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Accessible

Street

Charter

2017

Key principles for

street design

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Produced by

The Equality and Diversity Team

Corporate Service Directorate

North Somerset Council.

Copies of this document can be obtained in an alternative

format or language by writing to:

Equality and Diversity Team

Town Hall

Walliscote Grove Road

Weston Super Mare

BS23 1UJ

Phone: 01934 634989

Email: equality@n-somerset.gov.uk

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Contents

.................................................................................................. 1

Background ............................................................................... 4

Accessible Street Charter (ASC) ............................................... 5

ASC1 To use a cascade approach to the application of standards

and advice. ................................................................................ 5

ASC2 Provide footways that are suitable and safe for all

disabled people. ........................................................................ 5

ASC4 Pedestrian crossing design and location ......................... 6

ASC5 All street furniture must meet the needs of disabled

people........................................................................................ 6

ASC6 The accessibility of proposed schemes will be audited

before and after completion. ...................................................... 6

ASC7 Parking provision must always be available for disabled

people even when it’s not available to able people. .................. 7

ASC8 To undertake consultation, engagement or co-design

with disabled people on significant or major environmental

improvement schemes. ............................................................. 7

ASC9 All planting will be positioned and maintained so as to

avoid becoming an obstruction to pedestrians. ......................... 7

ASC10 Support for pedestrians following introduction of all new

environmental and highway improvement schemes. ................. 7

What does this mean? ............................................................... 7

Further information .................................................................... 8

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Background

The Charter draws together:

Advice from local disabled people,

National guidance and good practice,

Advice and views of North Somerset Council Planning and

Highways.

It has two key aims:

1. To summarise access advice on the public realm in one

place to promote improved standards of accessibility.

2. To avoid repetition of consultation on issues that can be

agreed and applied to all schemes.

None of the advice in this Charter is new. It can be found in

national good practice guides, results of previous consultation and

be seen in various locations and projects around North Somerset.

Useful background guidance is provided at the end of the Charter.

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Accessible Street Charter (ASC)

ASC1 To use a cascade approach to the application of standards and advice.

1. Consider first, national standards eg BS8300:2009 A1+2010,

DfT Tactile paving, DfT Manual for Streets

2. Apply agreed Council policy and advice, co-designed with

disabled people that may interpret national standards.

3. Use the site/project specific advice of local disabled people or

representative organisations

4. The Council and its partners must respond and act on the

access concerns raised by individual disabled people and value

their feedback.

This will be in the context of its duties under the Equality Act

2010 and the advice already received from disabled people, or

representative organisations, as a part of the consultation work

on the project.

ASC2 Provide footways that are suitable and safe for all disabled people.

1. Use suitable and appropriate footway materials.

2. Maintain footways to a suitable standard

a. Ensure surfaces are even and devoid of ruts, ridges and

potholes.

b. Replace tactile paving where raised section falls below

4.5mm high.

3. Layout of footways to meet needs of disabled people.

Details of other standards are available on TheAccessOfficer website. Search for the “essential” guidance.

More details on the Equality Act are available on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website

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a. The footway and the carriageway. (Kerbs should be treated as an integral part of the footway).

2. Footways will be designed with the aim of maximising and maintaining footway space for pedestrians. Key aims therefore will be:

a. Avoid locating temporary displays or activities on pedestrian desire lines.

b. Consistently group and locate all street furniture using guidance in the council’s Disability Design Standards (DDS) Sheet 4.

c. Make provision for needs of businesses to advertise,

deliver goods, etc.

ASC4 Pedestrian crossing design and location

1. Disabled people must be able to cross carriageways safely and independently.

2. Crossings points must be designed in accordance with national guidance.

ASC5 All street furniture must meet the needs of disabled people.

1. It must contrast with the surrounding environment. 2. All fixtures must extend to ground level and be at least 1m

high. 3. Where there are no alternative advertising solutions:

a. The council will use its regulatory powers or seek voluntary agreements to constrain freestanding advertising boards to being no more than 1.2m by 0.6m in size.

b. Always placed with any existing street furniture on retailer’s forecourt.

4. All street cafes will comply with the council’s Licensing Guidelines on Street Cafes.

5. To put highway columns to more than one use and design and installed at the outset with this aim in mind.

ASC6 The accessibility of proposed schemes will be audited before and after completion.

1. Use same threshold as for road safety audits.

2. Use national Quality Audit (QA) process.

3. Audit criteria to be agreed and periodically monitored by

disabled people.

Banners are one

alternative to A-boards

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ASC7 Parking provision must always be available for disabled people even when it’s not available to able people.

1. Services and facilities must be accompanied by parking

provision.

2. Standards for the layout of parking bays must be met.

(Details are given in DDS sheet 3).

ASC8 To undertake consultation, engagement or co-design with disabled people on significant or major environmental improvement schemes.

It is important to tailor methodology to the group or the

individuals and their impairments.

ASC9 All planting will be positioned and maintained so as to avoid becoming an obstruction to pedestrians.

1. All new works will incorporate new planting out of desire

lines and in accordance with the layout criteria in principle

4 above.

2. Maintenance and planting programmes on council land will

seek to identify and meet the needs of a wide range of

impairments.

ASC10 Support for pedestrians following introduction of all new environmental and highway improvement schemes.

To provide pedestrians with information and practical assistance,

where required, about changes to areas

Examples would include:

Road safety training for children; eg use of zebra crossings

where previously have been Pelican crossings.

General awareness raising for wider public eg new

crossings changed road priorities.

Additional guidance and skills support for disabled people;

eg for visually impaired people.

Initiatives aimed at drivers, including new drivers through

driving schools etc.

What does this mean?

Consultation is simply

seeking people’s opinions

or feedback

Engagement is taking

consultation further and

actively discussing

different ideas or possible

changes during the

design process

Co-design is where a

project team work with

people as a part of design

or project team and

ensure they are always

actively involved in its

progression.

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Further information

This list of references provides background material on standards

and themes that should be addressed.

1. Co-design in Peckham. Guardian Newspapers. July 27, 2015.

2. Manual for Streets 2 Dept. of Transport, 2010.

3. Manual for Streets: evidence and research. Dept. of Transport,

2007.

4. BS8300:2009+A1 2010 Design of buildings to meet the needs

of disabled people. British Standards Institute. 2010.

5. Neighbourhoods for life. Housing Corporation, 2004.

6. Dementia and Town Planning – RTPI Practice Advice, Royal

Town Planning Institute (RTPI) 2017.

7. The design of pedestrian crossings, Local Transport Note 2/95

Dept. of Transport 1995.

8. Reducing sign clutter, Traffic Advisory Leaflet 01/13 Dept. for

Transport 2013

9. An alternative age-friendly handbook, UK Urban Ageing

Consortium; Age UK; Royal Institute of British Architects; Age-

friendly Manchester, Manchester Institute for Collaborative

Research on Ageing. 2014

10. Shared space, Local Transport Note 1/11, Dept. of Transport,

2011.

11. Violence, Sexuality and Space. Research summary. Economic

and Social Research Council (ESRC), 2005.

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North Somerset Council, 2017.