Streetscape design guide and specification

Streetscape design guide and specification

Streetscape design guide to aid architects, engineers, planners, developers and designers.

About the design guide

We provide guidance for homeowners, developers, and their consultants on how to design and apply for planning permission.

Our principles and requirements focus on ensuring safe and smooth movement for all types of road users.

This guide follows the design ideas from the 'Manual for Streets' 1 and 2 documents, understanding that streets are important not only for transportation but also for creating a sense of place and community.

Criteria

The criteria in this Guide is to act as the main point of reference and the requirements we expect to be applied. 

The Guide includes:

  • requirements and guidance on access, layout and connectivity
  • standards on parking provision
  • advice to facilitate planning for passenger transport
  • requirements and processes for creating an adoptable streetscape

The Guide supports the policies in the Development Plan Documents (DPD) and frameworks of the Local Planning Authorities.

We have created a Streetscape Design Guide and Specification to help architects, engineers, planners, developers, designers, and other professionals when planning transport infrastructure for new developments.

The Streetscape Design Guide and Specification will be updated below periodically:

Pre planning advice

The Early Technical Assessment (ETA) of offsite highway works during the planning application process is an initial step before the Section 278 process and is not meant to be repeated.

This service mainly helps to identify any issues that might come up during the detailed design phase of the off-site highway works, which might not be noticed during the initial design review in the planning application.

The ETA process allows for a thorough review of the proposed off-site highway improvements included in the planning application. This should give developers more confidence that their plans will meet both Ours and the National design standards.

To complete the review of the off-site highway works within the 8 to 12 weeks allowed for the planning process, the information required is less than what is usually needed to start a Section 278 submission.

For a breakdown of the information required to commence the respective submission please see:

Other information

Applications for development agreements, consent or work licences

The Worcestershire County Council’s Streetscape Design Guide (SDG) was last fully updated in 2018 with minor amendments thereafter. We are now in the process of refreshing it to ensure that it remains in line with national and local Government guidance and legislation. To find out more and have your say about the draft Streetscape Design Guide, please complete our survey.

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