U37770
#Headington NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING your vision, our future
creative approaches can help people enjoy what may have previously been unenjoyable, and facilitate the difficult conversations thrown up by changes in urban landscapes
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U37770 Local Planning and Development Control
Neighbourhood Planning Project Joana Krusheva, Andrew Lubman, Bima Purnama, Alasdair Sherry, Ross Webb
The aim of this report is to show how ideas and recommendations for an improved Headington were created through a coming together of concepts from the school of Urban Design and influences of the principles of Participation in Planning. The report begins by introducing the area of Headington, as well as the concept of ‘Neighbourhood Planning’. It is this concept that overarches the purpose of the report; to explain and investigate how members of the Neighbourhood can increase their participation and get a say in the planning related goings-on within their community. Following on from this, there is an investigation into how Headington has come to be the way it is, with an insight in to the local policies and frameworks that effect it as an area. By exploring the core strategy for Headington, we gain a sense of the scale of change that is expected out of the area, building an evidence base of what targets and goals should be achieved through our chosen discipline of Urban Design. This leads into the first main aim of the report; the community involvement. In this section we summarise and analyse the information drawn from our chosen method of participation, which was the use of surveys to gather opinions and information from three main peer groups; Local Residents, Local Students, and Local Businesses. Taking the results from these surveys, methods created by planning bodies such as the Urban Design Alliance and CABE were used to create 3 themes and a series of policies that we thought would help address issues outlined in the surveys. Moreover, by using the methods such as ‘space-shaping’, ideas of how these policies could be implemented through use of Urban Design began to take shape. This lead on to the final part of the report, which outlines a series of projects and recommendations that contain elements of Urban Design that can be used to achieve the themes drawn from the surveys. So in essence, the practical, implementable projects have come about from engagement and involvement with residents and locals from the community, which was the aim of the project. It is hoped that by the end of the report, a clear concept of how participation can help create practical developments that address local issues.
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1
9
7
Introduction to the project
The planning context
Headington Neighbourhood Forum
23
21
The vision
Urban Design and community
contents
19
13
29
Methodology
Community engagement and participation
The masterplan
31
36
The projects
Appendix and Bibliography
1 Group member 1 Project brief 2 Contents
methodology
19 Urban design and NP 21 Placecheck 22 Spaceshaper
introduction
4 4 5 7 8
Introduction to Neighbourhood Planning recommendation 23 Vision and Objectives Introduction to Headington 25 Dynamic Headington Map of the High Street 26 Beautiful Headington Headington Neighbourhood Forum 27 Our Headington Headington Neighbourhood Map
building the evidence base
9 National Planning Policy Framework 10 Oxford Local Plan 11 Oxford Core Strategy community engagement
13 14 15 16 17
Involvement and Participation Local Retailers Local Residents Local Students Summary
projects
31 Project1 the arch 32 Project2 painting the street 33 Project3 corner treatment 34 Project4 resting bays summary25 and conclusion 35 Summary and Conclusion bibliography 24 and appendices 36 References and Bibliography 37 Appendices
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The Neighbourhood Plan will work to ensure a consistent and high quality approach to design is applied to the development of buildings and spaces which, over time, will result in great improvements to the public realm and built environment.
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INTRODUCTION This section introduces the term ‘neighbourhood planning’, what it is, how it works, where it sits within the planning system, and so on. It also includes an introduction to Headington, a map of Headington, a statement explaining why the area is appropriate to be designated as a neighbourhood area, and a statement explaining that the body making the area is capable of being a qualifying body.
INTRODUCTION TO NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING A Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led framework for guiding the future development and growth of an area, particularly in a neighbourhood scale. A NDP varies from community to community, however the underlying content of it is vision, aims, planning policies, proposals for improvements of facilities in the area, or allocation of key sites for specific kinds of development. A common NDP relates to the use and development of land and associated social, economic, and environmental issues. NDP may deal with a wide range of issues or it may focus on one or two issues that are of particular importance in local area (Locality, 2012). The Design Council in 2011 states that a neighbourhood plan is a vision set by local people which is supported by their local authority (Design Council, 2011). By shifting power to the right levels, it is hoped to increase democratic accountability and transparency, and ensure that public expenditure is more responsive to the needs of business and people of the area (Tewdwr-Jones, 2012). As described by Planning Aid England in 2011, the policies or vision produced and agreed by local communities cannot block development that is part of the local development. What a neighbourhood plan can do is to shape and influence where that development will go and what it will look like. A NDP will be subject to examination and referendum and then form part of the Local Development Plan. This statutory status gives Neighbourhood Plans far more weight than some other local planning documents, such as parish plans, community plans, and
village design statements (Locality, 2012). By law, it is obligatory for NDPs to comply with the basic conditions. A neighbourhood plan must: be appropriate having regard to national policy; contribute to the achievement of sustainable development; be in general conformity with the strategic policies in the development plan for the local area; be compatible with human rights requirements; and be compatible with EU obligations. It is therefore clear that NDPs fall under or form part of the Local Development Plan (LDP), and sit above local planning documents such as parish plans, community plans, and village design statements. NDPs have to be in compliance with LDP, and support its policies.
INTRODUCTION TO HEADINGTON Within Oxfordshire lies Headington, a suburb east of Oxfords city centre. With a world renowned hospital within in its boundaries and a top 50 ranked university walking distance away, Headington is very diverse in terms of both social make up, tenure and economy. The central shopping area comprises many A1 and A2 retailers and has several small supermarkets. However, this diversity has lead to certain challenges that need to be addressed in order to foresee its viable future. Headington carries large amounts of traffic on a daily basis as it links the A40 with Oxfords city centre. Because of this, Headington has become a fragmented high street where a sea #Headington4
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Our NP policies will only focus on the urban design of the highstreet, however, we believe the policies will bring a broader impact to Headington neighbourhood area as a whole.
Headington highstreet and its surrounding Scale 1:1250
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of vehicles are strung up and down its roads. As many people simply commute through it, challenges arise in its local economy and the ability it has to draw people in. A recent study was conducted in Headington by Professor Georgia Watson which sought to see what local residents in Headington thought about the place they lived in. One of the major findings was concerning Headingtons lack of place identity and feel.
WHY HEADINGTON IS APPROPRIATE TO BE DESIGNED AS A NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA
Neighbourhood planning (or plans) can be developed and carried out by two different types of body—‘town and parish councils or neighbourhood forums’ (Planning Portal 2012). These forums can only produce a neighbourhood plan if there is a ‘majority of support in a referendum of the neighbourhood’ (Planning Portal 2012). In addition to this, there is legal compliance criteria that seek to ensure plans abide by legal terms and that they also take into consideration wider policies such as national policy. The conditions outlined are: • A neighbourhood plan must have a regard for national planning policy • A neighbourhood plan must generally conform
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with other strategic policies in the development of the local area (i.e. such as a core strategy) • A neighbourhood plan must be compatible with EU obligations and human rights requirements (Planning Portal 2012) The Headington Neighbourhood Forum was established by local residents within Headington that felt their area would benefit from a neighbourhood plan. Headington was deemed appropriate for this as it was considered to have social, economic and environmental significance that would benefit from more specific controls over future developments. By creating a neighbourhood forum, the residents and those wishing to participate in creating a plan qualified to do so and are now in the stages of creating their own neighbourhood plan. This means that because of the Headington Forum, local residents, students and businesses could benefit more fully from schemes such as: the Community Right to Build; the Community Infrastructure Levy; and the New Homes Bonus Scheme. Although the powers given to them are not limitless, the sense of community that has been created among the forum has manifested itself through various participatory and consultative methods with other forum members, local residents and students.
Headington is a lively and growing place to live and work. But we are facing pressures for more houses, from more traffic and the impact of large developments. Many of us know what we want, and many of us know what we don’t want for Headington. How can we make our views count, and get the very best for our area? The Localism Act gives us powers to shape Headington’s future development. We can do this by setting up a Neighbourhood Forum of local people who live and work within and alongside the community to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan. This Plan allows local people to participate in making planning decisions and on how infrastructure money is spent. Many communities in Oxford are already preparing such plans.
Headington Neighbourhood Area map is not to scale
BUILDING THE EVIDENCE BASE This section reveals other relevant documents in which are related or relevant to our neighbourhood planning document. Documents such as the National Planning Policy Framework, Oxford Local Plan, Oxford Core Strategy, and Oxford Site and Housing Development Plan. This section reveals the vision of Headington from a govermental perspective, guidances, and also forecasts for Headington’s future.
NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK
OXFORD LOCAL PLAN
National Planning Policy Framework documents are leading in setting out determinations for the regional, local and neighbourhood plans. It provides directions which must be obeyed. Our Plan is predominantly about improving the design in the Headington Shops area, therefore, the design regulations should be reviewed mainly for keeping the distinctiveness of the area. Section 7 – Requiring Good Design illustrates points that match our design proposal, especially point 60 –
Looking at the Adopted Oxford Local Plan 20012016 the Core Policies indicate a green light to the project proposal.
Planning policies and decisions should not attempt to impose architectural styles or particular tastes and they should not stifle innovation, originality or initiative through unsubstantiated requirements to conform to certain development forms or styles. It is, however, proper to seek to promote or reinforce local distinctiveness. (NPPF, 2011) And point 67 explains why we would be willing to change the shop facades – Poorly placed advertisements can have a negative impact on the appearance of the built and natural environment. Control over outdoor advertisements should be efficient, effective and simple in concept and operation. Only those advertisements which will clearly have an appreciable impact on a building or on their surroundings should be subject to the local planning authority’s detailed assessment. Advertisements should be subject to control only in the interests of amenity and public safety, taking account of cumulative impacts. (NPPF, 2011)
Policy CP.1 – Development Proposals Planning permission will only be granted for development which: shows a high standard of design, including landscape treatment, that respects the character and appearance of the area; and is acceptable in respect of access, parking, highway safety, traffic generation, pedestrian and cycle movements including, where appropriate, links to adjoining land; and retain important open spaces of recreational or amenity value or both; and safeguard public rights of way and the amenities of adjoining land users and occupiers, including the provision of alternative rights of way of equal or enhanced quality. (Local Plan, 2001) This policy provides us with the opportunity to implement our neighbourhood plan according to the local development plan. Policy CP. 9 e. and h. for creating successful new places states that street and building layouts are such that slow traffic movement is encouraged’ and ‘shared road surfaces, where the carriageway may be safely shared with pedestrians, are included in the design. (Local Plan, 2001)
potentialdevelopment Our proposed scheme suggests introducing the factor of shared space, therefore it will reduce the speed limit. In this way, the scheme will stimulate the flow of people to come and stay not to use it as a through route. Section 2.14.2 on Public Art says New development offers the opportunity for introducing art into the environment. Proposed public art should be accessible for public enjoyment, enhance and enliven the environment, and contribute to the cultural identity of its location. Public art can be designed as part of the proposed development, or a planning condition can seek further details of its location and design in relation to the development. Where appropriate, the City Council will secure public art through planning obligation agreements covering the amount of dedicated funding, the selection and commissioning of an artist, installation and maintenance. (Local Plan, 2001) This project is seeking to bring identity to Headington so that it could be a more viable place.
OXFORD CORE STRATEGY Over the Core Strategy period about 35% of new housing in Oxford could potentially be located in the Headington district area, including the Barton strategic site. There is a forecast growth of 500 ‘B’ Class jobs specifically in this district area, and hospital and medical research facilities will be focused on existing sites in Headington and Marston. Enhance the role of the Headington district centre and mix of uses available and its vitality and viability. The Headington and Marston Transport Strategy will continue to improve accessibility while continuing to implement travel plans on key sites, including discouraging on-site and on-street parking in the area.
2009/10 to 2025/26
37
percent
31 35 5 12 percent
percent
.9 percent
potential estimated all ‘B’ class dwellings windfall dwellings jobs on sites dwellings
.7 percent
retail tourism health jobs
Chart 1. A Chart showing the forecasts growth for Headington, including potential housing developments, jobs, and other jobs.
Hierarchy of centres Oxford’s hierarchy of centres is defined as follows: 1. City centre 2. Primary district centre (Cowley centre) 3. District centres (Blackbird Leys, Cowley Road, Headington and Summertown) 4. Neighbourhood centres The other established district centres in Cowley Road, Headington and Summertown provide an important focus for local facilities and services. Their position within the retail hierarchy will continue to offer opportunities to enhance and strengthen their role. The distinctive characteristics of each centre will be promoted, and there is clearly scope for making significant improvements to the public realm and shopping environment to make the centres more attractive.
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3.1.2 A strategic objective of the spatial strategy is to ensure that new developments are in accessible locations so as to minimise overall travel demand. This objective forms the first key plank of the spatial strategy. It is important to recognise that Oxford as a whole is a relatively accessible location, as evidenced by some of the statistics from the 2001 census summarised in the spatial portrait. However, the city and district centres have the greatest number of shops and services, and the best non-car accessibility. The key to reducing the need to travel within Oxford is therefore to apply a sequential approach to developments that attract a large number of people, whilst taking account of the opportunities and constraints faced by each centre. The spatial strategy sets out the proposed hierarchy of centres in Oxford, starting with Oxford City centre; then the Cowley centre primary district centre; then the district centres of Blackbird Leys, Cowley Road, Headington and Summertown, then neighbourhood centres. The other established district centres in Cowley Road, Headington and Summertown provide an important focus for local facilities and services. Their position within the retail hierarchy will continue to offer opportunities to enhance and strengthen their role. The distinctive characteristics of each centre will be promoted, and there is clearly scope for making significant improvements to the public realm and shopping environment to make the centres more attractive. 1.1.9 The city centre is a regional shopping destination, which performs very well and has a low vacancy rate. Demand from retailers for city-centre premises is high. Oxford is ranked sixth as a retail centre of regional importance in the South East, and is one of 12 centres classed as ‘Centres for Significant Change’ in the South East Plan. These are centres whose range of town centre uses is expected to increase significantly during the life of the South East Plan. The role of the city centre is complemented by a network of smaller centres: four existing district centres (Cowley Centre, Cowley Road, Headington and Summertown) and several neighbourhood centres. These provide retail and service facilities for the local population. They are also the focus for many social, community and cultural activities.
3.4.52 Inparticular the sense that the existing Barton estate is isolated from the rest of the city could be reduced by providing a further new footbridge across the A40, or improvements to the existing underpass between Barton Village Road and the Headington borders, or both.
Over the Core Strategy period about 35% of new housing in Oxford could potentially be located in the Headington district area, including the Barton strategic site. There is a forecast growth of 500 ‘B’ Class jobs specifically in this district area, and hospital and medical research facilities will be focused on existing sites in Headington and Marston. Enhance the role of the Headington dis¬trict centre and mix of uses available and its vitality and viability. The Headington and Marston Transport Strategy will continue to improve accessibility while continuing to implement travel plans on key sites, including discouraging on-site and on-street parking in the area. #Headington11
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT This section shows findings from our site visits, opinions from local residents, retailers, students, and community leaders. At the end, all findings will be populated into charts for better understanding, and to be used as our base for the next sections including our reccommendations.
Community engagement and participation are key aspects in making planning decisions for a neighbourhood. Our group decided to interview three target groups in order to see what they think of Headington – local retailers, local students and local residents. We made our decision based on the fact that their opinion shows a more comprehensive point of view on the issues – they use the area every day, therefore they are more introduced with the problems that a visitor might not mention. This section will introduce their opinion and the things they consider as problems. At the end, there are charts summarising their answers for better understanding which will be used in the next sections for further design recommendations.
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LOCAL RETAILERS
Do you think the current design of Headington
Do you think Headington has a sense of Do you think of Headingcontributes to the a pcurrent osi:ve design shopping experience? Do you t hink H eadington h as a s ence o f p lace? place? ton contributes to a positive shopping experience? 30%
40% 60%
70%
Yes
No
Yes
No
The majority of businesses decided that HeadingThe majority said that the current design could be ton had a sense of place, however after discussion improved to promote a better shopping experithey agreed it was more of a through way to the ence. When asked to discuss how the area may be he following would you say was the larger city of Oxford. This sense of place is what improved, one business owner said that the busy gest p roblem i n h eadington? businesses road dividing the area gave the site a ‘hurried’ feelld you sattracts ay was the to the high street, as the high volume0% of traffic, both pedestrian traffic and autoing. This along with the fact that the two car parks eadington? 6% w mobiles, is good foras businesses. When asked if it are hidden off away from the main road mean it wing would you say the 6% be better if people were encouraged to stay can be a challenge to draw people away from the blem in would headington? 6% Which of area the they following in the agreed. would you say was the road, and encourage them to spend time in the 0% 47% area. biggest problem in headington?
say was t6% he 6% 0% gton? Which of the41% 6% you say was Would yWould ou consider good esign o ba e a mea following would the you consider good d design totbe
Which of the following w ould you say was the 6% biggest problem in Headington? 1% biggest problem in headington? Urban Space
Focal Point Shop Fronts 10% Traffic 20% 41%
ocal Point
Traffic
ban Space
Focal Point
Housing
of comba8ng these issues?
47%
41%
h Route
means of combating these issues?
20%
Shop Fronts
Through Route
Traffic 50%
Shop Fronts 20%
Urban Space
Focal Point
80% Traffic
Shop Fronts
0% Traffic
Shop Fronts Focal Pwas oint a misunderTraffic Shop Fronts Yes whether No cases The final question asked these issues standing of the topic of ‘Urban Design’. This could could be solved with good design. The majority of be the reason that many chose not to pick it as people believed that something should be done, their main issue with Headington. Half the quesand that good design should be part of any actions tionnaires came back with ‘Traffic’ highlighted as taken. the major issue. Some believed it caused people to move through the site, and associate the area with negative feelings; that of being stressed or impatient. One person suggested that people would wait in traffic, and this would give that person less inclination to return to the area.
Housing The Through Urban pace initialRoute reaction in Smany
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LOCAL RESIDENTS
Do you think the current design of Headington
Do you think Headington has a sense of Do you think the current design of Headingcontributes to toa aposi9ve hopping expeexperience? place? ton contributes positivesshopping Do you think Headington has a sence of place? rience? 0%
50%
50%
100%
From the questionnaire that our team spread in the following would you say wof as place. the They say No Headington, 100% seeYes the sense ggest pthat roblem headington? Londonin Road is very recognisable by its shops,
No However, the percentage Yes of people that like the current design of the area is 50. The big number of grocery shops is considered as a big problem – there is no great diversity of different kinds of shops (even the Peacocks was closed and turned into a Sainsbury’s). One of the respondents stated that they would like to see more shops for clothes and an entertainment centre.
the green0% open space on the opposite of Cooper6% and but not least – the Shark house that ld you ative say w as last the 6% symbolic for this area. To live there became very eadington? is convenient from wing would you say wthe as point the of view that is on the of the arteries leading to the Oxford city centre 47% blem in one headington? 6% Which o f t he f ollowing w ould you say was the and the main road to London.
0% biggest p41% roblem in headington? say was t6% he Would you consider good design to be a m 6% 0% gton? 6% Which of the following ould you say wthe as the Would you consider good design to be a Which of the followingwwould you say was
1%
ugh Route
6% biggest problem in Headington? biggest problem in headington? Urban Space
41%
Focal Point
47%
0% 6%
ocal Point
Traffic
ban Space
Focal Point
Housing Traffic Housing
Traffic
of comba8ng these issues?
means of combating these issues?
Shop Fronts
6%
20%
41%
Shop Fronts
Through Route
47%
Traffic
Shop Fronts
Urban Space
80%
41% Focal Point
Traffic
Shop Fronts
Shop Fronts
InThrough our presentation, thingsShop Fronts On the last question – Would you consider good Route Urban Swe pace outlined Focal Psix oint main Traffic Yes No that we agreed to be problems after a short tour design to be a means of combating these issues around – identity, through route, traffic, focal – only 20% answered with no. The majority of repoint, urban space and shop facades. The people spondents strongly believe that the good design is we asked outlined 2 main ones and 2 with less sigthe way of providing a more pleasant urban pernificance. Traffic and shop facades were the two ception. that were pointed out by 80% and 90% respectively. Our design proposal for making part of the street a shared space will reduce both the traffic and speed limit. Focal point and urban space were chosen by only 10%, but it means that they can also be incorporated in the final scheme of the project.
LOCAL STUDENTS Do you think Headington has a sense of place?
These reults show that majority of students felt the following would you say was the that Headington did not have a sense of place and ggest pdid roblem eadington? not havein ah central focal point.
Do you think the current design of Headington contributes to a positive shopping experience?
This percentage shows that students felt that the current design of Headington did not contribute to a psotive shopping experience.
0%
ld you say was the 6% 6% eadington? wing would you say was the
blem in 47% headington? 6% Which of the following would you say was the 0% biggest p41% roblem in headington? say was t6% he 6%
gton? Which of the following0% would6% you say was the
1%
ugh Route
6% biggest problem in Headington? Urban Space
41%
Focal Point
47%
Traffic
Would you consider good design to be a means of combating these issues?
Shop Fronts
41%
ocal Point
Traffic
ban Space
Focal Point
Housing Traffic
Shop Fronts
Through Route
Traffic
Shop Fronts
Urban Space
Focal Point
Traffic
Shop Fronts
Shop Fronts
The majority of students cosidered traffic to be one of the biggest problems in Headington and was an issue that effected the look and feel of the area.
The majority of those questioned felt that good design could combat the issues in Headington.
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RETAILERS, RESIDENTS, STUDENTS o you think Headington has a sence of place? Yes
Do you think Headington has a sense of place?
No
The pie chart shows the results of the research to find out if the interviewees considered Headington to have a sense of place. The vast majority in 62% considered Headington to lack a sense of 38% place while 37% held the view that it doesn’t. It should be noted however that the phrase ‘sense 62% of place’ was not defined during the interview so was up for some sense of individual interpreDo you think the current design of Headington tation.
contributes to a posi;ve shopping experience? Yes
Do you think the current design of Headington contributes to a positive shopping experience?
No
The second pie chart shows whether or not the interviewees consider the current design of Headington to contribute to a positive shopping experience. The mainstream opinion, with 62%, was that the current design does not contribute to a positive shopping experience.
38% 62%
Which of the following would you say was the biggest problem in headington? Through Route
Urban Space
Focal Point
Traffic
25%
31%
0% 3% 41%
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Which of the following would you say was problem in Headington?
Shop Fthe ronts biggest
The next pie chart touches on identifying the main issues of the Headington area by asking the question of what was the biggest problem in whilst giving them several options. None of the correspondents noted ‘urban space’ was the biggest problem while only 3% considered ‘focal point’ to be so. The largest problem in people’s minds was ‘traffic’ with 41% opting for this option while ‘shop fronts’ also had a considerable vote with 31%. Finally the ‘through route’ was considered to be the biggest problem with 25%.
Would you consider good design to be a m of comba9ng these issues? Would you consider good design to be a means of combatting these issues? Finally, the most decisive pie char asks the question of would one consider good design to be a means of combatting the issues that have already been discussed. There was an overwhelming positive response to this with 83% of correspondents stating that it was a possible way. Only 17% however did not consider good design to be a way of combatting Headington’s problems. This adds considerable weight to our project where by good design is essential to our recommendations of addressing the issues.
Yes
No
17%
83%
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METHODOLOGY This section outlines the justification behind choosing Headington high street as a more specified policy implementation location. Followed by a review on two methods used to optimalise the intervention of Urban Design in a neighbourhood plan document.
When planning a neighbourhood, there are three different levels of scale in which are involved. The first and largest is the whole treatment of the city including zones and functions, transport and traffic, or quarters. This is the city seen from a distance, and the shape of the city on this scale is highly caused by interventions from city and urban planners. The second one is the middle scale, or the development scale, which gives roles to individual segments or quarters of the city should be designed, and how city space is organised. This scale is where city and urban planners work together with urban designers, and it is city planning from a low-flying helicopter perspective (Gehl, 2010). The third and the last one is the small scale; the human landscape. This is the city from the perspectives of the people who use the space, or in another words at eye level. As mentioned by Gehl (2010) in his book Cities for People: ‘it is not the large lines of the city or spectacular placement of buildings, but rather the quality of the human landscape as intuited by people walking and staying in the city’ (Gehl, 2010, p.195). This scale is where interventions from urban designers are most dominant, as well as to some extent: architects. UNDERSTANDING DESIGN As planners mostly aim to ensure that people can walk and bike in cities, the focus of urban design expands as far as to enable people to have direct contact with the society. In another word this means that public space must be alive, with people using #Headington19
it to exchange ideas, trade, or simply relax and enjoy themselves. Every urban design policy must have the goal to meet basic human needs fro security and sociability, through the process of organising space, making connections, organising activity, relating to surroundings, and creating visual order (Gehl, 2010; Hall, 2007, p.24). It is common to have city space in which is designed so that all practical requirements are met, however have not put details, materials, colours, or visual coordination into consideration. In contrast, there are also city spaces, which are designed by emphasising the aesthetics, but neglect certain functional aspects. “.. the space is beautiful and the details carefully designed is a quality in itself, but far from enough if basic requirements for security, climate, and opportunities for staying are not met” (Gehl, 2010 p.176). There is therefore obvious the need of collaboration between planners, urban designers and architects to have a goal from both aspects: beauty and functions; in order to have a working city. HEADINGTON NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING As explained before, there are three levels of intervention when creating a place. The level of intervention of this neighbourhood planning document is somewhere between the lower (human scale level) and the middle (development scale). The purpose is to make sure that the policies should address both
issues of beauty and function, as well as acting as a bridge between planners, urban designers and community; with the goal to combine the treatment of buildings and the proportions of the cityscape with the careful treatment of details at eye level. HEADINGTON HIGH STREET “High streets and town centres have always been about much more than shopping” (DCLG, 2012, p.3). It is evident that high streets and town centres are much more than just shopping. As mentioned in DCLG report in 2012, although retail plays an important part of the town centre mix, there are also social elements of it (DCLG, 2012). As also argued by Gehl (2012), it is the place where people meet to exchange ideas, trade, or simply relax and enjoy themselves. Gehl (2012) also expressed that, ‘a city’s public domain – its streets, squares and parks – are the stage and catalyst for these activities’ (Gehl, 2010, p.63). The justification, for choosing Headington’s high street as the focus of this neighbourhood planning document, is that by enhancing the quality of the public realm along the high street, it will also contribute to a positive retail experience of those living, working and passing through the Headington shopping area. The benefits of implementing the policies on the neighbourhood area will be discussed further in the later chapters of policy recommendation and the projects.
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PLACECHECK
Developed by Urban Design Alliance
Developed by Urban Design Alliance, Placecheck is a method of measuring the qualities of a place (Urban Design Skills, 2012). A Placecheck can involve half a dozen people, or a small group meeting. This method can be used to provide and reveal the improvements, which, are needed on many levels, such as neighbourhood, village, town centre, district and city. The method focuses on getting people to work together, and to gain initiatives and ideas from every member, organisation, and sector. Placecheck method, due to its simplicity in terms of minimum resources required and minimum preparation, is suitable for involving community in a plan-making or urban design project. Placecheck can be used to: • Provide a focus for bringing people together to work in collaboration; and • Identify what needs to be done to improve the place. A Placecheck event could comprise: • A walkabout of the area • A meeting or workshop event • An exhibition • A questionnaire • An event at a community festival • A combination of more than one of these
Adapted from Placecheck, 2012 #Headington21
SPACESHAPER Developed by CABE now managed by the Landscape Institute
Developed by CABE and managed by the Landscape Institute, Spaceshaper is a workshop-based toolkit to measure the quality of a public space before investing time and money in improving it (Spaceshaper9-14, 2012). Spaceshaper method includes: • • • •
Collecting the views of professionals regarding public space Collecting the views of the people who use the space Creating workshops to discuss the results and design quality Discuss how the space works for different people
Spaceshaper method is easy to use by anyone – from community members to professionals – either before the start of the project to improve a space, or to see how the improvements are working. As the basis for proposing improvements, the workshop should provide everyone with the chance to explain and express their thoughts about the strengths and weaknesses of the space. The main obstacle in using this method, comes as it requires expert facilitation, which can be limited to some groups. A Spaceshaper event could comprise: • Access — finding your way/getting around the space • Use — what activities and opportunities the space offers • Other people — how the space caters for different needs • Maintenance — how clean and cared for the space is • Environment — how safe and comfortable the space is • Design and appearance — what the space looks like and what it is made from • Community — how important the space is to local people • You — how the space makes you feel
Adapted from Spaceshaper9-14, 2012 #Headington22
DYNAMIC HEADINGTON think local, act local
BEAUTIFUL HEADINGTON beautiful, colourful, us
OUR HEADINGTON now is your time
vision and objectives Headington will be known for its strong community, rich urban character, attractive spaces and thriving natural environment. It will be safe and enjoyable to move around on foot and bike and will be well connected to the rest of Oxford and London and beyond by public transport.
strategic objectives
The Neighbourhood Plan seeks to ensure that Headington is a vibrant neighbourhood with a balanced and diverse community. It will be a great place to live and shop close to the city centre and Universities and will support Oxford’s character, identity and cultural life. Headington will become known by people at all stages of their lives as one of the best parts of the City in which to live.
vision statement Based on previous research and the consultation with one of the community members in Headington, we have found that a big issue is surrounding the lack of identity that Headington has. As a result we are going to focus on ways in which an identity for Headington can be created as a place rather than a through route. Creating a place is interdependent on the retail environment of the high street. Part of this focus will be on improving the identity of Headington by setting out policies that guide the urban design qualities of the area.
DYNAMIC HEADINGTON think local, act local
Creating a dynamic Headington has been something that has been pursued from the beginning. After consulting with members of Headington’s Neighbourhood Forum, the group discovered that the retail environment was inhibited in both look and feel by the persistent priority given to vehicle transport. It was from this information and the questionnaires with residents, students and retailers that the following policies were derived. In addition to this, meetings took place with Professor Georgia Watson and Dr Laura Azevedo to discuss practical solutions to combat this car dominance. When the neighbourhood plan is created, a policy to put pedestrians first when considering alternating street layouts should be the priority. This includes amendments to signalling and pedestrian crossings. This hierarchal process is outlined in the manual for streets and states that during ‘pedestrians are considered firs’ (Department for Transport, 2007). Jan Ghel, in his book cities for people, outlines that often the elderly and disabled are often deterred from using town and urban environments due to the way in which there is poor choice of areas to stop and rest. Because of this, he mentions that it is important to have rest bays, or areas, in equal succession in urban environments to create vitality and also to create a more comfortable environment for those less able. It could be argued that there are enough seats in Headington however, the continuity, situation and comfort ability of them has been raised in the consultation process by community members and general members of the public. #Headington25
Policy DP3 goes hand-in-hand with recommendation 2 regarding direction and cycling enhancements. It was brought to the groups attention that because vehicles are given the priority in Headington, encouraging more people to cycle can be challenging. The cycle lanes are often used by cars which are oten parked or stationed therein making it difficult and dangerous for cyclists to manoeuvre around them. recommendation DP1
DP1 PRIORITY FOR PEOPLE
when considering street layouts including, signalling and pedestrian crossings, pedestrians must be given priority to contribute to a positive shopping experience.
recommendation DP1
DP3 CYCLING IMPROVEMENTS
cycle lanes should be given priority and cycle lane enhancements should be made to appropriately accommodate desired widths for cycle lanes.
recommendation DP1
DP2 PEDESTRIAN LANDSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS
street furniture should be spaced along the high street appropriately in order to create a comfortable environment for shoppers of all ages.
BEAUTIFUL HEADINGTON beautiful, colourful, us Simple design can be a powerful tool in creating identity to a place. It need not be as drastic as a ‘shark in the roof ’ to draw attention and create a sense of place. This policy was designed based on the information received from a member of the Neighbourhood Forum who explained to the group—through a site visit—that the look of shop facades brought down the look of the area. The creation of a policy to propose a specific colour palette of 5 colours would help combat this issue and create an eye-catching scene where identity could be created. This policy acts as the building block for recommendation 3 where landmarks could be placed on each corner of the main crossroads in Headington. This, combined with the new street layout would aim to create focal points and meeting points that were easily identifiable. This is currently lacking in Headington and this policy would ensure public participation in the creation of artwork to act as these specific landmarks.
recommendation BP1
BP1 COLOUR PALETTE
a specific colour palette of 5 different colours should be used for shop facades to create identity, vibrancy and continuity.
recommendation BP1
BP2 CORNER BUILDING TREATMENT
the four corners of the cross roads should be given specific identity through colour to create identity and landmarks.
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OUR HEADINGTON now is your time
The idea of these policies is to increase and heighten the sense of ownership of the area of Headington, for the people that live, work, and spend time there. By increasing a sense of ownership, it is hoped that more people will care about what goes on in the area, thereby increasing the participation these groups of people. By creating projects that help implement these policies and build participation it can help create a space that feels as if it has been designed by locals and generate a sense of empowerment. The two policies included in this report are basic ways of achieving the aim of ‘Our Headington’, but we hope they also will ultimately lead to more people having control over what goes on in their area. Firstly, OP1 focusses on generating community involvement, a key participation tool that we hope will achieve our aim. This is done by making it so that any provision of public art or significant enhancement in the public realm must include at least one local or resident artist throughout its design and implementation process. This has the effect of enhancing the sense of ownership, because someone living here created it, not someone from the other side of the country. It is also assumed that the local artist will take inspiration from the people he/she knows and the residents of the area when designing the enhancement, furthering the sense that it is a community project, created by the community for the community. The second policy in this theme is OP2, which puts in place a ‘community right to build’. This is a policy that allows local community members to have the power to undertake small scale, community-led developments, which do not have to go through the normal planning application process. This increases access for residents to have their #Headington27
say to the things they want in their community. By bypassing the normal planning process, it encourages people to get involved, there by encouraging participation. So residents get what they want and an increased sense of ownership, helping achieve the aims of ‘Our Headington’. recommendation OP1
OP1 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
any provision of public art and public enhancement must include at least one local artists community.
recommendation OP1
OP2 COMMUNITY RIGHT TO BUILD
local community will have a power to undertake small-scale, site-specific, community-led developments, without going through the normal planning apllication process.
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PROJECT one PROJECT two PROJECT three PROJECT four 4 4 1
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1 3
4
4
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PROJECT one The first project recommendation that this report will explain is a scheme which involves erecting some large arches covering the width of the road and pavement to symbolise an ‘entrance’ and ‘exit’. The aim is to give Headington a sense of place and to create more of an identity to the area. They will be located on London Road, the first next to the Co-operative, and the second near the Starbucks café. There will be an option, depending on the availability of funding, of constructing two more arches, on Windmill Road, he first near Waitrose, with the second near Dong Dongs restaurant. The idea is to locate the arches at the main gateways into Headington. There are many strengths that this approach offers in addressing some of the issues identified from the research. Firstly, this recommendation will create a landmark in Headington adding to the distinctiveness of the area. It will also act as a focal point where by the users of Headington actually remembers the area. Another aspect the arches will add is enclosure. This will take place to the shopping area of Headington to add a clear separation between the shopping district of Headington and its residential area. The arches will also label Headington as a place where people can come and stay as oppose to just an area in which one passes through. In the research the group carried out, an issue which was very prominent to many people was that of traffic and its speed on the main road. The arches will act as a psychological speed reduction to drivers when driving through the area whilst creating a feeling of ‘start’ and ‘finish’ to the shopping district centre. It would also be possible to involve a higher road surface level or speed bump at the arch to exaggerate this difference in area. #Headington31
THE ARCH
PROJECT two Project two emphasises a little bit more on adding colour to Headington, in order to create identity and enhance the public realm of the high street. This project also aims to reduce clutter, and imrpove the cycle lane conditions.
PAINTING THE STREET
The underlying principle of painting the street project is to remove the existing street signs with different colours for directions. The physical boundary of the scheme is for highway located within the Headington arch (Project 1). The aim of this is to create a psychological sense of place, together with the arch. a) By removing the conventional street signage it is hoped to reduce clutter on the pavement, and therefore increase pedestrians’ convenient; b)These colour lines will direct road users to main sites of Headington such as Headington Carpark, Oxford Brookes University, the Hospital; c) By using colour to clearly define the highway, pedestrian way, and cycle lane; d) The colours used will be of those specified in the colour palette (Policy recommendation BP2); and, e) This scheme can involve participants from the neighbourhood such as local schools, residents, and university students.
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PROJECT three
CORNER TREATMENT
Project three is focused on the main crossing roads of London Road with Windmill Road and Old High Street. It is the most viable area in terms of traffic and pedestrians. Here they meet, wait and pass through. The design actions are to locate a uniform tree and diagonal crossing. The uniform tree is going to be located on the corner of Barclay’s building. It would play a role as a sun shed in the bright part of the day and will shine at night to create a sense of security. The design could be changed monthly and on different occasions. The tree will bring in the area: a) A new focal point – a colourful piece of art;
b) The feel for identity in Headington shopping area The other idea is connected to redesigning the corner will be in order to provide more comfort for the pedestrians and increase their importance in the area. While observing the area, our group has mentioned that when you cross one part of the street and you would like to cross one more, the traffic lights have already turned red. This design action will allow pedestrians to cross more directly. The area may not be as busy as the example from Oxford Circus, but will contribute to a positive experience in the Headington. a)
Pedestrian safety will be secured
b)
The clutter will be reduced
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PROJECT four
RESTING BAYS
The aim of this project is predominantly two fold: Firstly it aims to slow pedestrians down, hopefully causing people to spend more time in the area and create and atmosphere that contrasts to the fast moving traffic that at the moment dominates the area. Secondly, it hopes to reclaim space so from the traffic with the effect of creating functional areas, that can involve seating and other amenities in order to improve the pedestrian experience. this effect is furthered as the reclaimed space also acts as a place to consolidate ‘street clutter’ which should help the other projects achieve their aims. The space that is going to be targeted is the parking bays along the sides of the main through road. the following section outlines how the space will be used and the aims for this project. The fourth project we came up with was the reclamation of on street parking in order to give the space back to the pedestrian. We have seen that in terms of Urban Design, the pedestrian should come first. By taking portions of the road back and turning them into spaces for pedestrians to relax or even take part in activities, it is hoped the pavement scene is more vibrant and feels less traffic dominated, which was one of the key issues to come out of the surveys. The first problem with this is that it creates less opportunity for parking, which could be seen to have a negative effect on the businesses in the area. However, by principle these areas would be designed with the aim of slowing the passing pedestrian down, encouraging them to spend more time in the area. This could have the effect of increasing the footfall and accessibility to businesses, whilst also discouraging people to shoot through Headington, creating a sense that this is a place to stop and spend time.
This has been seen in many parts of the world, and there are many ideas for how the reclamation of what would appear to be quite small spaces can be inventively used to create an interesting and vibrant street scene. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shows how these small can space can act as functional seating areas as well as incorporating a splash of green vegetation into the area.
2
1
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Summary and Conclusion
The recommendations for Headington have been stated in detail in earlier chapters however, it is important to conclude with reference to the developmental process that produced the vision and the aforementioned policies and recommendations. The consultation stage of the report acted as the springboard for the later development of policies and recommendations. From consulting with local residents, students and retailers, we were able to see what those living in Headingdon considered to be the biggest issues facing its retail environment and also it’s lack of identity. This report showed us the importance of participation in planning and how participation is prerequisite to the creation of a successful, identifiable and sustainable place. It outlined the necessity for participation in each aspect of planning e.g. design and how important it is to consult with anyone who desires to input their ideas. We found that effective participation can have the power to ensure successful neighbourhood plans are not only developed but also maintained. The continual need to involve lay members of the public during the design process of a Neighbourhood Plan is equally important, as it is to involve them in the creation of transport, and retail policies. It was found that people genuinely wanted to get involved and be a part of developing the future of their area, which could have implications for future planning policy.
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l o c a l residents
l o c a l businesess
l o c a l students consultation
p l a c e c h e c k
s p a c e shaper methods
dynamic headington
beautiful headington
our headington vision and objectives
g
the a t
e
painting s t r e e t
the junction
b
resting a y s recommendations
Combining this knowledge with different methods and literature also shaped the way in which the final decisions were made. However, because the sample sizes were relatively small, the results may not be generalised to shows the holistic view of everyone in Headington. Despite this, the results do show that the majority of those who were questioned considered good design to be a means of combatting some of the aesthetic problems facing Headington. Furthermore it shows important design is in the creation of a vibrant, dynamic place and therefore indicates how important it is to include design aspects and policies in Neighbourhood Plans.
References and Bibliography Barton, H., 2010. Shaping Neighbourhoods for local health and global sustainability. Abingdon: Routledge. CABE., 2009. This way to better residential streets. Available at: https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/asset/document/ this-way-to-better-residential-streets%20 %281%29.pdf [Accessed 17 February 2014]. CABE., 2013. Design in neighbourhood planning. Available at: https://www.designcouncil. org.uk/knowledge-resources/design-neighbourhood-planning [Accessed 3 March 2014]. Forum for Neighbourhood Planning., 2013. Neighbourhood planning and the Localism Act. Available at: http://www.ourneighbourhoodplanning.org.uk/Neighbourhood_planning_ and_the_Localism_Act [Accessed 21 February 2014]. Gehl, J., 2012. Cities for People, Washington: Island Press GOV, 2011. National Planning Policy Framework. Available at https://www.gov.uk/ government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6077/2116950.pdf [Accessed 21 October 2013]. GOV., 2007. Manual for streets. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ manual-for-streets [Accessed 7 January 2014]. GOV., 2012. Re-imagining urban spaces to help revitalise our high streets. Available at http:// www.rtpi.org.uk/media/11209/re-imagining_urban_spaces_to_help_revitalise_our_ high_streets_clg__july_2012__rtpi_partner.pdf [Accessed 7 January 2014]. GOV., 2013. Giving communities more power in planning local development. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/giving-communities-more-power-in-planning-lo-
cal-development/supporting-pages/neighbourhood-planning [Accessed 21 February 2014]. Hall., T 2007 Turning a town around, Oxford: Blackwell OCC, 2001. Oxford Local Development Plan. Available at http://www.oxford.gov.uk/Library/ Documents/Planning/Local%20Plan%20Policy%20Status%20Feb%202013.pdf [Accessed 21 October 2013]. OCC, 2011. Oxford Core Strategy. Available at. http://www.oxford.gov.uk/Library/Documents/ Core%20Strategy/Oxford%20Core%20Strategy%202026.pdf. [Accessed 21 October 2013]. Placecheck, 2012. How to do a Placecheck, Available at:http://www.placecheck.info/ wp-content/uploads/2012/03/How-to-do-aPlacecheck-_explained-in-full_.pdf [Accessed 3 March 2014] Planning Portal., 2012. Neighbourhood planning. Available at: https://www.planningportal. gov.uk/inyourarea/neighbourhood/ [Accessed 12 February 2014]. Prince’s Foundation 2., 2011. Wolverton town Centre neighbourhood planning. Available at: http://www.princes-foundation.org/sites/default/files/wolvertonnp_2011-13_casestudy_0. pdf [Accessed 21 February 2014]. Prince’s Foundation., 2011. Vision. Available at: http://www.princes-foundation.org/about-us/ vision [Accessed 21 February 2014]. Spaceshaper9-14, 2012, About Spaceshaper, Available at: http://www.spaceshaper9-14. co.uk/pages/index.php?page=about-3 [Accessed 3 March 2014]
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Appendices • Appendix 1 - Minutes • Appendix 2 - Questionnaires
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