New design code to improve quality, safety and speed of development for Lincolnshire’s future streets.
New standards are set to streamline planning processes for developers and bring improved design, safety and quality among newly adopted streets across Lincolnshire.
Road adoption is the process where a local council takes ownership and maintenance responsibility of a private street. For new roads, developers need to meet the county council’s high standards before we will take over these responsibilities.
The new Code helps make these expectations clear early in the process, supporting the design of streets that are more likely to meet adoption requirements from the outset.
The Better Streets for Lincolnshire website establishes clear, best practice for local street design. It defines what ‘good’ looks like in Lincolnshire by incorporating specific local requirements, like drainage, flood risk, street types and long-term maintenance. Roads designed under the new Code will be built in safer, more flood resilient layouts, and designed to last longer.
As well bringing better streets for residents, the Code will also reduce preparation time and costs for developers by providing greater clarity on what is required at each stage, enabling the right information and design considerations to be addressed early on.
It forms part of an effort to deliver consistent standards and improve certainty for development for would-be investors in Lincolnshire. And, as part of the initiative, a simple web-based checklist will be accessible through the Better Streets for Lincolnshire website.
This checklist will help applicants know what is required of them to help submit comprehensive proposals the first-time round, which will reduce delays and enable faster, more consistent responses from our officers.
Cllr Danny Brookes, Executive Councillor for Planning and Environment, said: “There’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes that has brought this project to life, and although good street design and drainage often goes unnoticed, the impact of this work will benefit huge numbers of people in new developments going forward.
“Our communities will get safer roads that are designed with local risks and needs in mind, developers in the county will get clearer guidance through the process, reduced delays and the cost savings that come along with those, and as a council we’ll see processes streamlined and more consistent applications to review.
“Most importantly, it’s adopting a more localised approach to street design which looks to prioritises the needs of our communities from the outset. It’s a clear demonstration of our commitment to work with developers to encourage the right developments in the right places across Lincolnshire.”
Find out more about the Better Streets for Lincolnshire project on the new website for developers: www.betterstreetsforlincolnshire.co.uk