7. SAFE AND INCLUSIVE DESIGN STATEMENT NORTH SPROWSTON AND OLD CATTON

OUTLINE PLANNING APPLICATION

OCTOBER 2012

1. INTRODUCTION North Sprowston & Old Catton will be a safe and pleasant place to live, work and visit for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. This statement sets out the principles by which a safe and inclusive development will be achieved at NS&OC.

Note: the presentation of this material in a supporting statement should not be taken to imply that the issues addressed are not central to the design of NS&OC. Rather, it is recognised that at this stage many of the principles described are largely generic and do not yet find specific expression in the outline proposals submitted. Safe and inclusive design matters will be addressed directly in all future detailed planning applications as well in the Site-Wide Design and Sustainability Code to be developed for NS&OC.

2. SAFE AND SECURE DESIGN The achievement of safety and security by design is a principle integrated into the scheme from the outset, and is reflected in both the design ethos – most especially a focus on creating lively and active streets – and delivery and ongoing management strategies. Consultations have been held with design advisors from Norfolk Constabulary and Beyond Green will continue to work closely with them and other relevant partners during the detailed design and implementation of the development.

2.1 Policy context

The National Planning Policy Framework states that “[p]lanning policies and decisions should aim to ensure that developments... create safe and accessible environments where crime and disorder, and the fear of crime, do not undermine quality of life or community cohesion”. Communities and Local Government planning circular 1/2006 also addresses these issues, stating at paragraph 87: “a key objective for new developments should be that they create safe and accessible environments where crime and disorder or fear of crime does not undermine quality of life or community cohesion”.

The ODPM/Home Office guide, “Safer Places: the Planning System and Crime Prevention” (2004), which remains current good practice guidance, describes seven practical attributes of safer places that have been identified from in-depth research into crime prevention and urban design practice and theory. They are:

• Access & movement - Places with well defined routes, spaces and entrances that provide for convenient movement without compromising security.

• Structure - Places that are structured so that different uses do not cause conflict. • Surveillance - Places where all publicly accessible spaces are overlooked. • Ownership - Places that promote a sense of ownership, respect, territorial responsibility and community • Physical protection - Places that include necessary, well-designed security features. • Activity - Places where the level of human activity is appropriate to the location and creates a reduced risk

of crime and a sense of safety at all times. • Management and maintenance - Places that are designed with management and maintenance in mind, to

discourage crime in the present and the future.

2.2 Strategy

The strategy for NS&OC is based on addressing the seven attributes of safe, secure places as set out in “Safer Places...” at each stage of design, implementation and management of the scheme.

At the current outline planning stage, the focus is on creating a layout and establishing design principles that are consistent with achieving these attributes, and addressing safety and security in delivery proposals. If

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approved, secure design principles will be further integrated via the site-wide Design and Sustainability Code and development briefs.

NS&OC addresses the seven attributes as follows.

2.2.1 Access and movement The layout of the scheme, based on perimeter blocks defined by the edges of the streets they front, ensures a clear distinction between public space and defensible private spaces. Streets are overlooked by the buildings that front them with regulated setbacks and spillout areas serving both to minimise ‘contested’ semi-private space and ensure natural surveillance of the public realm. This makes for an inherently safe pedestrian environment.

The connectivity and permeability of the street network in tandem with the distribution of uses and activities has been optimised to generate footfall. The street hierarchy has been designed to communicate clearly the nature of the route and encourage appropriate use by vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. It creates a pedestrian and cyclist friendly environment on all streets, obviating the need for segregated off-street routes which would be inherently less safe. If pedestrian routes which are not fronted streets are incorporated at detailed design, they will be designed – as far as overriding constraints such as ecological conservation allow – to be straight, wide and well-lit with good natural visibility.

Some areas, such as woodland trails and routes through larger parks such as Beeston Park, will be less well-used. Detailed design will ensure that these are visually connected wherever possible to busier areas to prevent anti-social behaviour, and management strategies will consider the need for some routes to be closed outside operating hours.

The majority of parking will be on-street, where it will benefit from natural surveillance, with some secure on-plot parking to the rear of dwellings. Where centre-of-block parking areas are incorporated, they will not be usable as through-routes and they will be well overlooked and lit. Access control will be considered where necessary.

2.2.2 Structure The masterplan incorporates a perimeter block approach meaning that only the active fronts of buildings are exposed to the public realm and creating a defensible private space at the centre of each block which can be used for private gardens. Blank / gable end walls will not front onto the public realm. The site-wide Design and Sustainability Code will ensure that where mews or access lanes are proposed within blocks at detailed design stage these are similarly overlooked and permeable. Public spaces, including local parks, will be overlooked and furnished in a way that discourages anti-social behaviour. Play areas will be suitably designed with attention to overlooking, design of perimeter boundaries and lighting.

2.2.3 Surveillance The masterplan promotes natural surveillance / “eyes on the street”: design to ensure that all streets and other public spaces, including vulnerable areas such bus stops and car and cycle parking areas, are effectively overlooked to discourage antisocial behaviour through passive observation. Buildings will be designed to ensure that they provide overlooking to these areas from active rooms. Public realm lighting will accord with BS EN 1320 standards.

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2.2.4 Ownership Physical design will ensure that there is clear definition between public and private spaces, avoiding spaces which are ambiguous and which would encourage crime. The site-wide Design and Sustainability Code will contain provisions to ensure that physical delineations between realms – gates, fences, walls and hedges – are used and designed appropriately, for example avoiding the use of visually impermeable barriers.

As detailed designs are drawn up and the development implemented, local people will be involved at every stage to ensure that the design of key features – especially public spaces and parks – meets local needs and expectations, encouraging a direct sense of ownership and pride which will help discourage anti-social or disrespectful behaviour.

Information will be provided to residents that clearly sets out who is responsible for the management and maintenance of different elements of the development, including the private realm, adopted public facilities and spaces in the control of statutory authorities, and facilities and spaces owned and/or managed by the Estate Management Company.

2.2.5 Physical protection The physical specification of buildings will comply with Secured by Design standards wherever possible.

2.2.6 Activity The scheme is designed to promote street life, ensuring an appropriate level in all public spaces to ensure that these will not encourage crime either by being too quiet (typically characteristic of edge-urban locations) or too busy (less so). Activity on the streets will occur at different times of the day, encouraged by a mix of uses and strong sense of place.

There will be proactive provision of activity for young people, including widespread LAPs, LEAPS, NEAPs and MUGAs as well as formal and informal recreational space. The layout avoids creating ‘dead’ spaces where groups of young people passing the time could give rise to perceptions of insecurity among others. Instead, young people will be encouraged and enabled to congregate in overlooked, well-used and socialised spaces.

2.2.7 Management and maintenance An Estate Management Company (EMC) will be responsible for maintaining the neighbourhood including unadopted public spaces to ensure that high maintenance standards are maintained and addressing any issues quickly. The EMC will also monitor over time to assess where further specific measures are required.

3. INCLUSIVE DESIGN The National Planning Policy Framework defines inclusive design as “[d]esigning the built environment, including buildings and their surrounding spaces, to ensure that they can be accessed and used by everyone.” Design Council CABE (“The Principles of Inclusive Design”, 2006) sets out five principles of inclusive design, defining it as design that:

• acknowledges diversity and difference and place people at the heart of the design process; • offers choice where a single design solution cannot accommodate all users; • provides for flexibility in use; • creates communities that offer plenty of services, facilities and open space; and • provides buildings and environments that are convenient and enjoyable for everyone to use.

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3.1 Key features

The outline proposals contain several features that will serve to promote inclusion and ensure that NS&OC is welcoming to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. These include:

• the largely flat topography of the site, which precludes the need for significant landforming and ensures that acceptable gradients for wheelchair users will be readily provided throughout;

• a structure promoting permeability and short distances, mixing land uses and prioritising accessibility to amenities within the development rather than mobility to amenities elsewhere will be of particular benefit to older and less physically able people and to those without a car, who typically include those in more vulnerable social groups;

• provision of a uniformly high standard of community facilities and public open space, ensuring that the latter is ‘naturally’ busy, overlooked, safe and inclusive, making it welcoming to vulnerable groups;

• providing a wide choice of housing types and tenures, allowing people to find ‘a place to start and a place to stay’, and delivering an appropriate level of affordable housing; and

• adopting a design ethos that creates a unity and distinctiveness of character allowing for symbiosis to grow between the urban character of NS&OC and the sense of place and belonging that applies to residents regardless of individual circumstance.

3.2 Detailed design

The relatively high-level, structural nature of the outline application design proposals means that many vital inclusive design matters will remain to be addressed at detailed design stage. All designers working on NS&OC will be required to address the CABE principles, minimum requirements will be set out in the Site-Wide Design and Sustainability Code and each design statement submitted under reserved matters will contain a specific section addressing inclusive design. Issues to be addressed will include:

• ensuring that all public spaces and parks are accessible at grade from multiple points and are designed with the needs of all abilities in mind;

• providing Lifetime Homes, easily adaptable for older and disabled people, including wheelchair-accessible homes;

• providing step-free primary accesses to all homes and non-residential buildings unless, in exceptional circumstances, there is an overriding design reason otherwise; and

• maximising the use of adaptable building typologies allowing change of use where appropriate (e.g. along primary and some secondary street frontages) and changes in internal configuration to account for the needs of different family sizes and structures, which could include ‘extendable’ modular housing typologies which can be grown by adding additional modular units.

Where appropriate, specialist inclusive access advice will be taken.

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