Policy information sourced from the Watford Local Plan 2021-2038.

HC12.1: Healthy Communities

Creating a high quality environment encourages physical activity through easier movement for pedestrians and cyclists, and helps improve people’s mental health by creating spaces (urban and green) that are welcoming, pleasant and encourage activity and social interaction between people of all ages.

New development will be supported where it will contribute towards an inclusive and healthier community through delivering these objectives:

An active population

Tackling obesity in children by creating opportunities for active play in new development. Encouraging adults to become more active with a more pedestrian and cycle-friendly urban environment that is focused on quality safe spaces for people, not dominated by the car or suffering from community severance. Major developments should support the provision of accessible open space that offers appropriate opportunities for outdoor physical activity to meet local needs. This should be supplemented by new and enhanced green spaces to support health and wellbeing. Non-householder developments should promote active design having regard to relevant guidance, including that from Sport England.

Healthy eating

Supporting healthy eating through the protection of community assets, such as allotments, community orchards and planting of fruit trees on open spaces. Opportunities for food growing should be maximised within new developments.

Pollution

Improving air quality, noise and light pollution by locating compatible uses in the vicinity of each other, reducing the impact of vehicles through a modal shift and slowing average vehicle speeds.

Poverty

Supporting initiatives to tackle poverty, such as back-to-work schemes, training and education and access to jobs using good public transport.

A healthy older population

Providing homes and facilities to meet the needs of an ageing population such as adaptable and specialist homes and access to health facilities.

Community facilities

It is important to ensure community facilities are of good quality and are located where they can be accessed by walking, cycling and public transport. Consideration should also be given to sensory gardens to provide a diversity of colour, patterns, smell, touch, taste and sounds to benefit physical and mental relaxation or in particular to benefit disabled members of the community.

For more information, please see the Watford Local Plan 2021-2038.