Planning Reforms

[SteveA30]

The 'Growth Areas' will have automatic approval apparently. Will this mean even more bypass rbts and signalled junctions?

Under the government's proposals, which have gone out to consultation, land will be divided into three categories - "growth", "renewal" or "protected".

If land is designated for "renewal" councils would have to look favourably on new developments. In "growth" areas, new homes, hospitals and schools will be allowed automatically.

Areas of outstanding natural beauty and the green belt will come under the "protected" category and "beautiful buildings" will be fast-tracked through the system.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53669432? ... ting-story

[jervi]

What we need is new towns, with new infrastructure to support them. Especially the more sustainable transport such as railways for inter-town transport and trams/electric buses for intra-town transport. And of course roads with cycling & pedestrians in mind from the off-set.
Botching on new development around most towns at the moment is not good for anyone. Most towns in my area have seemed to of started building on the outside of their bypasses: Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Crawley, Horsham etc, I think the only place to not build on the wrong side of their bypass is Brighton & Hove, since its protected and not the best terrain to build on.

[Truvelo]

Once a bypass is breached it spells disaster, especially if the bypass is non trunk in which case at-grade junctions are added and it becomes an urban distributor.

As for new towns, the 1960s-early 70's examples worked the best as their road systems were designed from the outset with a strict order of hierarchy. I'm referring specifically to the expressways. New towns built now will have urban streets lined with houses as the main through routes. This is why planning over the last few decades has gone to pot.

[marconaf]

Once a bypass is breached it spells disaster, especially if the bypass is non trunk in which case at-grade junctions are added and it becomes an urban distributor.

As for new towns, the 1960s-early 70's examples worked the best as their road systems were designed from the outset with a strict order of hierarchy. I'm referring specifically to the expressways. New towns built now will have urban streets lined with houses as the main through routes. This is why planning over the last few decades has gone to pot.

Not sure they will - look at Aylesbury and the new estate at Broughton. Berryfields to the North West of the town shows a similar thing with the link road.

The idea seems to be avenue type roads with the houses actually accessed off side road distributors albeit at grade roundabouts to get to them.

[KeithW]

Once a bypass is breached it spells disaster, especially if the bypass is non trunk in which case at-grade junctions are added and it becomes an urban distributor.

As for new towns, the 1960s-early 70's examples worked the best as their road systems were designed from the outset with a strict order of hierarchy. I'm referring specifically to the expressways. New towns built now will have urban streets lined with houses as the main through routes. This is why planning over the last few decades has gone to pot.

Thats not true in all cases by any means. Thinking of two examples fairly close to where I live lets take a look.

Thornaby new town was built in the 1960's and 1970's on the old RAF field, the main through routes are lined with houses and flats. Most of old Thornaby is now either under the A66 or Industrial and Commercial buildings.

Trenchard Avenue is one of the main through roads
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.53486 ... 384!8i8192

Mitchell Avenue is another
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.54545 ... 312!8i6656

Close by is the new town of Ingleby Barwick. In 1980 it was just farmers fields, now its a major new town.
Its connected to the main through route of the A1045 by Ingleby Way
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.52041 ... 384!8i8192

To Leven by Barwick Way
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.51751 ... 384!8i8192

To Thornaby by Myton Way
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.52155 ... 384!8i8192

and Queen Elizabeth Way
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.52945 ... 384!8i8192

Note that Ingleby Barwick was planned and built entirely by private developers starting in 1981 and still ongoing, the population is now over 20,000.

Now in both cases the new towns were designed with access in mind but for older developments such as Berwick Hills and Thornaby access was assumed to be buses and bicycles, newer settlements such as Ingleby Barwick and Marton East were built from the start with the assumption that residents would have cars. I lived in this late 1970's house in Marton East that had a drive and garage from the start.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.53297 ... 312!8i6656

The houses currently being built are in my opinion appalling, crammed together like rabbit hutches they have no privacy with the postage stamp sized gardens being overlooked on all sides.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Pla ... -1.1956554

This is down to a council policy that until 2 years ago left much of the old housing in the town centre derelict while giving developers a free reign out of town.

This was their idea of town centre 'redevelopment' and is less than half a mile from the main shopping centre and town hall.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.57142 ... 312!8i6656

This area was lived in by owner occupiers who had to move out when they got compulsory purchase orders and in some cases the houses have been left like this for 30 years. They were rather decent well built houses with a back yard and gated back lane but after 30 years the roof's have collapsed and all they are good for now is demolition, fortunately the new Independent Council has now started to clear the derelict properties and a build a mixture of private and social housing and its slowly reviving.

[A9NWIL]

Once a bypass is breached it spells disaster, especially if the bypass is non trunk in which case at-grade junctions are added and it becomes an urban distributor.

As for new towns, the 1960s-early 70's examples worked the best as their road systems were designed from the outset with a strict order of hierarchy. I'm referring specifically to the expressways. New towns built now will have urban streets lined with houses as the main through routes. This is why planning over the last few decades has gone to pot.

Thankfully the two bypasses round my town are operated by HE as vital long distance routes so that would never happen. One is literally a major motorway in the region! The other links two major motorways. In fact the later HE and before them HA went to great expense to grade separate the remaining at grade junctions on it about 12/13 years ago. So my local council are having to work within those parameters even though they are now building outside the major bypasses.

[KeithW]

Thankfully the two bypasses round my town are operated by HE as vital long distance routes so that would never happen. One is literally a major motorway in the region! The other links two major motorways. In fact the later HE and before them HA went to great expense to grade separate the remaining at grade junctions on it about 12/13 years ago. So my local council are having to work within those parameters even though they are now building outside the major bypasses.

We have a similar setup with the A66 and A174 but its a bit of a 2 edged sword because as a result Middlesbrough council basically decided that they didnt need to anything to improve their roads despite allowing massive housing development out of town. The result is that feeder roads such as the the A171, A172 and A1032 are now massively overloaded. The S2 A172 already has an AADF of 25k and more houses are still being built along it. The result is the infamous Marton Crawl.

[A9NWIL]

Thankfully the two bypasses round my town are operated by HE as vital long distance routes so that would never happen. One is literally a major motorway in the region! The other links two major motorways. In fact the later HE and before them HA went to great expense to grade separate the remaining at grade junctions on it about 12/13 years ago. So my local council are having to work within those parameters even though they are now building outside the major bypasses.

We have a similar setup with the A66 and A174 but its a bit of a 2 edged sword because as a result Middlesbrough council basically decided that they didnt need to anything to improve their roads despite allowing massive housing development out of town. The result is that feeder roads such as the the A171, A172 and A1032 are now massively overloaded. The S2 A172 already has an AADF of 25k and more houses are still being built along it. The result is the infamous Marton Crawl.

Thankfully my local council arent nearly so bad, they are improving several big junctions round my town, only issue is loads of roadworks at once at the moment, there are 4 different schemes with another one starting soon!