Introduction

Our town centres and streets provide facilities and amenities which play a vital role in supporting the needs of our communities and in developing a positive sense of local identity. Ensuring that all members of Scotland’s communities irrespective of age, ability or gender have the ability to access these areas safely and confidently without obstruction is an important part of delivering an inclusive society.

When the design of town centres and busy street environments does not fully take into account the needs of all members of the community, people may become excluded from these areas and the essential functions that they provide. Potential barriers to access should be removed and not included in any scheme.

This national guidance has been developed to support the design of town centres and busy streets that are inclusive. It is based on the premise that if the area is designed for disabled people, then the majority will benefit.

This draft guidance was developed in response to research (see link below) which identified that street design should consider the needs of everyone and should take into account all Protected Characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The research recommended that the principles which it identified should be embedded in guidance and applied practice.

The draft guidance covers the elements of inclusive engagement and design detailed at Part 1 and Part 2 later in this document but does not cover detailed design of other elements such as Bus Stops and cycling infrastructure. It also sits alongside, and does not replace but compliments, other national guidance documents such as Designing Streets, Cycling by Design and Scotland’s National Standards for Community Engagement as well as UK Department for Transport Guidance on Inclusive mobility and Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces (see links below).

Inclusive Design Working Group

This draft guidance is the product of a collaborative approach involving a working group with a diverse range of interests, knowledge, and specialisms, relevant to delivering inclusive design in town centre and busy street environments.

The working group consisted of representatives from the following organisations:

  • Cycling UK
  • Deafblind Scotland
  • Disability Beyond Borders
  • Guide Dogs Scotland
  • Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS)
  • Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS)
  • National Federation of the Blind UK (NFBUK)
  • Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Scotland
  • Scottish Government
  • Sight Scotland
  • Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS)
  • Spinal Injuries Scotland (SIS)
  • Sustrans
  • Transport Scotland

The working group will be involved in considering the outcomes of forthcoming consultation on this draft and the development of the final guidance document.

Context

This document aims to support inclusive design and engagement processes that deliver accessible town centre and busy street environments for everyone. It has been developed in response to concerns relating to the particular difficulties which disabled people can encounter in accessing and moving around town centre and busy street environments if barriers to access have not been identified and/or removed. It is part of the actions taken under the Accessible Travel Framework to reduce obstructions on pavements.

This guidance relates to streets in town centres and other busy streets. These are streets that serve a civic or public service function, such as shopping streets or areas where one or more public service is accessed, such as retail, hospitality, leisure, and key public services. Such streets have a proportionately higher level of motor vehicle and cycle traffic than other areas within the neighbourhood or settlement. Because of the function that these types of streets play in supporting communities, people are likely to want to access these spaces routinely.

Busy streets are also more likely to be serviced by public transport and may connect streets with civic functions. Traffic flows have been avoided as a measure for defining a busy street area, as what is considered “busy” within a village or rural setting will differ significantly from a more densely populated urban setting.

As well as the guidance in this document, wider transport, design, and place making policy should be considered, including the need to design for low traffic, low speed environments. Use of the sustainable transport hierarchy (see link below for diagram image) is necessary to encourage walking, wheeling, and cycling over motor transport, while still allowing for essential car users and essential taxi users to access busy streets.

In January 2022 latest changes were brought into the Highway Code.

They include new rules around how all road users including pedestrians interact. It sets a new hierarchy and reminds all road users that the people they encounter may have impaired sight, hearing, or mobility and that this may not be obvious.

How the Guidance is set out

The guidance is structured around ten key principles required in order to support inclusive design in town centres and busy streets. These principles are derived from research into inclusive design in town centres and busy street areas (see page 3) in conjunction with views and input from the working group.

The guidance is comprised of two main elements:

  • Part 1 - Inclusive Engagement for Street Design incorporating principles 1 to 5
  • Part 2 - Physical Design Measures for Inclusive Design incorporating principles 6 to 10

There is also an annex, which provides links and information on specific issues such as the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), the Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) process, relevant legislation, and street design guidance documents.

How the Guidance can be used

This guidance can be used to help structure, plan, and design inclusive environments.

For those involved in designing or delivering street improvements or adjustments, this guidance provides information on the engagement process, equality duties and key design features to allow accessibility and navigation of busy streets. It emphasises the need for meaningful engagement with local people and a place and person-led approach.

This guidance will be of interest to individuals who use these areas including but not limited to disabled people, disabled people’s organisations and community groups involved or interested in new or emerging street design projects in town centres and busy streets.