Northern Beaches Council is seeking community feedback on a new set of guidelines that will improve the design of public spaces in the Northern Beaches.

The Public Space Vision and Design Guidelines aim to provide consistency in the planning and ‘look and feel’ of public spaces, using the principles of best practice urban design, while also respecting the individual character of our unique centres and villages.

Mayor Michael Regan said the guidelines will simplify the separate sets of rules used by the three separate councils prior to amalgamation.

“Our new urban design guidelines will direct how we complement the unique character and identity of public places in our community,” Cr Regan said.

“Putting people at the centre of all our urban design is fundamental. We want to create public places where people can connect, feel safe and reach a sense of belonging.

“Local character is what makes an area distinctive. It is the interplay of land use and built form, public and private spaces and cultural heritage.”

As well as prioritising spaces for people, the guidelines give precedence to key environmental priorities and focus on trees and water-sensitive designs.

Earlier, limited pre-testing of the guidelines attracted 235 comments from community members – with overall positive feedback.

Six key objectives form the foundation of the guidelines which are derived from state government public domain targets and previous engagement with the community.

The six objectives are:

• Enhance and protect the bush, beach & water character;
• Encourage social activation through street design;
• Inspire healthy and active lifestyles through safe & inclusive footpath & cycleway networks;
• Implement traffic calming interventions to create safe environments;
• Integrate water sensitive urban design into streets and open spaces; and
• Increase canopy cover on streets.

Submissions on the Public Space Vision and Design Guidelines close on 1 November, 2020. Go to Council’s Your Say web page for more details.