Agenda item

Purpose of the report: To update Members about the development of the Healthy Streets for Surrey design guide and future implementation.

Witnesses:

Katie Stewart, Executive Director of Environment, Transport and Infrastructure

Caroline Smith, Planning Group Manager

Deborah Fox – Champkins, Placemaking Group Manager

David Milner, Create Streets

Nicholas Boyes-Smith, Create Streets

Key points raised during the discussion:

1. The Chairman asked if an expanded view to be expected from the Council in its input relating to new planning applications as a consequence of this new guidance. The Planning Group Manager reiterated that the Council remained a consultee in respect of planning applications and did not make the decisions.  The Transportation Development Planning Group would assess all new planning applications against the new guidance and if from a Highways point of view, as per the national planning policy framework, the Council considered that an application was not well designed, this would be made clear to a relevant borough council for them to consider when they come to their conclusion.

2. A Member asked if small features such as parklets could be retro fitted using Integrated Transport Scheme (ITS) allocations. The Executive Director of Environment, Transport and Infrastructure confirmed that the service was committed to working with Members through the ITS and other schemes and sources to effectively bring these measures into existing projects.

3. The Vice Chairman welcomed the paper noting that coordination with borough and other councils would be required in relation to the Design Code. The Planning Group Manager said that design codes would be required for all Local Authorities and the Council had successfully bid to the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities last year to be a Design Code path finder to develop a web tool for this guidance. The digital guidance currently being trialled, would allow the districts and boroughs to use this for their own street design and design codes.

4. A Member said the Design Code would benefit from a strong. Recommendation that utilities were not placed in roadways. David Milner Deputy Director, Create Streets, noted the code on page 79 of the report which states that ‘most utilities will be routed under pavements, so paving systems must be easy to lift and reinstate without the need for specialist contractors or materials. The Executive Director of Environment, Transport and Infrastructure added that this code combined with the benefits of a new lane rental scheme to allow direct engagement with the utilities companies at a strategic level.

5. A Member noted that paragraph 26 mentioned that advice will be made available to residents so that they can see design consideration for themselves and asked how this would be achieved. The Planning Group Manager confirmed that formal responses were currently available to all on the borough and district website. The funding received to create the Design Code web tool would develop the process to make it more accessible and easier to understand for all involved and would be an improvement on current accessibility of information.

6. A Member asked how this policy overlaps with the Government’s Office for Place and queried if engagement with developers had taken place. The Planning Group Manager gave reassurances that engagement was taking place with developers, the Surrey Development Forum and local and national builders.

Resolved:

The Community, Environment and Highways Select Committee:

1. Strongly commends and supports the new Healthy Streets for Surrey design guide.

Requests that Districts and Boroughs consider including Healthy Streets for Surrey design guide as part of their Supplementary Planning Guidance.