Introduction
In July 2023, Somerset Council adopted a series of guiding principles to inform our overall approach to transport planning and development planning challenges and opportunities. At the same time, we committed to the public consulting on and subsequently adopting of a series of placemaking principles for movement as a material planning consideration.
In September and October 2023 we consulted on Creating Places for People, setting out our draft placemaking principles for movement. The idea of the principles is to steer new development in Somerset towards creating attractive and high-quality environments which are inclusive and accessible for all.
The principles should lead to high quality development and offer substantial benefit to people in Somerset by:
- improving air quality.
- reducing carbon footprints.
- creating safe and easy access to schools.
- creating places that are more resilient to the impacts of climate change, while protecting and enhancing nature and wildlife.
Creating connected, safe and healthy places will also help to improve quality of life and wellbeing.
The principles will look to ensure the above benefits can be realised through new development and they will inform the development of our new Local Transport Plan, Somerset-wide Local Plan and our overall approach to transport planning, development management (consideration of planning proposals) and other relevant policies and plans.
The draft principles are set out in the Creating places for people – Further information document produced to support the consultation.
Public consultation and next steps
Through the consultation, we received over 1,000 responses across all formats.
From this, work has been progressing over recent months to process and analyse these responses. The next step will be to consider how the principles need to adapt in response to the comments received and then to produce a final document with guidance on how to implement them.
Whilst the final placemaking principles and Creating Places for People guidance is not yet in place, the principles build on existing local and national policy and guidance as well as general good practice. As such the principles will be referred to in our consideration of planning applications. Furthermore, the principles stem from a decision of the Executive in July last year at which they did adopt a series of related principles to guide us as an authority including to inform our overall approach to transport planning and development planning challenges and opportunities.
Whilst this consultation has now closed, you can find further information via the Consultation Portal, where there is a short summary video. A Consultation Statement will be provided in due course setting out summaries of comments received, officer responses and how the final set of principles have changed as a result of the comments.