearance and character of bui ldingsin their vicinity and they can a ct as a f ocal point orlan dma rk fea ture w ithin the development .

Redevelopment sites

2.12 On rede velopme nt sites, existing building s, w a lls,pa ving or ot her fea tures of sufficient visual qua lity to

be ret a ined, should be iden tified. On former industrialor ot her brow n-field sites, inte resting fea tures, such asma chinery tha t could be retained, should be not ed.The cond ition o f b uildings a nd o the r fea tures w illneed t o be a ssessed a nd a ny necessa ry remedia l w orksdescribed.

2.13 Redevelopment sites may ha ve la nd shapes tha t w erecrea ted to a llow fo r industrial a nd o ther processes.These fea tures, if ret a ined, can give individuality to adesign and a sense of continuity w ith t he pa st .

2.14 Histo ric street pa tt erns should also b e not ed a ndreta ined w herever possible.

Licenced excavatio n of archaeol og ical rem ains may be necessary bef ore developmen t comm ences.

A l i sted bui ld ing w el l in tegrated w i th new housing.

M ixed-use development r especting th e indu strial heri tage.


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Landform

Contours2.15 The conto urs of t he land should b e indica ted on plan s

a nd relevant sections produced. The shape a ndcomposition of t he land should be respected b y thedevelopment an d, w here pract ica ble, reta ined.

2.16 Flat sites require the least disturba nce to t he land , are

economic to bui ld o n a nd conducive to w a lking an dcycling. Desig ners will have mo re opt ions than onsloping sites to creat e different kinds of la yout fo rms -a l though w ays o ther than the shape of the land w illha ve to be fo und t o crea te a sense of distinctiveness.Existing buildings, street layout s a nd pa tt erns of treesa nd hed ge row s w ill help in this respect an d should berecog nised in the design concept.

An alysis of con to urs.


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2.17 Sloping sites a re more costly tha n fla t sites to developa nd ca n crea te a ccess problems for the elderly a ndpeople w ith impa ired mo bility. Va lue ca n be a dd ed b ydista nt views out and the visual interest created bystepped a nd t erraced fo rms of d evelopment .How ever, extensive la nd reshaping a nd use ofprominent ret a ining structures w ill be una ccepta ble.In large r development s, exca vat ed soil can b e fo rmedinto b a nks to ob scure una tt ractive view s or reducenoise nuisances. Where outcrops of rock are exposedby excava t ion th ese can provide at t ract ive fea tures,an d excava ted stone may provide o pportunit ies forre-use in bo unda ry w a lls or a s other site f ea tures.

Slop e analysis of th e site.


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Views

2.18 An a na lysis of view s into a nd f rom th e site should b eundertaken to ident ify dista nt f ea tures, a t t ract iveview s a nd t hose tha t a re unsightly. View s w ill bea ffected by site conto urs, existing buildings a ndlandscape fe a tures. These should b e not ed in order t oinfluence la yout stra teg ies a nd provide vista s tha t w illmaximise a t t ra ct ive and importa nt views, and also t o

ma sk the unsigh tly.

Ground conditions

2.19 The composition of the g round, including t he g eolog ya nd soil types, ma y aff ect the locat ion of buildings orplant ing t o be used a nd, w here appropriat e , shouldbe a na lysed. For insta nce, buildings w ill gene rallyneed t o b e locat ed w ell aw ay f rom trees on cla y soi ls -a significant layout constra int. La ndf ill andconta minat ion is a lso likely to be especially relevant tothe red evelopme nt o f ma ny older industrial sites.

Analysis of views int o and f rom the si te.


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2.20 Strea ms, rivers a nd po nds w ithin or bound ing sitesshould be ident if ied. Sympathet ic plant ing and otherw orks may be need ed to ma ke these saf e anda tt ractive fea tures. Any susceptibility t o f looding w illneed to be ident if ied a nd ta ken into a ccount in thedesign a nd layo ut. Bridg es, culverts a nd b a lancingponds may a lso need to be constructed. The w at erta ble level ma y be a n important considerat ion, a ndthe a bsorpt ion of surface wa ter into th e ground ma yneed t o b e a rrang ed specif ical ly to help maintain thew at er tab le level a nd keep balancing po nds toppedup.

Flora and fauna

Existing vegetation

2.21 The a ppropria te reten tion of existing veg eta tion a ndits enhancement w ith new plan t ing w ill help tointeg rat e d evelopme nt into its setting. This can g ivean impression o f ma turity from t he out set a nd w ill bea ma jor determinan t of the layout .

2.22 All exist ing veg eta t ion a nd other land scape fea turesshould be surveyed a nd recorded . Existing trees,hedg erow s an d shrubs likely to continue to g row forlong periods of t ime should be cand ida tes forretent ion a nd pro tection. The cond ition o f existingveget a tion w ill a lso help provide useful info rmat ionfor new plant ing. New buildings and road s will needto b e located to a llow for the survival of vegeta t ion tobe ret a ined an d to minimise a menity problems. Inad dit ion pa ving w ill need to b e porous over a largeenoug h a rea to provide t rees w ith suff icient rainw at er- a space-consuming req uirement tha t ma y strong lyinfluence t he la you t (see a lso Section 4).

Wildlife

2.23 Designated sites of nature conservation importancea nd existing w ildlife corrido rs likely to be a ffected bythe d evelopment should be ident if ied w ith a view tothe ir preservat ion o r re-crea tion.

2.24 The presence of species prote cted u nd er theprovisions of th e Wildlife (Northe rn Irela nd ) Order1985 should a lso b e ident ified a nd the likely effects ofthe development a ssessed. Developers may b ereq uired t o t a ke specia l measures to prote ct suchspecies an d t heir act ivities. For exa mple, th e presenceof b ad gers set ts may req uire areas to b e lef t

undisturbed.Flora and fau na shou ld be prot ected.

An exist ing pon d in tegra ted w i th the landscaping of a new hou sing scheme.


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Climate

Exposure2.25 Exposure to w ind, rain and snow and the locat ions of

a ny pockets of land susceptible t o f og , mist o r iceshould b e a ssessed . These a spects of t he m icro-climat emay influence the use of pr ivate a nd common openspa ces, the fea sibility of en courag ing w a lking orcycling an d t he locat ion a nd select ion of new treesa nd shrubs. The d eg ree of exposure w ill also b erelevant to the d esign of b uildings and theircomponent parts , and ma y also a ffect maintenan cecosts. Shelter provided b y be lts of t rees, shrubs a nd

buildings may b e need ed t o al leviat e t he a dverseeffects of exposure.

Orientation

2.26 The orienta tion of the site an d sun pat hs should benot ed on plan. This w ill influence the loca tion a ndspacing of bui ldings and trees ensuring ad eq uat eda ylight and sunlight in the h ome, an d out side, a ndenab ling passive solar ga in to contr ibute to energyconservation. Oversha do w ing caused by existing t reesa nd b uildings - or development on no rth fa cing slopes- may need to b e a lleviat ed b y the layout a nd designof t he bu ildings an d surround ing spaces. In a dd itioncare w ill be needed t o a void creat ing unreasonab leob structions to d a ylight a nd sunlight f or existingbuildings an d spaces neigh bo uring the site.

Noise and other nuisances

2.27 Likely sources of no ise, such a s ra ilw a ys, mo to rw a ysa nd distribut or road s nea r the site should beidentif ied on plan t og ether with other potent ialsources of no ise nuisances such a s pub s, you th clubsa nd car pa rks. Dust, vibra tion or od ours creat ed b ya ny industry in t he vicinity o f t he site should a lso b ehighlighted.

2.28 Considerat ion w ill need to given t o t he a meliorat ionof no ise a nd o the r nuisa nces, eithe r by mea ns withinthe s ite such a s mounding an d b uffer plant ing, o rw ith a view to t heir prevention a t source throughdiscussion and a g reement w ith Environmen ta l HealthOfficers fro m t he loca l district council.

M ounding and p lant ing can he lp a l lev iate th e adverse eff ects of exposure and ameliorat e n oise n uisance.

Consideration should b e given as to the means of pro tecting hou sing fro m noise sou rces such as majo r ro ads.


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Respect for the local setting and responsivenessto the site alone will not create attractivesurroundings and places to live. This sectiondescribes other matters that will need to be

addressed to achieve quality in the design of newresidential environments. These include thepreparation of an overall design concept, thecreation of a hierarchy of spaces, landmark features, variety and distinctiveness.

Main objectives

3.01 The Depa rtment w ill w ish to see design s tha t ha ve:

a d ist in ct ive o ve ra ll se nse o f p la ce t h a t t a ke sinto a ccount the cha racteristics of t he site a ndits sett ing,

q u a lit y a n d su st a in a b ilit y in t h e ove ra ll la y o ut ,in the fo rm and d eta iled design o f thebuildings, and t he spaces a round ,

a v isu a lly a t t ra ct ive h um a n sca le in e a ch o f t heplaces created w ithin the development ,

a n a p pro pria t e use o f t re es a n d o th er p la n t s,

a f e e lin g o f se cu rit y a n d a se n se o f vit a lit y in a llparts of the layout ,

a m ove me nt pa t t ern th a t su pp ort s w a l kin g a ndcycling, incorporat es tra ffic calming a nd t ha tprovides convenient a ccess to public tra nsport.

3 Creatingattractivesurroundingsand placesto live


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3: Creating att ractive surroundings and p laces to live

An overall design concept

3.02 The q ua lity o f a ny development resides not o nly inthe d esign of its parts, but also in the tot al ity ofw ha t is crea ted its overall cha racter. A clear d esignconcept fo r the development a s a w hole w ill beneeded t o ensure tha t the surroundings to b ecreat ed a re at t ract ive, and tha t the va rious parts ofthe d evelopme nt a re visua lly compa tible with ea chot her. For large a reas, an ima gina tive master-planw ill be needed , and w here a number of differentdevelopers are involved t his w ill help to ensure t ha ttog ether they w ill be a ble to create a n accepta blewhole .

3.03 Esta blishing a n a ppropria te desig n concept is acritica l elemen t in t he d esign p rocess. Typica lly, it w illta ke the form of a diag ramma tic illustrat ionoutl ining the pot ent ial to ma ke the most of t he s itea nd its sett ing, an d should be supported b y sketchplan s and a w rit ten s ta tement set t ing out t he overal ldesign concept a nd o bjectives for the d evelopme nt.

3.04 Based on the a ppraisals of the site a nd its set t ing, t heconcept w ill sugg est an overa ll form fo r the la yout ,a nd should include elements tha t w ill provide a clea rspat ial s t ructure leading to a strong identi ty a nd

legibility in t he ne w development . In essence, thedesign concept is a n a na lysis of the o pportun ities tobring special elements of q ua lity into th e design a ndthe layo ut of t he surround ings to b e creat ed. TheDepartment w ill therefore encourag e designers to beimag inative, a mbitious a nd po sitive.

3.05 Developers should refer t o the ge nera l discussionab out de sign concepts and q ual ity to be f ound in thepublication Improving the Quality of HousingLayouts in Northern Ireland 1.

1

This do cument ha s been co-spon sored by t he Plan ning Service, th eRoads Service, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and theConstruction Employers Federation. It is available free from DivisionalPlanning Offices.


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28

Based o n t he analyses of the si te an d i t s surr ou nd ing cont ext (see Section s 1 & 2) this sequence of draw ings show s the development o f a layout p lan f ro m a design concept t hrough to a more de ta i led layout of dw el l ings.


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3.06 The presenta tion o f t he d esign concept shouldinclude three-dimensiona l representa tions.Techniq ues such a s a xono met rics, pe rspectives orphoto mont ag e may be used. In add it ioncomputer-a ided met hod s ca n illustra te m ore fully thethree-dimensiona l cha racter o f individua l spa ces a ndseq uences of spa ces.

3.07 Sources of inspiration for design concepts shouldprefera bly come f rom the b est desig ns fo und inNorthe rn Irela nd. Inspirat ion ma y also b e dra w nfrom high q ua lity design s produced in Great Brita in,the Republic of Irela nd a nd t he rest of Europe - formany prestigious historic settings did just that. Suchdesign concept s w ill be w elcome d b y the

Department provided care is taken to ref lect theob jectives of this guide, a nd w here the en d result isjustified bo th b y the cha racteristics of the site a ndthe likely visua l impa ct of t he de velopme nt o n th eloca l sett ing.

Three dimensional representat ions of design prop osals are an import ant f acto r in assessing t he qu ali ty of the development .


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30

Contexts for design concepts

Larger developments on green-field sites

3.08 The d evelopme nt of g reen-field sites loca ted a t t heedg es of settlement s in rural sett ings, particularly thedevelopment o f larger sites , may a llow a w ide rang eof d esign o ptions and provide oppo rtunities tointroduce design innovat ions tha t meet theDepa rtmen ts ob jectives for susta inability a ndquality.

3.09 The criteria t o be a dd ressed in the desig n conceptw ill includ e :

re sp ect f o r la n d f o rm , la n d sca p e a nd h ist o ry o fthe site,

t h e cre a t io n o f a d ist in ct ive se nse o f p la ce ,

re la t io nsh ip t o exist in g urb a n f orm ,

t h e pro visio n o f o p e n sp a ce , t re e -lin ed a ve n ue sa nd local neigh bo urhood fa cilities,

t h e p ro visio n ma d e f o r w a lkin g , cy clin g a n d

a ccess to public tran sport,

t h e ove ra ll p erm e a b ilit y a n d le g ib ilit y of t h elayout .

3.10 The Depa rtment w ishes to encoura ge d evelopers tota ke full advant ag e of such sites - for w ithout thedesign innovations of the pa st w e w ould not ha vetod ay ma ny of the historic set t ings we n ow mostvalue.

Low-density areas

3.11 Developme nt in low -den sity a reas, part icularly onsmaller and infill sites, should aim to provide orreinforce local chara cter a nd identi ty a nd avoid themonotony of suburban spraw l . The de sig n con ceptshould pla ce buildings in a land scape sett ing a ndinclude ca reful considerat ion of t ree a nd hedg erow species. Deta iled considerat ion of the spaces to becrea ted, ho use design and layout w ill a lso benecessa ry. In pa rticula r, de sig ns should seek t oprote ct the a menities enjoyed by residents of a nyexisting neighb ouring p roperties.High qu al i ty low-densi ty development i s

achieved thro ugh goo d ho use design, and

the re ten t ion of ex ist ing t rees wi t h generou s levels of n ew p lantin g.


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Terraced ho uses give fo rm and id enti t y to developments in both m edium and high -density sett ings.

These develop men ts, in a conservatio n area (above) and in an area of out stand ing natu ral beauty (left ) , maint ain the street-l ine and are carefully designed t o respect th e character and appearance of th eir surroundings.

3.12 On larger sites, w here th e den sity of surroundingdevelopment is unaccepta bly low or mono tono uslysuburba n, radically different layou ts and buildingforms will be encouraged if t hey provide a nat tract ive contrast to w ha t exists or an a ppropriat emodel for f uture developments in the a rea. Designstha t w ill result in the cramming of de velopme nt inlow -density a reas w ill not how ever be a ccepta ble.

Inner urban and high-density areas

3.13 Developmen t or redevelopment in inner urba nloca tions or ot her high-den sity area s should b edesigned to create or reinforce an urban ra ther tha na suburban set t ing. Higher d ensity d evelopment mayalso b e a ppropriat e a s a central core to largedevelopment s on g reenfield sites.

3.14 The criteria to be a dd ressed in the design conceptw ill include ensuring continuity of fron ta g e, therelat ionship of dw ellings to road s, and the height ofbuildings and w idth o f spaces betw een them.Detailed consideration of urban spaces created,house de sign a nd layout w ill be ne cessary. Withhigher density development, issues of privacy,overlooking, da ylight and sunlight and open spacew ill be importa nt considera tions.

Conservation areas and areas of outstandingnatural beauty

3.15 In distinctive urba n settings desig na ted a sconservation a reas beca use of t heir specia l historic ora rchitectural inte rest, a nd in rural sett lementslocated w ithin areas of outsta nding nat ural bea uty,design priorities w ill norma lly need to be directedma inly at reflecting a nd f itting uno bt rusively intothe to w nsca pe or local la ndsca pe. Design s shouldrespect t he character and appea rance of such a reas,

in particula r, throug h t he use of loca l mat eria ls,t rad it ional deta iling a nd a ppropriat e plant ing.


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CommunityFacilities

CommunityFacilities

Schematic diagram show ing an in te rconnected ne tw ork of streets and avenues

w here d iff erent spaces can be created.

A tr ee l ined avenue w ith verges th at mig ht also be a bus rout e.

A hierarchy of spaces

3.20 Spa ces in inner urba n o r high-density area s will bedetermined more by the b uildings and layout f ormtha n in low er density a reas where plant ing, openspaces and a ccess rout es are mo re influent ial. Thelayout of roa ds and street s w ill link the spacescreat ed b y the bui ldings and lan dscape into a legiblespatial hierarchy.

Build-outs prot ect t he on-street p arking and g ive the op port unit y to plant trees. Traffic calming can be used t o create a cycle and pedestrian friend ly place.

Direct access to dw ellings w ith w ell planted f ront gardens and fo ot w ays on eith er side of t he road pro vides a safe and pleasant pl ace fo r residen ts.

An en closed shared surf ace space wh ere th e needs of ped estr ians and cyclists take prio rit y over vehicles.

Spaces can be u sed creatively to help give visual ident i ty t o each part o f t he developm ent, and this poten tial is ind icated in th is sequ ence of sket ches. In each, th e spaces have a sign ifi cantly d iff erent scale.


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3.21 At on e extreme, local distributo r roa ds and o the rimporta nt streets and a venues provide sig nificantoppo rtunities to creat e variety a nd interest in thelayout . They a lso ha ve an importa nt pa rt to play ininteg rat ing t he development into i ts set t ing i f th eycan clearly be seen t o p rovide links w ith commercia lnodes and other centres in the a rea. At t he ot herextreme, places w ith a n exceptionally intima te scalecan be creat ed in traff ic calmed streets or w here onlyrela tively small numbers of dw ellings a re served.

3.22 The mea ns used to discourag e n on-a ccess tra ffic andrestra in vehicle speed s w ill g ive a ba sis fo r crea tingsmall-sca le spa ces w hich h a ve a huma n cha racter.This w ill help to turn w ha t might ot herw ise appe a r

to be just a vehicular route into an at t ract ivesequen ce of places.

3.23 Diversity can be crea ted by d ifferences in b uildingheights and profiles, f ront g arden and forecourtdepths, enclosures, locations for parking spaces,provision fo r ca rria ge w a ys, foo tw a ys, cycle tra cks,verges and t ree an d shrub pla nting . All can help tocrea te spaces w ith differences in sca le and visua lcharacter.

An example of a concept master-plan show ing interconn ected roads, pedestrian and cycle l inks,local facil i t ies and open space wit h variety an d d ist inctiveness displayed in th e layout and bui ld ing form s proposed .


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3.24 The concept ma ster-plan illustra te d o n th e previou spag e show s seq uences of spaces created by thelayout design fo cusing o n ma jor visual element s suchas existing trees and hedgerows, communitybuildings a nd a reas of public open space. It i l lustrate sthe variety that can be creat ed by sequences ofspa ces - even in a predom inant ly low -densitydevelopment .

Visual contrasts and frontage development

3.25 Clear visua l cont rasts w ill be need ed to distinguishthe spaces crea ted a long local distributo r roa ds fromtho se a long ot her kinds of roa ds. This w ill help ma kedrivers more a w are w hen th ey are in surroundingsw here vehicle speed s ha ve been restrained t opromot e the saf ety of pedestrians and cyclists.

3.26 Sterile an d una tt ractive spa ces ha ve been crea ted insome recent development s w here dw ellings ha vebeen o rienta ted w ith t heir ba cks onto exist ing roa ds.La yout s should be d esign ed t o ensure tha t building sare located a nd orienta ted to present a n at t ract iveoutlook fa cing onto a ll roa ds, exist ing a nd proposed.Specific de sig ns w ill a lso b e req uired fo r building soccupying interna l and e xternal corner sites a nd t hismay provide a n opportuni ty to d esign land ma rk

buildings.

Common and public open spaces

3.27 Too ma ny recent d evelopme nts ha ve provided litt leor no public open spaces a nd t hose w hich ha ve beenprovided a re general ly in out of t he w ay placesw ithout a ny a t tempt to make them a t t rac t ive anduseable. Developers should a lwa ys consider w a ys ofinteg rat ing pleasan t , a t t ract ive and lan dscapedpublic open spa ces a s an intrinsic element of thedesign t o promot e q ual ity a nd meet local needs. A

variety of fo rms of o pen space should be used t ocrea te a recog nisa ble la ndsca pe structure for thedevelopment loca ted in places w here they w ill beused a nd valued (see Section 5).

A semi-detached house design t hat f ront s ont o th e main road , and also on to t he access serving the development .

Well designed terraced houses fron tin g

directly onto t he street .

Visual contr asts along dif ferent kind s of road s will be necessary.

An u natt ractive visual canyon o ft en result s w here houses back on to ra ther than f ront to w ards roads.


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Landmark features

External image of the development3.28 The overa ll chara cter of th e development ma y only

be a pparent w hen it can be seen from a dista nce -over either buildings or th e countryside - a nd m a y initself be a land ma rk. Considerat ions w ill include:

bu ild ing he igh t s, sky line shapes, r oo f line andcolour,

t re a t me nt o f p erim et e r e d g es, w h e th er h a rd o rsof t edg ed ,

w a y s t o e xp lo it a t t ra ct ive vie w s a n d o b scu re t heunsightly,

t he tre a t me nt o f o pe n sp a ce s a n d o t he r sit efeatures,

t he tre a tm en t o f m a in en tra n ce s t o th edevelopment .

New development a t the edge of a se t t lement f i t t ing wel l in to the local land scape sett ing .

The terraces are well placed fron ting ont o the road , but t he form of d evelopment behind fails to respect th e local sett ing and spo ils the skyline.

Distinctive pu blic art can be used as a landm ark f eature.


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Cores and nodal points

3.29 The visua l distinctiveness of diff erent pa rts of t helayout w ill also b e t he result of some d istinctivephysical feat ures of t he kind t ha t could be rea dilyreferred to w hen g iving directions to help stra ng ersfind the ir w a y around . For insta nce:

a su dd en na rro w in g of t he sp a ce de fin ed b y t h ebuildings,

a pro min en t b uild in g o r t re e,

a n op en sp a ce su ch a s sq u a re or g re en ,

a c le a rly re co g n ise d b u ild in g f o rm , su ch a s acrescent or a ta ll corner house,

t he use of pub lic a rt ,

t h e p re se nce of w e ll-d e sig n e d co m mu nit ybuildings.

3.30 Where existing historic monuments or buildings arein tegra ted in to t he design a nd layout of thedevelopment these too w ill be landma rk fea tures.

Variety and distinctivenessBuilding form

3.31 Building design s should t a ke into a ccount the visua lchara cter of tra ditiona l building t ypes in the loca lityand should vary in form a nd t ype to help createdistinctive spaces.

3.32 An even distr ibut ion t hroughout the layout ofdevelopers sta nda rd rang es of d w elling designsshould be a voided.

3.33 Va ria tions in building design ma y also b e need ed indifferent pa rts of the layout . For insta nce, w indow sand entrances being put in gab le w alls to t akead vanta ge of different or ientat ions, out looks anda ccess a rrang ement s, or e leva tions being specia llydesigned to provide f ocal points at the end s of vista sor o n corner site s.

3.34 The use of a ppropria te ma terials a nd d eta iling cana ct as unifying element s in the design a nd w ill helpto crea te coherence, distinctiveness and loca lidentity.

An impo rtant crossroads in a new developmen t mark ed by an obelisk.

Com mu nit y bu ildi ng s, such as schools can act as fo cal poin ts in a development .

A mo num ent int egrated as open space w hich is also a local land mar k.


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Distinctive details

3.35 Most a t t ra ct ive spaces are no ta ble for the carefuldesign of t he bui ldings and land scape tha t helpcreat e th em. This includes:

t he co lo urs a n d t ext ure s o f t he m a t eria ls,

t h e sh a p es a n d pro p o rt io n s o f ele me n ts su ch a sw indow s, porches and roo fs ,

t h e ca r ef u l se le ct io n a n d lo ca t io n o f t re es a n dshrubs,

p a vin g ma t e ria ls a n d ed g e re st ra in t s u se d f o r

the road s and parking a reas,

b u ild in g s lo ca t e d t o re sp ect n a t u ra l a nd h ist o ricfeatures.

3.36 Goo d d esign has a lso show n how relat ively minorfea tures such as chang es in level, sma ll pa ved a reas,specially desig ned houses and carefully loca ted treepla nt ing can be used t o creat e focal points tha t inthemselves create a distinctive space.

The totality

3.37 The b est examples of new residential de velopme ntsillustra te g reat skill in the w a y tha t a ll the se a spectsof d esign ha ve been considered to get her to creat ea n a tt ractive tota lity. These are the p roduct of acomprehensive a pproa ch th a t involves discussion a ndcollaboration with all the interested parties.Developers ma y derive b enefits from w orking closelywith planners, highway engineers, architects andland scape a rchitects, and loca l people, in a chievinghigh q ua lity development s tha t w ill be locallyacceptable.

3.38 There a re a num ber of key fa ctors tha t should bebo rne in mind by a ll tho se involved in the designprocess to h elp ensure the creat ion of a n at tra ctiveto ta lity fo r the places a nd surround ings in w hichpe op le w ill live. The se a re:

re spect t he cha r act e rist ics o f t he loca l se t t ingand respond w ith layout s that ref lect the bestq ual it ies of the local land scape or t ow nscape,and the bui lding fo rms a nd d eta ils of t he s itessurroundings,Examples of careful design and d etail ing.


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This draw ing br ings tog ether a layout w ith examples of d w elling design in t w o and t hree dimensions. It is a good example of one w ay to p resent a scheme in i ts totali t y.

re sp ect t h e h ist o ry o f t he sit e a n d t h e exist in glandform,

a im t o cre a t e a d ist in ct ive se nse o f pla ce t ha tresponds to the local cha racter of t he s ite a ndits sett ing,

p ro vid e a visu a lly a t t ra ct ive hu ma n sca lethrough the layout a nd d ensity of bui ldings andthe public spa ces w ithin,

re t a in im po rt a n t ve g et a t io n a n d o t he r n a t ura lfea tures, and provide a ppropriat e plant ing o ftrees and o the r pla nts to encoura ge b iodiversity,

in te g ra t e w it h exist in g m ove me nt p a t te rn s a n dsupport w a lking, cycling a nd public transportuse, rath er tha n just movement by privat e cars,

a sp ire t o t he h ig h e st q u a lit y in b uild in g f o rmand deta il, land scaping and ma terials used,

w h e re ve r p o ssib le , p ro vid e a m ix o f d w e llin gtypes and o ther uses and alw ays str ive to createplaces that w il l be susta inab le, saf e a nd w ellcared f or.


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CreatingPlaces

Pa rt 2

Ma in eleme nt so f d esig n


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The quality of the residential environment will beenhanced by well-considered landscape design.The retention of existing vegetation and newplanting can contribute to peoples health, well-

being and quality of life. It will also increasebiodiversity and help raise awareness of, andappreciation for, the environment. This sectiondescribes the integration of soft and hardlandscape works in the design process.

Main objectives

4.01 La ndscape design should be considered a s a n integ ralpa rt of t he design process, in order to:

e nh a nce t he visua l ch a ra ct er o f th edevelopment a nd encourag e the crea t ion of adistinctive sense of p lace,

cre a t e visu a l d ive rsit y in t he la y o ut ,

pro vid e a n a ppro pria t e se tt in g fo rdevelopment s in a variety of locat ions,

in t eg ra t e pu b lic a n d priva t e o pe n sp a ce s in t othe design o f the d evelopment ,

lin k t h e de ve lo p me n t in t o it s w i d er la n d sca p econtext ,

im pro ve a ir q u a lit y, re d uce po llu t io n a n dprovide a ha bitat for w ildl ife .

4 Landscapedesign


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4: Landscape design

Quality in landscape design4.02 A goo d, w ell-considered landscape d esign is

fundamenta l to the c rea t ion of h igh qua lity a nda tt ractive surrounding s tha t w ill be sat isfying placesin w hich to live. To th is end , de velopers sho uld seekspecia list a dvice f rom a landscape a rchitect a nd/or a narboriculturist.

4.03 The Depa rtment w ill expect to see a landscapedesign t hat covers the w hole site , and tha t dra w sfrom t he a na lyses of the site a nd its surroundings.This should b e ba sed o n a landscape report toinclude:

prin ciples a nd a ims,

a su rve y o f t he la n d sca p e f e a t ure s o f t he sit e ,

a n a na lysis o f the survey,

a la n d sca p e de sig n b a se d on t he f in din g s o f t heanalysis,

pro po sa ls f or f ut ure ma n a g em en t a n dmaintenance.

Existing landscape features4.04 Mat ure t rees, w ithin or on the b ounda ry of a site ,

can be a local land mark, support a w ide variety ofw ildlife a nd ha ve a high land scape value. Young ertrees are a lso importa nt a s the y w ill be the visua llysignif icant t rees of t he future. Hedg erow s and ot herna tura l fea tures, such as strea ms a nd po nds, allcontr ibute to the o veral l chara cter of the s ite a nd a reimporta nt fo r biodiversity.

4.05 By ca refully inte gra ting existing na tura l fea tures intothe development the effect w ill be a mat ureland scape framew ork w hich, tog ether w ith new plant ing propo sa ls, w ill bring positive benef its to theq ual ity of the environment to b e created .

4.06 All existing trees, copses, hed ge row s, pon ds a ndother landscape features should be surveyed andrecorde d. The survey sho uld includ e:

a ccu ra t e d im e nsio n a l id e nt if ica t io n o n p la n (f o rtrees, the g ir th 1m ab ove ground should benoted to ge ther wi th the t ree he ight a ndaccurate crown spread),

a h ea lt h a nd co n dit io n su rve y t o g et h er w it hrecommendations,

id en t if ica t io n o f th e sp a ce re q uire d fo rsuccessful reten tion ,

m ea su re s t o b e ta ke n fo r p ro t ect io n d urin gde velopme nt (see Section 13).

A r ich mixture of new plant ing combined w ith exist ing mat ure trees w ill create a high qual i ty envi ronment .

A stream and associated vegetatio n w ell in tegra ted w i th in open space .


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4.07 In certa in cases, the estima ted ma ture height s a ndsprea ds of existing trees, in relation to proposedbuildings, may be required to be show n a ccuratelyon pla ns and sections.

4.08 Developers should demonstrate that their designproposals have ta ken proper account o f the need t osafeg ua rd existing land scape fea tures. Where treesa re to be ret a ined the y w ill req uire sufficient spa ce ifthe y a re to thrive. The d esign should a lso considerthe impact of changes of level w ithin the s ite o nexisting natural features.

4.09 In order to a void da ma ge t o the root systems anddra inag e of existing t rees, developme nt should bekept outside th e crow n spread o r half the height ofth e t rees, w hichever is the g rea te r. This is a minimumstand a rd a nd in ma ny instan ces it w ill be ne cessary toma inta in a grea ter separa t ion dista nce betw eenexisting tree s an d building s. This w ill help en surethe ir long-term rete ntion, a nd can a lso help preventpotent ial amen ity problems tha t ma y arise forresidents of properties, such as loss of light or leaffa ll due t o proximity t o t rees. In some cases, it ma ybe a ppropriat e to keep development o utside t hefalling distance of mature trees.

4.10 Existing landscape f ea tures may b e subject to

sta tuto ry protect ion and developers must o bta in thenecessa ry consent b efo re w ork is begun . Even w hereconsent is obt ained, da mag e caused throughinappropriat e w orking practices could result inprosecution. Developers a re therefo re ad vised toseek professiona l advice from a landscape a rchitecta nd /or a n a rbo ricultu rist.

Soft landscape works

4.11 Tree plant ing a nd o the r soft land scape w orks w ill bean importan t a spect o f d evelopment in a ll locat ions,

a nd especially fo r public and privat e ope n spaces.They w ill be a dominant fea ture in the d esign ofgreen -field sites and development in low -densityarea s, and can complement hard land scape w orks inhigh-den sity developments a nd o n inner urban sites.In pa rticular, tree pla nting a nd soft lan dsca pe w orksmay be needed to he lp:

re in f o rce a n d e nh a n ce e xist in g n a t ura l f e a t ure s,and integ rate the development into th esurrounding land sca pe,

d en ot e th e urb a n/rura l f rin g e,

cre a t e va rie t y t h ro ug h se a so na l ch a ng e s infol iage,

High q uali ty sof t land scape w orks in an open space area .

Building too close to exist in g t rees can create signif icant amenit y pro blems. These t rees have now b een removed.

This layout w as carefully d esigned to enable the re ten t ion of m ature t rees.


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4: Landscape design

so f t en t he visu a l im pa ct o f pa r ke d ca r s, g a r d enw alls an d fences and larg e area s of pa ving,

p ro vide a visua l co n t ra st t o bu ild ings, and sh ie ldunsightliness,

e mp ha sise ma in a cce ss ro ut e s,

pro vide priva cy,

enha nce open spa ces,

cre a t e a f o ca l p oin t a t a ch a ng e in d ire ct io n ,and ad d interest t o a vehicular, pedestr ian orcycle route .

4.12 The pro vision o f t ree-lined a venues a long localdistributor roads and other important streets will bepart icular ly importa nt in promot ing a q ual ityenvironmen t a nd he lping to crea te d istinctivenessw ithin the development .

4.13 La ndsca pe schemes should provide a hiera rchy o fdifferent types of plant ing throug hout t hedevelopment encompassing:

st ru ct ure /b o un da ry p la n t in g ,

a menit y pla nt ing ,

st reet t rees,

g a rd en t re es a n d h ed g ero w pla n tin g,

specimen t rees.

4.14 Aspects of plan ting such as poten tial height , sha pe,leaf form a nd colouring may a ll play a part incontributing t o t he o verall distinctiveness a nd

cha racter of t he place being crea ted. Care w il l beneeded to select appropriate species (see Section 13).

4.15 The species selected m ust ta ke int o a ccoun t t hechara cteristics of t he site a nd should no rmally benat ive to Northern Ireland a nd t he local ity of thedevelopment . Within the development there ma y bescope fo r some non -na tive specimen trees, forexample, in the choice o f street t ree or a s specimensgrow n in a ga rden. How ever, ina ppropriat e choicecan severely det ract from t he land scape a nd visua lchara cter of a n a rea. For insta nce, the extensive use

of o rnamenta l conifers as bound ary fea tures a reneither e colog ica lly no r visually a ccepta ble.

Well considered plant ing ad ds quali t y,w hatever the d ensi ty of the development .


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Hard landscape works

4.16 Hard landscape design , including pa ving , enclosurea nd street furniture complement s plant ing, and is a nindispensab le element in its ow n right in definingthe character of t he spaces betw een buildings andpublic open spa ces. Hard la ndscape w orks can h elpt o :

p ro vid e a v isu a l lin k t o t h e su rro u nd in g s,

d e f in e a n d e nclo se sp a ce , a n d d e lin ea t e p ub licfrom priva te space,

p ro vid e se cu rit y t o priva t e a re a s,

d ist in g u ish b et w e e n pe d est ria n , cy cle a n dvehicle movemen t.

4.17 The selection of ha rd lan dsca pe m a terials shouldreflect t ho se foun d in the loca lity. They should b eappropriat e , durable and of a go od q ual ity. The typeof mat erials should be ident if ied from t he a nalysesof t he site a nd surround ings.

4.18 Ca reful considera tion should be g iven to the d esignof ha rd surfaces such a s street s, squa res, open spaces,paved area s, foo tpa ths and drivewa ys. The t exturesa nd colours of t he ma terials chosen should besympathet ic to the local ity a nd be an integ ral part ofthe design.

4.19 Wa lls, fences, meta l ra ilings and g a tes used t o d efinespaces and their usag e ha ve a ma jor impact on thevisual cha racter o f t he d evelopme nt. These should b ecaref ully selected w ith loca l distinctiveness in mindan d w ill need to b e an integra l part of t he overal ldesign con cept. Ina ppropria te choice of m ea ns ofenclosure, such as the w holesale use of close bo a rded

fencing, can grea t ly detra ct from t he q ual ity of t hedevelopment a s a w hole.

4.20 Enclosures a lso ha ve ot her importa nt f unctions toperform, such a s providing a safe en vironment forchildren, enha ncing privacy and shelter from w indan d noise, and to keep out do gs and d eter peoplefrom t a king short cuts.

Textures and t ree plant ing.

Tree prot ectio n.

Rocks used as a land scape feat ure and de ter ren t to over run kerbs.

Use of exist ing w alls defin ing t he edge of t he

development .


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4: Landscape design

Thought needs to be g iven to t he cont inu ing maint enance of land scape pro vision.

Landscape management and maintenance

4.21 The continuing ma na gement an d ma intena nce of aland scape scheme is importa nt t o ensure thesuccessful esta blishment of n ew plant ing a nd t helong -term care and protect ion o f t he w hole scheme.

4.22 Developers should t herefo re draw up schedu les ofw ork, at a n early sta ge in the design, for theprotect ion of exist ing vegeta t ion to b e retained a ndthe establ ishment of new pla nt ing, tog ether w ith along -term plan fo r the mana gement of the o veral lland sca pe scheme. This sho uld no rma lly cover aperiod of 20 yea rs a nd include pe rforma nceindicat ors at crit ica l sta ges in the grow th o f t he new and exist ing plan t ing.

4.23 Develope rs w ill be respon sible fo r theimplementa t ion of al l land sca pe w orks and t heprovision of on-go ing ma nag ement a ndmaintenance, unless this responsibility is transferredto a nother appropr ia te b ody to b e ag reed w ith theDepar tment .

Successful landscape design of ten com bines a good use of bot h soft and h ard land scape w orks.


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The provision of open space will enhance thequality and sustainability of the residentialenvironment and contribute to peoples health,well-being and quality of life, particularly that of children. This section considers the location, levelof provision, design and maintenance of publicand private open space.

Main objectives

5.01 The pro vision of pub lic open space should beconsidered a s an integra l part of the d esign, in ordert o :

meet f orma l a nd inf orm al recre at io n a nd

amen ity o pen space needs,

co nt rib ut e t o the a tt ra ct iveness a nddistinctiveness of the development ,

cre a t e sa f e , co n ve nie nt a n d a cce ssib le sp a ce f o ra ll section s of society, pa rticula rly children , th eelderly a nd people w ith disabilities,

re duce t he ne ed f or re sid en ts t o t ra ve l t o o pe nspa ces elsew here,

e nh a n ce se cu rit y t h ro u g h in cre a sin g a ct ivit y.

5 Open space


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5: Open space

5.02 The provision of a deq ua te priva te o pen space shouldalso b e considered a s an integra l part of the d esign inorder to:

pro vid e f or re sid en ts a menit y,

enha nce visua l a t tra ct ive ness,

e nh a n ce sa f e t y, e sp ecia lly f o r y ou ng ch ild re n.

Public open space

5.03 Public open space ca n be pro vided in a variety offo rms including : eq uipped pla y area s fo r youngchildren; info rmal kicka bo ut a reas; forma l pla yingfields; villag e g reens and sma ll pa rks; na tura lsurround ings and a menity plant ing. Where practica blespaces should b e de sign ed to be m ulti-functiona l.

Level of provision

5.04 The a moun t o f pub lic open space required in anydevelopment w ill be negot iat ed w ith d evelopersa ccording to the specific cha racteristics of t hedevelopment , t he s ite and its context , ha ving rega rdto the Depa rtment s policy requirements. A norma lexpectat ion fo r new green-f ield d evelopment ma y bearound 10% of the s ite a rea o r great er.

Green-field sites and low-density areas

5.05 Public open spa ces should not b e loca ted out of sigh ta t t he end s of rea r ga rdens. They should bew ell-distribu te d in a compre hen sive w a y, linkedtog ether, and de signed as an integral part of theoverall layout .

5.06 La rger open spa ces can be m a jor foca l points alonglocal distr ibuto r road s and other important st reets and

a venues a nd can creat e sett ings fo r key comm unitybuildings. They a lso provide oppo rtunities to integ rat ea rcha eolog ica l rema ins, existing ma ture trees andot her na tura l feat ures such as strea ms and rivers.

5.07 Sma ller open spa ces can pro vide minor fo cal pointsan d should no rmally be separat ed f rom houses byroa ds design ed to restra in vehicle speeds.

5.08 To re duce t he risk of crime, o pen spaces sho uld b edirectly overlooked by the f ronts of dw ellings a nd cana lso ha ve informa l surveillance provided by drivers

a nd cyclists using carria g ew a ys and cycle t racks.How ever, it is also importa nt t ha t o pen spaces shouldbe locat ed a nd d esign ed t o minimise the risks ofnuisa nces to t hose living nea rby.

Notio nal layout show ing op en space used as fo cal poin ts.

Child rens play space.

A go od example of ho using over looking an info rmal g reen space.

New green-field developm ents shou ld include op en space th at is useable - here t he op en space creates a focal poin t an d is large enoug h to be used as a kickabou t.


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5.09 Dw ellings specifica lly designe d f or elderly peop leshould be located away from equipped childrens playspaces a

Creating Places

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