5.2 Landscape Design Guidelines

A series of guidelines for the landscape strategy have been developed in tandem with the architectural guide on the previous page. The following elements contribute to making development at Ladyfield encouraging of healthy, active lifestyles. In general, future proposals should accord with the guidance laid out in this section. However, final layouts and materials will be fully defined as part of the detailed planning design stages.

Streets and Lanes

These should be multifunctional, hardworking spaces that aim to be resource efficient in layout to reduce the extent of hard infrastructure. There should be a people first emphasis that promotes multi-use.

Dwelling Boundaries

Boundaries should be designed to offer views of the surrounding landscape and encourage day to day neighbourly encounters.

Communal Amenity Spaces

The gardens in the immediate surrounds of new homes should be for the enjoyment of residents, with lush planting, seating areas, well lit and paths for walking and bikes.

Water Management

Rainwater management should take the principal of allowing the landscape to manage rainfall and harness water in a creative, attractive and biodiverse way.

SuDS features, such as rainwater swales, raingardens, basins and ponds, should be used to bring diversity into the heart of the development whilst providing effective management of rainfall.

It is important that the SuDs features endeavour to avoid being separated by fences or hard surfaces to fulfil infrastructure functions without looking like a piece of engineering.

Finishes

Natural toned surfaces such as buff coloured asphalt should be considered to paths and cycleways. Meadow grass with mixes to enhance pollination, should be supplemented with turf and amenity grass seeding as appropriate.

Trees

Succession planting should be planned for, alongside any new tree planting. Trees should be of medium or large-growing species for the parkland areas with medium / smaller sized trees for the streets, amenity and play spaces.

Allotments, Growing and Edible Landscapes

Spaces for community food growing is to be promoted. The planting of fruiting landscapes should be incorporated into any planting plan, appropriate to the locale climate

Lighting

Lighting should be carefully designed to help people feel safe moving around in the dark but should not impact on nocturnal wildlife activity. New lighting will incorporate smart technologies to direct light where it is needed, in line with local authority requirements.

External Furniture

Seats should be provided in varied configurations for more varied use. Seating should be provided at approx. 50m intervals on key routes to provide rest stops for those requiring them. Seats should be associated with trees, planting or activity, not simply dropped into the street.

Play Areas

Play value does not derive just from the apparatus and a play landscape approach should be promoted. Imaginative use of landform, vegetation, rocks, timber and sand shall provide an exciting setting for any apparatus that is included

Supporting Wildlife and Biodiversity

Timber bird / bat boxes / bug hotels should be mounting on existing mature trees or in line with ecological recommendations