Designing Streets

On behalf of the Scottish Government Planning and Architecture Division, we undertook  research to develop a better understanding of the way in which local authorities are currently implementing Designing Streets Policy in Scotland, to identify any barriers to compliance, and to recommend ways around these.

The study focused on  the evaluation of published guidance by all of Scotland’s local authorities, surveys and interviews with local authority officers, developers and their consultants to examine specific issues in more detail and case studies.

We encouraged local authorities that are using outdated streets design guidance to update it, and set suggested timescales for completion of revisions. These would be best achieved through the use of a process – centred approach based upon multi-disciplinary working and  shared design principles, rather than the application of standardised design templates.

Our research supported a 2-Stage Roads Construction Consent, integrated with planning so that the same drawn and specified material largely meets the submission requirements of both consents processes. The first stage could potentially cover geometry and levels, with a second stage covering detailed design including construction details, materials, lighting, street furniture.