Place Making

Category Background

To ensure that the most sustainable sites are used for development and that the design process, layout structure and form provide a development that is appropriate to the local context and supports a sustainable community.

Designers of places in the north west must take account of sustainable development principles. The Regional Spatial Strategy has a variety of objectives and policies which support this approach – below are some of the most important drivers:

North West Regional Spatial Strategy Section 3.1 Sustainable Development

A key test of how successful the Regional Spatial Strategy – and the North West itself – is in achieving its ambitions will be the extent to which spatial development in the region adopts the principles of sustainable development. These are set out, in the UK Sustainable Development Strategy, as being to achieve the twin goals of living within environmental limits, and ensuring a strong, healthy and just society, by means of achieving a sustainable economy, promoting good governance, and using sound science responsibly. Four shared priorities for UK action flow from this:

  • Sustainable production and consumption;
  • Climate change and energy;
  • Natural resource protection and environmental enhancement; and
  • Sustainable communities.

RSS Policy DP1 Regional Development Principles – Make better use of land, buildings and infrastructure

Proposals and schemes should be located so as to make effective use of land, buildings and infrastructure. They should promote appropriate mixes of uses within a site or its wider neighbourhood, contribute towards reducing the need to travel and assist people to meet their needs locally. Plans and strategies should adopt the following sequential approach to meeting development needs, in each case ensuring that all new development is genuinely accessible by public transport, walking and cycling:

  1. The effective use of existing buildings and infrastructure within settlements, including the re-use or conversion of appropriate existing buildings;
  2. The use of previously developed land within settlements;
  3. The development of other land, where this is well located in relation to houses, jobs, other services and infrastructure in settlements.

Policy L3 Existing Housing Stock and Housing Renewal

Plans and strategies should designate areas, where necessary, for comprehensive regeneration as part of a broader course of action to regenerate local communities, reduce health inequalities, improve the sustainability and resource efficiency of the housing stock and its local environmental quality and increase numbers of and access to local jobs and services. The approach to be adopted, whether clearance, or renewal and refurbishment, or a mix of these, will depend on local circumstances.