All new development must contribute towards the creation of active frontages and natural surveillance of the street. All streets must be:
All new streets must be allocated to a typology in the street hierarchy, as set out in the photos and their captions.
All developments must contribute towards the successful design and function of streets.
A clear street hierarchy helps to create navigable and character-led settlements.
Where new streets are not created, schemes should be aware of the street typology they adjoin. This will ensure the appropriate design of the street frontage in terms of intended character, scale and function.
All new housing development should respond to the fundamental character of the street in which they are located and the position it occupies within the street hierarchy.
Primary Street: Arterial roads (or 'A' roads) which connect the Lake District's major towns.
High Street: Can be a Primary or Secondary Road and is a focus for retail and other services.
Secondary Street: Mainly carries local traffic and often hosts facilities such as schools.
Local Street: Residential streets that have reduced speeds and prioritise active travel and social interactions.
Lanes: Generally single carriageway widths with regular passing places. These exhibit a distinctly rural character.
Tertiary Street: Used for accessing small groups of homes, commonly cul-de-sacs, or for servicing at the rear of properties.
Surface Street: Streets where there is no distinction between space for vehicles and space for pedestrians / cyclists.
Shared Private Access & Courtyards: Serving small groups of dwellings (up to 5), these are generally not adopted roads.
When designing new streets, applicants must refer to relevant guidance and best practice, including Manual for Streets, Manual for Streets 2, Inclusive Mobility and Streets for All.
Development that is subject to this code will not be creating new Primary or Secondary Streets or High Streets. However, any new development that adjoins these streets must be aware of how to appropriately respond to and make connections with these public spaces. The following guidance for local streets should be considered when designing housing developments:
This cul de sac is not over-engineered: rather than be designed for the very rare occasions when two large vehicles have to go past one another, the road is designed for its very low level of day-to-day use.
Pedestrians, car parking and through traffic are all accommodated in this narrow tertiary street that was laid out long before the private car existed.
With good visibility and soft verges, this attractive lane functions perfectly well without road markings, kerbs and piped drainage.
A narrow carriageway, a single pavement and off-street parking mean this tertiary street has a fairly informal character.
Good levels of passive surveillance and a clear edge between public and private space at this small estate in Coniston.
This cul de sac is almost like a shared driveway giving access to parking spaces more or less on the level with the highest bungalows.
The design of spaces, highways and routes must enable different highway users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to be able to see each other, offering passive surveillance of these highways and routes. This includes landscaping and how green landscaping, and trees will grow and impact visibility over time. Where possible, the ground levels and topography of the site should be exploited to promote passive surveillance and overlooking of streets and public spaces.
Existing rights of way should also be incorporated into new development in a manner that promotes overlooking and passive surveillance.
Where there is street lighting in a settlement, routes and spaces must be well lit to improve safety and reduce fear of crime at night. The light sources and structures must be designed into the street or spaces in a non-intrusive way, and to avoid light pollution and protect the Lake District’s dark skies. Lighting, where required, must be designed to appropriate levels to provide the right level of light, at the right time, in the right place. Further guidance can be found in the ILP Guidance Notes.
The layout of new housing development should avoid siting private rear gardens or other highly enclosed spaces (such as service yards) directly adjoining the highway or public realm. This runs counter to the principle of passive surveillance, exposes private spaces to potential trespass, and creates uninviting streets.
Shared driveways should include features such as gateway indicators, low boundary features or changes in landscaping or surfacing materials that subtly indicate the change from public space to shared private space.
Developers should consult with the Police Crime Prevention Officer for site specific design advice prior to application stage.
Active frontages at ground and upper floors. Hawkshead.
Passive surveillance and a clear edge to the private garden. Askham.
Passive surveillance from houses looking along and down the lane. Clear edges to gardens.
The public space of the street is well overlooked by the houses along it, reducing the fear of crime.
Here, private rear gardens adjoin the main road the effect of this making the street feel isolated is lessened by the number of first floor windows that provide passive surveillance. Grasmere.
A modest railing and gate are all that is needed to create defensible, semi-private space. Broughton.
Rather than being a physical or barrier to people seeing into or getting onto private land, many boundary features are symbolic and mark the threshold between public and private space.
Here at Pooley Bridge the side elevation of this house has a combination of a low wall and boulders and shrubs to mark where public space ends and private space begins.
The combination of front doors and windows gives this row of houses an active frontage.
Although narrow and winding, this tight space is not intimidating due to the number of houses that have active frontages overlooking it.
Here the high fence provides security and privacy for the rear garden, but the street is not overlooked in any way, making it less attractive.
Here a change in paving material from the bitmac of the public highway to the block paving of the shared private drive provide a subtle indication of where the privately-owned space begins.
Streets and public meeting places, no matter the scale, play an important role in enabling social interactions and enhancing a place's sense of community.
All development of 5 dwellings or more must provide a formal or informal meeting place at a focal point within the scheme.
New meeting places must be multi-generational in their designs, for example, including large stone boulders for children to climb on, informal tree stump seats for young adults to meet at, and formal seating for guardians to supervise children and older generations to converse.
Meeting places must occupy a focal point within any new development to ensure good natural surveillance and use by residents.
Where possible, the scale of new meeting spaces is sufficient for hosting small-scale community events.
New development adjoining an existing meeting space, must provide an active frontage with good natural surveillance.
New development must not obstruct or screen important views and vistas that are afforded from the meeting place.
Staveley: a small semi-formal meeting place and stopping point.
Elterwater: the village green as a meeting place, complete with seating, street furniture and bus stop.
Hawkshead: the former market place has street furniture and seating pushed out to its periphery, but is the kind of space that can be used for occasional formal events or activities.
Cumbria County Council’s Cumbria Development Design Guide sets out the local-level principal source of guidance on the design of highways, including footways and cycleways, in the Lake District. It was most recently updated in January 2023. The Design Guide and its appendices contain many specific aspects of highway design and connecting places. This Design Code has re-iterated some of the key areas of this guidance that relates to the types of development covered by this Design Code.
Smaller schemes or infill sites (fewer than 5 houses) should:
Applicants should look to Chapter 4 in Manual for Streets and Building a Healthy Life for more detail on how to achieve connected and permeable streets.
This Code outlines slightly different guidance for housing developments of more than five units and fewer than five units. For more than five units the following illustration shows what schemes can achieve.
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Schemes of 5 dwellings or more should:
New streets need to take cues from how topography is addressed on streets within the surrounding area to ensure the scheme integrates with the existing settlement. Where open and attractive views are afforded from a development site, the sloping topography can be used to celebrate those views.
Streets are useful tools for framing views and, similarly, their orientation should take cues from the surrounding area.
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4a. Drystone walls and retaining walls
4b. Hedges and hedgerows
Buildings stepping down hillsides is a common feature of the Lake District. Threlkeld.
Stepped buildings reinforce the grain of buildings and add visual interest. Threlkeld.
Stepped buildings often mean communal car parking is a better solution than each house having a driveway. Threlkeld.
Where there is a lack of level ground, buildings were often built along the contour. Coniston.
Here at Askham, the elevated highway in front of the buildings is for access, while the through road is in the middle of the green.
Building approximately along the contour here at Threlkeld has created a decisive edge to the village.
Part of Coniston’s character are the terraces set at different heights but built generally along the contours.
Building along the contour along the top of the site has allowed for a gentler slope for the highway and more on-street parking. Hawkshead
The view of the hillside is an attractive terminal feature of this suburban street. Ambleside.
The wooded foreground and mountainous backdrop connect this street to nature and the landscape. Keswick.
This street has both a building and the spectacular backdrop of the fells forming the terminal feature of the vista. Keswick.
On a smaller scale, the wind of the road between the built forms offers a glimpse of a distant hillside. Borrowdale.
High Street: Can be a Primary or Secondary Road and is a focus for retail and other services.
Lanes: Generally single carriageway widths with regular passing places. These exhibit a distinctly rural character.
Local Street: Residential streets that have reduced speeds and prioritise active travel and social interactions.
Primary Street: Arterial roads (or 'A' roads) which connect the Lake District's major towns.
Secondary Street: Mainly carries local traffic and often hosts facilities such as schools.
Shared Private Access & Courtyards: Serving small groups of dwellings (up to 5), these are generally not adopted roads.
Surface Street: Streets where there is no distinction between space for vehicles and space for pedestrians / cyclists.
Tertiary Street: Used for accessing small groups of homes, commonly cul-de-sacs, or for servicing at the rear of properties.
Proposals must adhere to the following street user hierarchy, and refer to Chapter 3 in Manual for Streets when applying it:
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To promote active forms of travel, new development should:
All developments of 5 – 25 dwellings are also encouraged to deliver:
Where sites adjoin or host a public right of way, it must be respected or incorporated as part of the scheme's design.
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To achieve accessibility, development must:
1. Avoid unnecessary barriers to movement for those with impaired mobility.
1a. Avoid steep hills and ensure routes follow contours. If this contradicts desire lines, provide a choice of accessible and energetic routes.
1b. Reduce the use of steps where possible.
1c. Avoid unnecessary kerbs.
2. Ensure sufficient space is maintained for those who do not travel just by foot, including pushchairs, wheelchairs and mobility scooters, as well as bicycles.
2a. Deter vehicles from parking on footways or cycle paths.
2b. Ensure street furniture and trees do not impede easy movement of those with impaired mobility.
As a green and active form of travel, new development should make cycling safe and convenient.
The Lake District’s network of footpaths and public rights of way provides additional means of supporting active travel.
The built environment should make walking whether on foot, with a pram, sticks or wheelchair, an easy and attractive option.
The design of junctions must reflect the typology of streets they are meeting. In all cases, they must prioritise pedestrians and cyclists. They must also contribute positively towards changes in drivers' behaviour when transferring from one road typology to another, without the need for excessive signage.
Junctions must avoid overly engineered features or overly wide radii that contribute towards a vehicle-dominated character, particularly within rural locations.
Roundabouts or mini-roundabouts will not be accepted unless in exceptional circumstances.
All new development must contribute towards enhancing pedestrian crossing experiences if they transcend a desire line, for example, providing dropped kerbs or raised tables at all junctions with appropriate tactile paving.
Junctions and private driveways must avoid overly engineered features or overly wide radii that contribute towards a highways-dominated character, particularly within rural locations.
Private driveways must meet the back of the footway at a right angle
Roads should meet as close to a right angle as possible.
Where appropriate, the additional space created by the use of tighter radii can be used to deliver green gateways into new streets or development.
If a new development of 5 dwellings or more adjoins a primary street or high street and relates to a natural desire line for pedestrians and cyclists, a formal crossing should be implemented. The type of crossing will depend on the context of the setting, i.e., town centre or rural fringes, and the safety considerations relating to road speeds.
Where new developments of 5 to 25 dwellings adjoin secondary streets or local streets and relate to a natural desire line for pedestrians and cyclists, the need or benefit of implementing a formal or informal crossing should be assessed. In some cases, traffic calming measures to slow vehicle speeds can be a suitable alternative to a crossing.
Over-engineering, signage and line markings should be kept to a minimum, whilst ensuring crossings are safe and tactile for all users.
Signalised crossings will only be used when other highway design measures provide an insufficient level of safety.
When designing new crossings, the following guidance and regulations will need to be adhered to:
A junction with an overly-wide radius which gives more space to vehicles and increases travelling distances for pedestrians where they are in a more vulnerable position on the carriageway, or creates a greater shift in the desire line.
A junction with a tighter radius which leads to only a slight shift in the pedestrian desire line, as well as reducing the dominance of the highway. This can provide more space for repairing the urban grain of the street or creating a new green space/gateway.
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The design of junctions must reflect the typology of streets that are meeting. In all cases, they must explore how pedestrians and cyclists can be prioritised. They must also contribute positively towards changes in drivers’ behaviour when transferring from one road typology to another, without the need for excessive signage.
Principles of inclusive design must apply to all street types and public spaces in new housing developments. To achieve accessibility, new housing development should:
All new streets and public spaces will need to adhere to the Department of Transport's guidance on Inclusive Mobility: A Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure.
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1. Create spaces that are navigable and safe for those with visual impairments.
1a. Utilise tactile materials as opposed to line markings.
1b. Provide sufficient street lighting.
2. Provide features within shared surface schemes to ensure they are safe and navigable for those with visual impairments.
2a.Utilise contrasting colours and textures to demarcate carriageways.
2b. Locate street furniture, lighting and street trees to distinguish between vehicle and pedestrian space, without creating clutter or barriers to movement
3. Create dementia-friendly environments.
3a. Provide direct and safe walking routes to shops or other local facilities.
3b. Offer opportunities for social interactions on the street, for example doorstep green spaces and seating areas.
3c. Introduce signage and landmarks where feasible, such as public art and mature trees, at decision points.
4. Offer opportunities for rest and social interactions.
5. Offer opportunities for doorstep play and natural surveillance from surrounding properties.
6. Create places that are welcoming and contribute towards a perception of safety.
6a. Ensure natural surveillance is provided along all streets.
6b. Ensure all streets are appropriately lit and do not create dark corners.
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To promote active forms of travel, new development should:
Textured paving and setted junctions make all road users aware of this crossing.
Blister paving, dropped kerbs and a minimisation of clutter minimises obstacles to pedestrians.
Kerb-less spaces provide fewer obstacles for people with mobility impairments and have a more informal character
Where kerbs are removed, other street furniture, such as these planters, can be used to deter car parking.
Where there are kerbs, dropped kerbs and raised crossings can provide convenient pedestrian crossings that are as level as possible.
A simple change in material and provision of a cobble ‘rumble strip’ provides a clear change from carriageway to shared space.
The same principle has been applied here, but to distinguish private drives from the public road.
Step-free changes between different areas of public realm improve accessibility for all pedestrians.
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1. Car parking spaces must be within 50m of the dwellings they serve. Accessible, adaptable and wheelchair user dwellings should have at least one in-curtilage parking space.
2. The siting of car parking spaces serving dwellings must be:
2a. To the sides of dwellings as the first instance.
2b. If not, as on-street parking, especially if parked cars help to calm car speeds.
2c. If not, in front of dwellings.
2d. If not, in communal parking areas serving more than one dwelling.
3. Parking spaces covered by roofed structures or car ports or within garages must be to the sides of dwellings. These covered parking areas should have at least 2.6m headroom.
4. New development must make suitable provision for electric vehicle charging points, including providing charging points for in-curtilage parking spaces, and charging points in new areas of on street or communal parking.
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5. Communal parking areas serving more than one house must:
5a. Be well overlooked by the dwellings they serve.
5b. Provide convenient access to the dwellings they serve.
5c. Improve amenity by enabling more of the site to be used for green open space, tree cover, space for play or gardens than otherwise.
5d. Have suitable hard or soft landscaped immediate surroundings. Communal parking must not detract from the townscape or landscape quality of its surroundings, especially in smaller settlements and adjoining countryside.
Where the above criteria are met, communal car parking must be prioritised over providing dispersed car parking.
A small, well-screened courtyard provides off-street parking for these four houses, with additional on street spaces. Hawkshead.
At this small scheme an informal communal drive for four houses is well screened and has a single access. Rosthwaite.
Rather than each house having a drive or having one large car park, here spaces are dispersed, but close to the houses. Threlkeld.
In this rural context simple informal laybys provide convenient parking. Borrowdale.
A line of parking spaces along the top and informal on street parking along the street provides options for residents and visitors. Hawkshead.
In villages, a simple, informal space for cars to pull in is a better alternative to private driveways, which can look suburban and out of place.
A combination of driveways between houses and an informal space for parking means the street space is not over-engineered in this rural location. Rosthwaite.
Drives between houses and side car ports avoids cluttering the street – and blocking views – with parked cars. Pooley Bridge.
Here, spaces to the sides of houses are complemented by informal on street parking. Staveley.
In this large car park, landscaping and retained mature trees soften the visual impact of the car park. Glenridding.
The shared drive and car park for these four bungalows is made less prominent through the site’s topography and vegetation. Windermere.
Cycle storage must be discreetly sited and designed to avoid clutter.
This simple lean-to could be used to store bikes and suits the vernacular character of the house. Rosthwaite.
Here the double-doored storage space has been integrated into the house design. Pooley Bridge.
Here the storage space has been conveniently integrated into the porch. Pooley Bridge.
Subservient outbuildings can offer flexible space to store bikes, bins, and garden furniture and equipment. Hawkshead.
Refuse storage will be carefully integrated into all new development to ensure its easy use, whilst also reducing its impact on the street scene.
All bin stores must accommodate the bins, bags and/or boxes supplied by the local authority.
Covered bin stores which utilise green technology, for example green roofs and walls could be explored, as well as stores made of natural and context-appropriate materials, such as timber, slate and stone.
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Where space is limited, a simple bin store can look far tidier than leaving them in the open/
The little compartments on either side of this double porch provide a handy bin store.
The same principle is used here, with black doors for the bins, and red doors for the houses.
Simple storage structures can accommodate other clutter in addition to bins.
The niches in these porches have been used for storing recycling among other things.
Here the bin stores for a few houses are together in a single collection point.
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1. The access requirements of emergency vehicles are as follows:
1a. The distance between kerbs must be at least 2.75m to ensure there is sufficient space for the vehicle to drive.
1b. The maximum safe distance a vehicle can reverse is 20m.
1c. All houses must be within 45m of where the vehicle is able to operate.
1d. The distance between kerbs must be at least 3.7m to ensure there is sufficient space for the vehicle to stop and operate.
1e. Vehicles require at least 20m of clear space for turning
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2. The access requirements of refuse vehicles are as follows:
2a. A turning area should be provided if it is a terminating street over 45m in length.
2b. The maximum safe distance a vehicle can reverse is 12m.
2c. Two wheeled bins must be at most 15m away from where the vehicle can stop to empty them.
2d. Residents should move their bin a maximum of 30m to the collection point.
