Policy information sourced from the Tower Hamlets Local Plan

D.DH2 Attractive streets, spaces and public realm

1) Development is required to contribute to improving and enhancing connectivity, permeability and legibility across the borough, ensuring a well-connected, joined-up and easily accessible street network and wider network of public spaces through:

  • improving connectivity to public transport hubs, town centres, open spaces, water spaces, social and community facilities and surrounding areas
  • maintaining existing public routes or appropriately re-providing access routes during the construction phases of new development, and
  • incorporating the principles of ‘secured by design’ to improve safety and perception of safety for pedestrians and other users.

2) Development is also required to positively contribute to the public realm through:

  • optimising active frontages towards public streets and spaces
  • providing clear definitions and enclosure through building frontage and massing, and connection and continuity of pedestrian desire lines and street activities, at a human scale
  • providing a range of public spaces that can function as places for social gatherings and other recreational uses
  • reducing visual clutter and obstacles in the public realm of the scheme and the adjacent area
  • ensuring balconies do not over-hang on the public highway or onto neighbouring properties, civic spaces and public buildings, such as schools
  • resisting the creation of gated communities which do not promote socially inclusive and cohesive neighbourhoods or connectivity between places
  • integrating refuse and recycling facilities within the building envelope
  • using high quality paving slabs, bricks and pavers for footways, parking spaces and local streets to create attractive, accessible, comfortable and useable development
  • integrating high quality public art into the public realm, especially at gateway locations or other appropriate landmarks, and retaining existing good quality art in the locality of new development, where possible
  • ensuring that soft landscaping is maximised to soften the streetscape and provide visual and environmental relief from hard landscaping, buildings and traffic
  • locating entrances in visible, safe and accessible locations
  • creating opportunities for natural surveillance, particularly at ground floor level
  • designing out concealment points and leftover spaces, and
  • creating clear sightlines and improving legibility and lighting of the surrounding area at all times of the day and night.

For more information please see the Local Plan