Section Heading Newcastle-under-LymeMain Contents Section Start and Stoke-on-Trent Urban Design Guidance Supplementary Planning Document Click here to view Main Contents December 2010 Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Urban Design Guidance Main contents Section Page How to use this design guide This Urban Design Guidance was commissioned by: Main Contents RENEW; Stoke-on-Trent City Council; Newcastle- How to use this 1 Introduction 1 under-Lyme Borough Council; The North Staffordshire design guide Regeneration Partnership and Advantage West Midlands. 2 Strategic urban design vision 12 The North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership was dissolved during 2010. 3 Good design: good practice 33 Selected character areas: 4 Centres 47 5 Local transport corridors 65 6 Canal and river network 77 Topic guidance: 7 Residential design guidance 84 8 Employment design guidance 102 9 Historic environment 111 10 Rural environment 116 11 Public realm 123 Appendices 136 Produced by Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design. A1 Adopted planning policy basis 137 A2 Glossary 139 A3 Further guidance and reading 140 Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Urban Design Guidance How to use this design guide This design guide is mainly intended for use on Tip: This document is not web-based and so cannot allow the use of back/return screen rather than in print format, as it contains functions to go to the previously viewed page. If no direct link is provided, then please Main Contents navigation links. go via either the Main Contents or the Section Start to return to a particular page How to use this It is strongly recommended that you first, please design guide refer to the strategic urban design vision and any of the key strategic urban design principles that may Key considerations that be relevant. Check that you propose to follow the Urban design principle help to establish whether Explanatory highlighted in colour the principle is being met illustration good practice principles set out in Section 3, Good design: good practice. Then refer to the character 6 Canal and river network area guidance if applicable. Finally, refer to the ‘Click’ relevant topic sections that apply to the situation. to return Over time, regular users of the Urban Design 6.2.1 Areas with a ‘green’ character Views/topography to main CR2 Development should take the form of a. The visual impact of proposed new clusters of Main Contents contents list development must be considered, with the aim Guide should be able to go straight to the relevant distinct clusters, informally arranged and Section 6 Start set in landscapes, in line with the general being to create high quality new focal points in appropriate locations rather than to have no character and topic areas. guidance and typical existing characteristics. Introduction Development that takes the form of a impact on views at all; Character of continuous building frontage, creating a high b. Consider views towards a proposed the canal and development from the water, not only towards The current The electronic format allows you to cross refer degree of enclosure, would be inappropriate in river network areas with a ‘green’ character. it. Creating visible between these sections as necessary and also Development The following detailed principles apply: Landscape destinations Within these areas, the ‘green’ corridor nature of overlooks the section canal highlights certain specific cross references, where Activity the canal should be enhanced or extended into the General of the a. Make connections to open spaces, parks and adjoining landscape associated with development. Buildings step in and guidance these occur between different sections. play areas; out to create spaces document Security should be addressed through careful along the edge Landmark corner b. Towpaths and other pedestrian and cycle landscape design to ensure that the desired (identified by routes alongside waterways should be clearly character is created. Considerations include: Related topics are identified by ‘Refer to’ plus recognisable as recreational routes. a. More naturalistic planting, to help blend arrow on left section number and name. Links back from these Building form / massing the sinuous canal alignment with the softer hand side) a. Buildings should vary in their alignment with topography of adjacent open spaces; Landscape and vegetation along parts of the canal edge topics to your original place in the document are some being set back creating spaces along the b. Careful balancing of expansive and enclosed waters edge, others being set at the edge of the sections of the canal, to provide surprise and ‘Click’ to canal; identified by ‘Return to’ plus section numbers only. interest along the route; view General b. The proportions, height and massing of c. Use of large-scale wildflower planting, or buildings should reflect the character of historic meadows with minimal management, in guidance Please note that the design guide should not industrial development. i.e. development should preference to municipal mown grass or be clustered with varying building heights and shrubbery; building lines; be used in isolation to guide the preparation of d. Provision of a strong landscape buffer, where c. Generally, a similar scale to former industrial the form of development is not part of a cluster; Simple building Varying Opportunity for public clusters, up to an equivalent of 4 storeys, is and roof forms building or semi public space Location proposals. Other steps should include: e. Where open spaces line the waterways views appropriate for new development. heights to the canal should be retained/created and within Architecture access to the towpath encouraged; and Figure 6.7: Diagram and illustration showing an appropriate 2 of 3 pages on: current a. Check compliance with policy in the Core The architecture should be simple and should f. Any canal-side vegetation should be designed character for development in areas with a ‘green’ character respond to the industrial canal side character 6.2 Character of to enhance biodiversity. the canal and river section of existing buildings without mimicking the Spatial Strategy and any other guidance in network appearance of the historic fabric. Refer to: Section 3.6 Appraising the context relevant planning policy documents; Return to: Section 1.8.7 b. Check any specific requirements the local Previous Next/ planning authority may have for the site or Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Urban Design Guidance 79 proposed development; How to use this Return to position before ‘Click’ to view other related ‘Click’ to navigate c. A site visit and appraisal of the site in its design guide clicking on link (gives only section (gives section within current section context; section number) number and name) d. A pre-application consultation with planning Tip: Use the up and down or Tip: Use the ‘Find’ Function in the Acrobat officers. left and right arrow-keys on Toolbar and the ‘Find Next / Previous’ your keyboard to scroll through buttons, to search the pages of this document for a keyword Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Urban Design Guidance SectionIntroduction Heading Main Contents Section 1Start Start This design guide Purpose Status of 1 document Scope and coverage Background Terminology Importance of good design The pattern of development Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Urban Design Guidance 1 1 Introduction 1.1 This design guide The importance of design is recognised both c. Provide guidance in relation to planning nationally and locally within both local authorities. applications: to applicants when formulating Main Contents Good design is considered essential for sustainable proposals; to planning officers when assessing Kidsgrove Section 1 Start development and it is recognised as a key them; and to politicians when making decisions, contributor to economic value, community health, on what constitutes good, sustainable urban Tunstall This design Audley social well-being and inclusion, as well as to the design in this sub-region. Burslem guide quality of the environment. d. Provide guidance to public sector City Centre Purpose We need good design if we are to create places commissioning bodies when strategies and Stoke Town Status of proposals are being formulated either directly by Newcastle where people will want to live, to work and to Fenton themselves, or by others on their behalf. Borough of Madeley document visit. Design is important everywhere, not only in Newcastle- Longton maintaining the quality of places that are already under-Lyme Scope and attractive, but also in helping to revitalise and to 1.3 Status of document coverage regenerate places. This design guide is a Supplementary Planning City of Background Stoke-on-Trent Good design is not just about buildings but Document (SPD), which amplifies planning policies Loggerheads Terminology about places, and includes the way places in a Development Plan Document (DPD), in this work as well as how they look. This requires a case the Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on- Importance of good design considered response to a place, based on a good Trent Core Spatial Strategy (October 2009). Of N understanding of the particular context. particular relevance are the Core Spatial Strategy 0 m 5 km 10 km The pattern of Strategic Aims 14, 16 and 17, Core Strategic development The guidance included here is urban design Figure 1.1: Key plan to show the area covered by this urban Policy CSP1 - Design Quality, Core Strategic Policy design guide guidance. Its focus is upon principles for creating CSP2 - Historic Environment and Core Strategic better places, that is, on design issues that Policy CSP3 - Sustainability and Climate Change. influence how a proposal relates to its context. Refer to Appendix A1 Good design is about imaginative solutions that meet the needs of each client and respond It does not create new planning policy, but appropriately to their context. In order not to stifle explains in more detail how existing policy will be creativity, this guide is not prescriptive and does interpreted.