Agenda Item No.

 

THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN COUNCIL

 

CABINET: 20TH JUNE, 2007

 

REFERENCE FROM: PLANNING COMMITTEE: 24TH MAY, 2007

 

 

            “TECHNICAL ADVICE NOTE (TAN18) TRANSPORT; THE MANUAL FOR STREETS; CONSULTATION: PLANNING FOR INCLUSIVE DESIGN (ACCESS STATEMENTS) (DEER) –

 

Details were contained within the report relating to:

 

·                    the WAG’s recent publication of the final version of TAN18 on Transport;

·                    a joint England and Wales best practice document entitled The Manual for Streets;

·                    the WAG consultation document entitled Planning for Inclusive Design, together with a suggested appropriate response to the consultation.

 

TAN18 reflected WAG’s aim of broadening the range and choice of transport available and securing accessibility in a manner that supported sustainable development by encouraging an integrated transport system that was safe, efficient, clean and fair.  The TAN contained advice on:

 

·                    integration between different types of transport;

·                    integration of transport policy with policies for the environment, education, social justice, health, economic development and wealth creation;

·                    integration between Land Use Planning and Transport, promoting, for example, resource and travel efficient settlement patterns; ensuring the promotion of new development to minimise the need to travel or where there was good access to a range of public transport;

·                    location of development, referring, for example, to the need to focus on accessibility to services and facilities rather than mobility with developers being able to demonstrate good accessibility in respect of new development in terms of access to services and accessibility by a range of transport modes both within and beyond the development;

·                    parking, a co-ordinated approach to parking provision at both regional and local levels being advocated with Regional Parking Frameworks being developed as part of the Regional Transport Plan;

·                    design of development with access statements being required to accompany all planning applications (except householder and change of use proposals) and, in designing and planning new development, clarification between roads (highways) and streets (where the “place function” would take precedence over the “movement function”);

·                    walking and cycling;

·                    public transport;

·                    planning for transport infrastructure.

 

The Manual for Streets focused on lightly-trafficked residential streets and set out to explain how street design could create better places with local distinctiveness and identity.  It dealt in detail with the context of streets, the design process, design principles and design in relation to street uses, geometry, parking, traffic signs and markings, furniture and lighting and future adoption and maintenance issues.  The main changes in approach were summarised as:

 

·                    a fundamental culture change in the way streets were designed and adopted, including a more collaborative approach between the design professionals and other stakeholders;

·                    the need for stakeholders to think creatively about their various roles in the process of delivery streets, breaking away from standardised, prescriptive, risk-averse methods to create high-quality places;

·                    a return to more traditional patterns which were easier to assimilate into existing built-up areas and which had been proven to stand the test of time in many ways;

·                    streets should not be designed just to accommodate the movement of motor vehicles; designers should place a high priority on meeting the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users so that growth in those modes of travel was encouraged;

·                    the document aimed to assist in the creation of streets that helped to build and strengthen the communities they served; met the needs of all users, by embodying the principles of inclusive design; formed part of a well-connected network; were attractive with their own distinctive identity; were cost-effective to maintain; and were safe;

·                    the document discouraged the building of streets that were primarily designed to meet the needs of motor traffic; bland and unattractive; unsafe and unwelcoming to pedestrians and cyclists; difficult to serve by public transport; and were poorly designed and constructed.

 

It was noted that the remainder of the document considered more detailed issues in relation to context and design and consideration was given to the recommendation that this Committee receive a presentation on the Manual for Streets in due course. 

 

The WAG Consultation Paper in respect of Planning and Inclusive Design (Access Statements) sought views on the proposed guidance on inclusive design (to be considered for inclusion in PPW and / or the revision of TAN12 - Design and the role of access statements (to be included into revised TAN12 – Design as an annex).

 

In general the following points were noted:

 

·                    inclusive design was defined and the proposed guidance referred to the fact that LDPs were to be used as a tool for identifying local design and access statement requirements;

·                    access statements would be required and would be used to demonstrate how the principles of inclusive design and access had been considered at the outset of a development proposal;

·                    the broad content of statements should include reference to site specific issues relating to access as well as how the principles of inclusive design had been considered (in the case of historic buildings, the statement should also be focussed on the specific characteristic of the building and how that impacted on the access issues);

·                    the document clarified that access statements needed only to relate to “access to the development”;

·                    the access statement would also need to demonstrate how all users would have equal movement and access, both into the site from the boundaries and within the site (including the design of parking layouts);

·                    the guidance suggested that access statements should omit coverage of the sustainability merits of transport access into the site.

 

Consideration then focussed on the suggested response to the Consultation Paper as appended to the report. 

 

RESOLVED –

 

(1)       T H A T the publication of Technical Advice Note (TAN) 18 Transport by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Manual for Streets be noted.

 

(2)       T H A T the Planning Committee receive a presentation on the content of the Manual for Streets in due course.

 

(3)       T H A T Appendix 2 of the report be used as a basis for responding to the WAG Consultation on Planning for Inclusive Design.

 

(4)       T H A T the report be referred to Cabinet for information.

 

Reasons for recommendations

 

(1)       To advise Members of the availability of TAN18 Transport issued by the WAG and the Manual for Streets document.

 

(2)       To inform Members on the content of the Manual for Streets and how it relates to the decision making process.

 

(3)       To enable the Council to respond to the consultation exercise in advance of 29th May, 2007.

 

(4)       To keep Cabinet apprised of the publication of the WAG guidance and Consultation Paper.