Design Guide SPD - Public Spaces - Chapter 9

Community Safety Considerations - Lighting:
As picked up in the movement section of this consultation, there needs to be sensitivity about where LEDs are placed and how they may affect nearby properties. Good lighting is essential for safety but lamp heights, along with lighting intensities and temperatures should not result in nuisance or be out of character with the surroundings. It would be useful if both temperature and intensity could be controlled remotely in order to be able to respond to local residents when they raise issues. It is very resource hungry to have to fit filters on individual lamps.

I support all the aims and ideas.

Billington Great and Little with also a large community of Travellers living in Little Billington and nearby Stanbridge Road (Stanbridge Parish) nearer to Billington than Stanbridge. The Parish play and leisure space is good and sufficient, although the tarmac area where some equipment is sited needs a re-tarmac.
It is extremely dangerous for children and adults to cross the very busy B440 to access the play and leisure facilities. A crossing is required for safety.


In the Design Guide it states, see below:-


Ideally the location of the play space should allow easy access from all parts of the development, near to well used pedestrian routes with good surveillance from neighbouring properties. Access to play space should also avoid the need to cross major roads and other hazardous obstacles. Footpaths which are to be used as a main access footpath to the rest of a green corridor should not run through the middle of a play area.

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There need to be public spaces in new developments where children can "Play out" and be seen by parents through the window. This is really important for children's activity levels and the whole spirit of the place. The might mean more than one play area. The present system of one play area stuck in the corner of the dveelopment so that it is a long distance to walk with a toddler is not helpful in terms of public health and activity for children.

There need to be covered areas of open space so that children can play out despite the weather and so that teenagers have a place to congregate and socialise. There could be roofs of solar panels that then link to car charging stations. There need to be covered areas in town centres, that are shielded from the wind so that there can be market stall, entertainment, pop up cafes etc. There also needs to be enclosed public space so that people especially lonely elderly people can engage and socialise and all people can meeting. These could be large spaces easy to maintain with solar rooves, and fixed seating and then there could be pop up cafes and play areas etc. They would be much warmer than MIdsummer place in MK and would really create a sense of cimmunity. Bill Dunster the architect in his website has some veyr godo examples. This is one of the best. https://www.zedfactory.com/jingdezhen-ceramic-centre .
Public art and design is really important. LInking public space to artists workshops and studio is really important o for the vibrancy of the design.

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Response from South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth to the Design Guide Consultation.


This has been a very difficult consulation for community groups. There is a lot repetition making it a very long document and very unwieldy to comment on.

This design guide contains some really exciting work in chapter 12 on Sustainability and biodiversity. However this does not seem to clearly run through the guide. This chapter with the case studies should be at the start of the document and then there could be further details after this.
The design guide is severely hampered by the objectives of the Local Plan which are really out of date in relation to the sixth carbon budget and the latest work which shows how depleted the UK is in terms of Nature using the 2019 State of Nature report which highlights that 44 million pairs of breeding birds have been lost since 1967, 97% of wildflower meadows lost since the 1960’s, huge declines in hedgehogs and butterflies.

There need to be targets for Biodiversity creation as a whole in Bedfordshire and then these need to feed through into the design of green spaces and landscape. There needs to be much more emphasis on flowering shrubs both native and non native, ivy, spring bulbs that support pollinators, areas of long grass, wildflower meadows with management plans, areas of rotting logs, winding paths through trees and shrubs etc, areas of ponds that are kept filled up in the summer, untidy areas with brambles where birds can shelter from the huge danger of cats, areas of dead leaves and areas for hedgehodgs to hibernate and bare areas of earth on banks where solitary bees can create nests. The photos show very sterile areas for the most part.
As well as this there need to be corridors of flowering shrubs both native and non native for children to play with winding paths and big logs etc to encourage natural play. There need to be many informal play areas with old logs, shrubs etc and mounds and space for kicking a football for children to play out.

Health and co benefits of carbon cutting and sustainability need to run through this, opening up pathways for extra external funding to help with sustainability of the development.

In light of the Committee on Climate Change’s recent announcement on the slow pace of decarbonising the electricity grid, it is really important to include wind turbines/ farms going to a direct wire to a new estates, along with heat pumps etc and linking this in to landspace.

There needs to be far more in town centres to support artists who in turn create regeneration, and covered and indoor spaces. Solar panels on car parks and building and translucent solar rooves. Health and culture and local businesses and education on green skills need to be key to the town centre. Culture, heritage and the arts need to be key to supporting health, wellbeing and building community in town centres
There need to be much strong targets for cycling and walking .
Pollution into watercourses from microplastics in car tyres needs to be mitigated and prevented.
Response from South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth.
This has been a very difficult consulation for community groups. There is a lot repetition making it a very long document and very unwieldy to comment on.

This design guide contains some really exciting work in chapter 12 on Sustainability and biodiversity. However this does not seem to clearly run through the guide. This chapter with the case studies should be at the start of the document and then there could be further details after this.
The design guide is severely hampered by the objectives of the Local Plan which are really out of date in relation to the sixth carbon budget and the latest work which shows how depleted the UK is in terms of Nature using the 2019 State of Nature report which highlights that 44 million pairs of breeding birds have been lost since 1967, 97% of wildflower meadows lost since the 1960’s, huge declines in hedgehogs and butterflies.

There need to be targets for Biodiversity creation as a whole in Bedfordshire and then these need to feed through into the design of green spaces and landscape. There needs to be much more emphasis on flowering shrubs both native and non native, ivy, spring bulbs that support pollinators, areas of long grass, wildflower meadows with management plans, areas of rotting logs, winding paths through trees and shrubs etc, areas of ponds that are kept filled up in the summer, untidy areas with brambles where birds can shelter from the huge danger of cats, areas of dead leaves and areas for hedgehodgs to hibernate and bare areas of earth on banks where solitary bees can create nests. The photos show very sterile areas for the most part.
As well as this there need to be corridors of flowering shrubs both native and non native for children to play with winding paths and big logs etc to encourage natural play. There need to be many informal play areas with old logs, shrubs etc and mounds and space for kicking a football for children to play out.

Health and co benefits of carbon cutting and sustainability need to run through this, opening up pathways for extra external funding to help with sustainability of the development.

In light of the Committee on Climate Change’s recent announcement on the slow pace of decarbonising the electricity grid, it is really important to include wind turbines/ farms going to a direct wire to a new estates, along with heat pumps etc and linking this in to landspace.

There needs to be far more in town centres to support artists who in turn create regeneration, and covered and indoor spaces. Solar panels on car parks and building and translucent solar rooves. Health and culture and local businesses and education on green skills need to be key to the town centre. Culture, heritage and the arts need to be key to supporting health, wellbeing and building community in town centres
There need to be much strong targets for cycling and walking .
Pollution into watercourses from microplastics in car tyres needs to be mitigated and prevented.

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As a member I would like the following comments to be considered:

New properties should be in the style specified by Neighbourhood Plan not just meeting the quality of the worst previous local developments.
Public transport within 100m.
Cycle routes within 100m
Garden size at least as big as the footprint of the house.
Extensions which overlook not to be built within 15 metres of the applicant's boundary.
Preserve a 5m gap between properties.
Custom build should mean it not just 'pick one from a list of 3 ugly houses the developer offers'
All developments have to be adopted.
Keep all established trees/hedges and add to them
Not more planning by condition. Make sure the design guide covers off all that has been conditioned in recent years.
minimum of 2 off street parking spaces and 1 parking space per bedroom.
Materials to match those used in the long-established local area not just modern brick. See the Cotswolds.
Better drainage
Broad streets with traffic able to pass other vehicles if traffic is parked down one side.
Front gardens for all houses. No doors opening onto the pavement.
Social housing not to built more cheaply than the rest of the development.
Reduce density - 12/hectare (p.40)
Variation of design - not just one of 3 designs
Let people walk before paths are constructed. See where people go.
Bat/swift boxes for all houses.
Ability for all houses to have EV points.
Annual review of the plan
Bin storage off the pavement. No shadows cast over windows from adjacent properties.