'Returning Roads to Residents' report

'Returning Roads to Residents' report

Returning Roads to Residents report

A new report identifying practical ways to improve the quality of life in the UK's residential streets was launched in June 2000 in Edinburgh by the Institution of Civil Engineers, on behalf of the Urban Design Alliance.

The report, Returning Roads to Residents, shows how residents can take action to prevent the deterioration of their street under the pressures of unplanned car parking and through-traffic, which can come to dominate streets.

Over the next 30 years car ownership is forecast to increase by nearly 40 per cent and these pressures will intensify. The report shows how individual residents can unwittingly damage the street environment and adversely affect the value of their property. By concreting over their front gardens, for example, to provide off-street car parking they may be reducing the value of their property and that of their neighbours – often with little gain in the overall number of parking spaces in the street. It's a case of "trees and shrubs versus tarmac and tyres".

The report recommends that residents should form a partnership with the local authority, which will then audit their street, come up with proposals for improvement and form an agreement to have the improvements implemented and maintained.

The publication of Returning Roads to Residents follows an 18-month investigation by a working group formed from the Institution of Civil Engineers, Royal Town Planning Institute, Landscape Institute, Institution of Highways &

Transportation and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors into ways of improving the attractiveness and function of the UK's residential streets.

Its main recommendations include:

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  Forming "quality street partnerships" between the residents, local authorities and other concerned parties to provide a basis for managing and improving the street.

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  Undertaking street audits, using the UDAL Placecheck system, to identify problem areas, and areas for improvement.

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  Working with professionals to develop design solutions to the improvement of the street and better management.

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  Forming "quality street agreements" to bind the parties to secure funding, implement the improvements, carry through the improvements and maintain the street thereafter.

Specific measures include:

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  Reallocating the space available in the street to meet modern needs. This could entail anything from minor improvements to appearances by planting hedges in order to screen parked cars, through to the complete remodelling of the street by incorporating parts of people's gardens or introducing more space-efficient forms of parking – such as chevron parking – at an angle to the kerb.

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  Introducing one-way systems to free up street space for use by residents; for example by increased parking provision or added greenspace.

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  Using the local authority's powers, such as Article 4 directions and untidy land orders, to prevent the deterioration of the appearance of the street.

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  Using climbing plants to add colour and life to narrow terraced streets.

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  Using gateways or trellises to help screen ugly views.

Contact Peter Griffiths. Tel: 020 7665 2107.