Open spaces, play and active travel

Open space assessments and strategies

The Localism Act 2011 incentivises house building via (e.g.) the Community Right to Build and the New Homes Bonus making a clear, up to date, understanding of open space, sport and recreation provision essential. Local authorities need to be strongly positioned to influence developer contributions.

KKP is expert in delivering NPPF, PAN65 (Scotland) and TAN16 (Wales) compliant open spaces studies for individual/groups of local authorities, national parks and property developers. Our portfolio spans densely populated, highly deprived urban through to ‘deep rural’ areas.

We have a wide ranging expertise and extensive UK client base. To ensure robustness we assess quality and value evaluating sites and engaging with and delivering comprehensive, documented community consultation – with key agencies, communities and individuals. Findings are used to establish the extent and quality of supply, levels of local demand and to inform assessment of both existing and future community need. All work is undertaken in accordance with, as applicable:

• Assessing Needs and Opportunities: A Companion Guide to PPG 17
• Shaping Neighbourhoods: Play & Informal Recreation SPG
• FiT Guidance for Outdoor Sport and Play
• Open Space Strategies: Best Practice guidance (Mayor of London/CABE)
• The objectives of the Green Flag Award scheme

Client local authorities include:

Play, parks, outdoor gyms and action/adventure sports

Our core philosophy is that children and young people should have access to creative, stimulating and, as they get older, adventurous play. Key to this is genuine local understanding and ensuring that planned provision is affordable, of the right quality and reflects the needs of communities as they change, grow and mature. Parks, play, outdoor gym and action/adventure sports provision is often assessed with open spaces but KKP also delivers bespoke stand-alone commissions.

Client local authorities include:

Active travel

Active travel and cycling/walking plans/strategies are a regular feature of our open spaces, green corridor and sports facilities needs assessments and planning work and, increasingly, part of client plans to improve health and wellbeing and reduce carbon emissions.

Some are delivered as local plan compliant components of wider open spaces strategies and all, since 2017, are cognisant of the Government Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy and the Cycling and Walking Plan for England 2020. (The Active Travel Plan in Wales).

Their primary focus is on making cycling and walking part of everyday life. All encompass plans to ‘join up’ physical provision, optimise use of green corridors and, for example, river and canal-side cycle network options. Where feasible/appropriate we create plans setting out potential cycling/walking route options, challenges faced and links to key locations; predicated upon mapping and assessment of the scale, condition and value of local infrastructure.

We deliver detailed audits to ensure full understanding of stakeholder and partner requirements/aspirations, review key travel desire lines between residential areas, schools, town centres and employment zones evaluating gaps/deficiencies in provision which can be addressed and encourage high usage volumes – then considering supporting infrastructure.

Clients include:

Standards and developer contributions

As land pressure for new housing development mounts, development of local provision standards helps to ensure that appropriate funds are secured through this and, for example, land sale to assist in implementing related improvements. Done well it strengthens local authority investment in provision for residents whilst also benefiting housing and other development partners.

Client local authorities include:

Supplementary planning guidance

Because of our planning expertise in this field, clients regularly commission KKP to prepare or support preparation of supplementary planning documents in line with the NPPF. These build upon and add more detailed advice on local plan policies in all the areas outlined above as well as those related to playing pitch strategies, non-pitch assessments and indoor and built sports/leisure facilities.

Clients include: