Development of Oxstalls Campus/Plock Court Facilities Frequently Asked Questions & Answers Last Updated 18.12.2015 The University of Gloucestershire submitted an Outline Planning application for the redevelopment of Oxstalls Campus and the wider Plock Court sports facilities in September 2015. The proposal included a new business school, student accommodation, a new sports centre, spectator stand and relocation of the existing Estcourt Park allotments to allow for the creation of a community park. Since September the University have made the decision to retain the Estcourt Park allotments in their current position. This addendum to the Frequently Asked Questions addresses the reasons behind the revisions to the scheme. December Update Q: Why is the University now retaining the allotments in their original position? A: Relocating the allotments would have involved costly importation of soil and remediation of the existing Debenhams Playing Fields soil, as well as the costs associated with flood mitigation measures linked to the creation of the community park. Due to the overall, increasing financial costs to the University, the decision was made to omit the proposed relocation of the allotments. They will therefore be retained in the current position. Q: How will the University Campus provide linkages between the Business School and the student accommodation without the central community park? A: As the community park has been removed from the scheme, the revised proposals have focused on improving the existing Public Rights of Way and footpaths and providing new routes. These cycle and pedestrian paths will be designed to provide safe and attractive routes between the key elements of the scheme for both students and members of the public. The masterplan seeks to improve the existing public right of way to the west of, and the Sustrans / pedestrian route, to the south of the allotments. New footpaths will be created to the north of the allotments and a network of routes will be provided with the Business school and student accommodation. Improvements to the route between the campus and the sports facilities is also proposed. Q: The masterplan contains more parking spaces at the University, why is
that? A: Further traffic and parking surveys were conducted in October 2015. They indicated an increase of traffic on the roads surrounding the University from when they were undertaken in June 2015. They also indicated a higher volume of cars parked within the University campus. As a result of this the masterplan now includes an additional 108 parking spaces within the Oxstalls Campus. This is on top of the 150 additional spaces proposed in September 2015, bringing the total additional parking spaces to 258. This will accommodate the additional visitors, staff and students at the campus as well as alleviate on street parking in the surrounding areas. General FAQ September 2015 Q: How will the planning process work? A: The University has adopted a Masterplan approach. As such the proposed uses and layout for the whole development have been submitted to Gloucester City Council as the planning authority as part of an Outline planning application. The application was submitted on the 2 nd September 2015. The reason for submitting an outline application first is so that we can set out the major components of the proposed developments in one overview, with opportunities for consultation and discussion about the overall approach. If the outline application is approved, we would then proceed to work up detailed planning applications for the main components, notably the proposed new building for the Business School and Growth Hub, the student residences and the sports facilities. Those detailed planning applications would set out the details of the design, size, layout and finish of the new buildings, and would also be the subject of public consultation. Q: When will the new development be open? A: It is expected to be open in the next 5 years. New teaching facilities and new student residences have to be available to coincide with the start of a new academic year in September. So the University s current target is to be able to open the new Business School for September 2018. The overall development will probably be constructed in phases. For example, it may be possible to construct new all weather sports pitches earlier than building a new sports hall within the Plock Court sports centre proposals. Q: Why are the proposals at Oxstalls campus rather than in the Cheltenhambased campuses? A: The University is seeking to bring its Business School and the Growth Hub which we established in partnership with the Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership together in one location. This ambition was first set out in the Strategic Economic Plan for Gloucestershire, drawn up by the Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership in 2013/14. Linking the Business School with the Growth Hub means we will be able to provide better support for businesses in Gloucester and Gloucestershire, with Business School staff and students working directly with businesses to help them grow. The Government has allocated 5 million towards the
creation of this combined facility in Gloucester. The Growth Hub is already located here in Gloucester at the Oxstalls Campus, and there is greater opportunity to develop the Business School/Growth Hub in Gloucester. Q: Why does the development need to include more student accommodation? Won t that bring problems of noise and behaviour? A: The great majority of our students move away from home to come to University. So they have to have accommodation on or near to the University campus where they are being taught. A general benchmark used by most Universities is to try to offer all first year students accommodation which is on campus or at least in halls of residence managed by the University. Bringing the Business School to Oxstalls would increase student numbers here by about 2,000. The proposals therefore include a limited number of additional student residences on the campus (about 200 bed spaces), with the remaining accommodation potentially provided as part of the Blackfriars/Quayside development or in private rental accommodation in the City. The University recognises that occasionally some students do misbehave. But we have long experience in managing student behaviour successfully, and the vast majority of our students contribute a lot to the community, including through volunteering. Within the application submission there is a draft student accommodation operational management plan which outlines the University s approach to dealing with anti-social behaviour. Q: What s the point in consultation? It will just go ahead anyway. A: The University continues to be keen to understand the views, concerns and suggestions of the local community so that, wherever possible, we can take them into account. It enables us to hear all of the issues that may not have been picked up by the technical experts as well as the ideas of the local community. Already, the public consultation events have shown to be an important element within the preparation of the proposals. The consultation process has included media releases, letter drops, public consultations, a residents workshop, meetings with the Estcourt Park Allotment Association, stakeholder meetings, a public exhibition. All of the consultation events have been useful in informing and influencing the proposals of the outline planning application. In particular, the comments received from the local community directly influenced the location of the re-provided Estcourt Park allotments, the improvement of accesses and the intention to introduce a Controlled Parking Zone on the nearby residential streets. Many other smaller changes and/or considerations have occurred as a result of talking to the local community. Q: How many additional students will the campus have enrolled? A: It is estimated that 2000 extra students will be enrolled at the Oxstalls campus once the development is complete. Q: What effect will the proposals have on Plock Court? It is an asset for the community and these proposals should not be to the detriment to people who have lived here all their lives. A: The development proposals are designed to enhance the Plock Court area. At present, the playing fields are not maintained and used as well as they could be, and the proposed development of sports facilities would enhance the standard of maintenance so that more people could gain enjoyment and benefit from Plock
Court. The proposals would also open up the campus so that Public Rights of Way and cycle routes are improved, links between the residential areas and the public sports facilities are enhanced, and the whole site is made more accessible and enjoyable for the local community. On Plock Court a brand new cricket pavilion accompanies a replenished and improved cricket pitch. Sports facilities to the south of Plock Court are proposed which will provide a step up in the availability and quality of the sports provision for students and the local community. Q: Is this development long term? Ten years ago the university wanted to centralise to Cheltenham. A: The development is part of the University s long term plans. The proposed business school will also be home to Gloucestershire s Local Enterprise Partnership which seeks to grow the economy and business in the county in the future. The University is in Gloucester for the long term. Q: What happens next after the submission of the Outline planning application? A: The next stage is for Gloucester City Council to consider the application. Within this the Council will first validate the application, in doing so they will make application documents available to the public. The City Council will then proceed to advertise and provide an opportunity for the public to make representations (comments) on the application. The Council will at the same time consult its statutory consultees (Environmental Health, Environment Agency, Local Highways Authority, etc) for their views. Q: Where can I view the full Outline planning application documents? A: Documents (including plans) of the proposal will be available on the Councils website (http://www.gloucester.gov.uk/resident/planning-and-buildingcontrol/pages/public-access.aspx), in addition to online at their offices, once the application has been validated. Allotments Q: Why are the allotments of Estcourt Park being proposed for re-location, and where is it planned that they would be located to? A: As part of the Masterplan the University wishes to improve the access, site permeability and pedestrian route quality by opening up the central area of the site for use as a landscaped campus and park. This will allow better access to the proposed student accommodation on the proposed location of the Debenhams playing field and facilitate improved access between the campus and the sports facilities. The present location of the allotments creates a barrier between the two parts of the site, so the proposals are trying to make the whole area more open and accessible, for local residents and community as well as for students and staff. The University s Park Campus in Cheltenham is an example of the approach we are proposing - an attractive, well-landscaped, open resource accessible for the community. The allotment re-provision within the outline planning application is located within the northern and eastern sides of the Debenhams field. This location was chosen after
extensive consultation with the local community. The new site brings benefits to allotment plots from alleviated flood risk, it improves the accessibility through the site, it retains Plock Court open space, and allows sufficient space for the proposed student accommodation. Q: How will the move benefit the Estcourt Park allotments in terms of flooding? A: The Estcourt Park allotments are currently all located within the highest flood risk area (Zone 3). Relocating the allotments to the proposed location within the outline planning application will result in the majority of the plots to be in flood zone 1 (the lowest risk area), with only a minority within zones 2 and 3. Q: Is soil quality a consideration? A: A soil survey has been undertaken and the soil on Debenhams playing field is similar to that on the existing allotments. However, improvements to the soil quality will be made. Q: Why couldn t the allotments have move to the land at former Bishops College? A: The land at Bishops College is currently owned by Gloucestershire County Council and it is not their intention to use the land for the purpose of allotments. The County Council are developing plans in parallel with the wider Oxstalls/Plock Court development to redevelop the built area of Bishops College for housing. Q: We are concerned over parking for the allotments; will there be parking for allotment holders, and will it be close by? A: There will be parking available for allotment holders, this is shown on the Masterplan submitted with the outline planning application as accessed from Estcourt Close. The allotment parking would consist of around 10 formal spaces, directly adjacent and near the middle of the layout of allotment plots. Q: Will the Estcourt Close Allotment site also be affected by the University s plans? A: The larger Estcourt Close Allotment site adjacent to the former Bishop s College site is not part of the development site being considered for relocation by the University. So that allotment site will not be affected. The smaller Estcourt Park allotment site is situated between two swathes of university-owned land. In order to create the greatest potential to develop the Business School and Growth Hub, with appropriate student accommodation, the University is seeking to create an integrated, landscaped campus which creates both easy access and an attractive environment for students, staff and the wider community. It is very much recognised that this component of the wider Masterplan has important consequences for the location of the Estcourt Park allotments. Through close consultation with the Estcourt Park Allotment Association we have explored and considered the viability of a number of potential options. Agreement has now been reached to relocate the allotments to the Debenhams playing field. Q: If the Estcourt Park and Estcourt Close allotments are adjacent could they be one area so that facilities could be shared? A: This option is being considered.
Q: With the proposal intending the relocation of the allotments will there be a process so that promises of any new associated facilities will be kept to? A: With any allotment relocation, any proposed area of relocated plots or new facilities can be secured through a legal agreement. This is often in the form of a Section 106 agreement attached to the planning permission. Gloucester City Council is the current owner of the allotments, and would become the owner of the land to which the allotments are relocated. Flooding Q: The development area includes areas at risk of, and with a history of, flooding. What is being done to ensure that flooding is not made worse? A: During the application process we appointed expert flooding and drainage consultants (Glanville) to provide technical advice on flooding issues. They carried out detailed technical studies (Flood Risk Assessment) in this regard. It should be noted that built development will only be permitted in areas of lowest flood risk. Any development will also need to meet with statutory criteria in accordance with Planning Policy Guidance. Working closely with the Environment Agency, Glanville looked at/found the following: The site is located within a mix of land which as been designated by the Environment Agency as Flood Zones 1, 2 and 3. Land located in Flood Zone 1 is considered to be at low risk of flooding and land in Flood Zone 3 considered at high risk. Flood risk therefore varies across the site, and this restricts where some buildings can be located. Modelled flood levels have been obtained from the Environment Agency and this data has been compared with topographical survey information to assess the extent of each flood zone. Using this information, careful consideration has been given to ensure that more vulnerable development (i.e. new buildings) are located in areas considered at lower risk of flooding. Relocation of the allotments and creation of a community park will vastly increase the volume of flood storage available in this part of the flood plain and contribute to a reduction in flood risk elsewhere. This will also bring biodiversity and amenity benefits. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) will be utilised to drain surface water from the development. In addition to ponds and wetlands, porous paving will be considered to provide additional surface water storage, remove contaminants and improve water quality. The mitigation measures proposed will combine to reduce flood risk to the development and ensure that flood risk is not increased elsewhere. It is noted that allotments of Estcourt Park would move from Flood Zone 3 to predominantly Flood Zone 1 in the proposals. Q: We already have problems with the sewers, will the sewage system capacity be properly assessed? A: The outline planning application includes a utility and energy statement, by Forge Engineering, who have explored and considered a variety of networks, including
water supply and sewage, to ensure that enough capacity is present and no problems would be introduced. Q: Will the proposed additional car parking make the flooding situation worse? A: Glanville have carried out detailed technical studies with regards to flooding. From the assessments a strategy has been put together. It is concluded the risk of flooding will not increase as a result of the proposals. Q: When the mound and vegetation was located around the current Hockey pitch the flooding situation became worse will this be removed? A: In association with landscape consultants LUC, the mound is shown as partially retained in the proposals, and reshaped to ensure that visual impact of the development as seen from residential properties are minimised. As part of the landscaping scheme part of the land to the north of this will include flood attenuation ditches to improve the flooding situation. Q: Where does the flooding data that informs the planning of the proposal come from? A: The flooding data is provided by the Environment Agency and has been used in addition to Glanville s technical studies. The data has been further informed by topographical, measured surveys of the site. Traffic, Access and Parking Q: Staff and students parking on residential streets surrounding the campus are already a problem, why can t the university ensure that adequate additional parking is provided to cater for the increased numbers as a result of this development? A: During public consultation events it was explained that; As part of its Sustainable Travel Policy, the University encourages staff and students to use alternative forms of travel, including bike to work schemes and the subsidised Stagecoach bus services that stop near the campus. Parking on public roads by staff and non-resident students is actively discouraged. Onsite car parking permits are also available to staff at a subsidised rate. All students resident in halls on-campus are not permitted to bring vehicles to Gloucester as a condition of their tenancy, so additional student accommodation should not increase the numbers of students parking on residential streets. In light of the feedback received from residents a number of improvements have been made in addition to the above. As a part of the planning application the University s Travel Plan has been updated to reflect the growth in staff and student numbers as a result of the development. It provides a long term strategy built on a package of measures to deliver sustainable transport objectives, with an emphasis on reducing reliance on single occupancy car journeys, and encouraging more staff and students to make journeys on foot, by bike and on public transport.
The University proposes to fund the introduction, operation and enforcement of a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) on residential streets surrounding the development site for an initial three-year period. This would be subject to agreement with the Local Highway Authority (GCC) and require a Traffic Regulation Order, which would be subject to public consultation. This arrangement would allow current residents within the proposed CPZ to apply for free permits to allow them or their visitors to park on-street in designated bays. Parking would be prohibited in the CPZ during specific times for nonpermit holders. After the three-year period, it is anticipated that operation and enforcement of any CPZ would revert to the City Council, and thereafter parking permits would be available for residents to purchase. In terms of new parking the University, in association with transport consultants Glanville, has given careful consideration to the additional parking that would be proposed. The outline planning application includes; Up to 140 additional parking spaces + up to 10 additional spaces for disabled persons are proposed to the east of the Oxstalls campus for visitors, staff and students. Up to 10 parking spaces for disabled persons, maintenance and emergency vehicles are proposed to be located to the south of the new student accommodation, accessed from Estcourt Road. Up to 10 spaces are proposed for the re-provided allotments, accessed from Estcourt Close. Up to 120 additional parking spaces are proposed alongside the new Sports facilities to the south-east of Oxstalls Sports Park. In addition, up to 572 cycle spaces will be provided across the site at the Oxstalls Campus, student accommodation and Oxstalls Sports Facilities. Q: The current access roads into the campus and Plock Court are already inadequate and will struggle to cope if this development goes ahead. How will you improve them? A: Transport consultants, Glanville, have assessed local junctions (particularly Oxstalls Lane /Cheltenham Road and the Plock Court access to the Oxstalls Sports Park). They have presented access improvements which will be made, within their Transport Assessment. These include; Junction of Cheltenham Road/Oxstalls Lane Vehicular traffic lights installed at the junction to control traffic flow. A yellow box junction at the Oxstalls Lane access point to assist vehicles turning right out of the Campus and to increase safety. A two lane exit from the Campus to allow vehicles to turn left unhindered. Formal pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities on Cheltenham Road and Oxstalls Lane (replacing the current signal controlled pedestrian crossing on Cheltenham Road). Potential for priority for buses. Plock Court Proposed widening of this road on its bends to improve two-way traffic flow.
The University are also committed to ensuring that pedestrian and cycle links are maximized between Plock Court and the University campus as part of the development. Improved pedestrian and cycle routes will help discourage the use of cars. Q: Why are you doing a traffic survey when the students aren t here and then another one in October after the planning application has been submitted? A: Traffic surveys were undertaken in June and they have identified the problems of the surrounding junctions that would be affected by the proposed redevelopment. This has aided the transport consultants to consider the alterations needed to the junctions ready for the submitted outline planning application. However, it was identified early on, and from local community feedback, that traffic generated from the University was not at its peak in June and further surveys would be needed. As such the University has scheduled in for September/October at a time therefore when the volume of student and staff traffic is greatest, to ensure that all issues have been recorded and taken into consideration. Q: Will students be using the existing entrance and exit causing traffic chaos? A: Students will be expected to make sustainable journeys to the campus (walk, cycle and use of public transport), however, as a part of the development, improvements will be made at the existing junctions. This has been set out in the above answers, and these steps within the proposal will ensure that it meets the approval of the Local Highways Authority, and does not have an unacceptable impact on traffic. Q: Is the additional parking create free to use? A: During the consultation a number of feedback comments were received asking whether parking could be made free to use to minimise the impact of parking on residential streets. This has been considered, however importantly this would incentivise the use of the private vehicle which would be unsustainable, and would also present financial viability concerns. Therefore, the additional parking would be pay and display/subsidised permits; meanwhile, as described, the University intends to introduce a Controlled Parking Zone in the nearby residential streets to improve the parking situation. Q: Will emergency access still be possible? A: Yes. The road layouts have been designed such that they would meet the approval of the Local Highway Authority, Gloucestershire County Council. Q: How close to the residential boundaries will the proposed parking be located? A: The precise distance will be assessed as part of the detailed planning application. Landscaping will be used to minimise the visual impact of the car parking. Q: How will this affect our Public Right of Way? A: There is no alteration in the route of the Public Rights of Way on site, however, improvements such as lighting and quality are proposed. Q: Why do you need an access road through Estcourt Close and the other side
of accommodation when there is an existing service road which could be used? A: Initially the University did have one option which showed Estcourt Close as an access point for both the re-provided allotments and for the disabled/emergency/service access to the student accommodation. However as the Masterplan was developed, and in light of local community feedback, now only the re-provided allotments (approximately 10 vehicle spaces) are proposed as accessed from Estcourt Close. The student accommodation access (disabled spaces, emergency/service access) will be via the existing Estcourt Road access point (Public Byway) and will be subject to a controlled pass point. Student Accommodation / Business School Q: How many additional students would live on the site as a result of the proposals? A: Approximately 200. Q: Is it true that the University plans to locate the additional student accommodation blocks on Debenhams playing fields? A: The University recently acquired Debenhams Playing Field and, as part of the development plans, part of that land is proposed within the outline planning application as the site for new student accommodation. This relates to the University s overall objectives for growth in Gloucester, which requires both teaching accommodation and residential accommodation for students. The Masterplan shows an indicative layout of the student accommodation. Q: What was the rationale for moving the student accommodation so it is different to the original plans seen in public consultation? This is not clear and if the area is prone to flooding then this is something that needs to be expressed. A: The location of the proposed student accommodation has gone through the public consultation process, as well as consideration by technical consultants. A variety of options for the location have now been considered, and a single option is presented in the Masterplan. [if!supportlinebreaknewline] [endif] Residential accommodation cannot be located in an area of high flood risk; therefore there have been limitations on where it could go. The part of the Debenhams field which the new student accommodation is proposed is not in flood zones 2 or 3. Q: Why can t the additional student accommodation required be built offcampus, such as at Blackfriars, in the City Centre? A: There are significant opportunities for student accommodation in central Gloucester as part of the City Council s regeneration of Blackfriars. That is why the University supported the launch in March of the County and City plans for the Blackfriars regeneration plan. However, to achieve the University s vision to grow student numbers in Gloucester, additional oncampus accommodation will also be required. The amount of additional student accommodation to be located on Oxstalls campus will be approximately 200 units, which is a small portion of the total accommodation required in the city.
Q: Where is the proposed business school located? A: The proposed business school has remained the same as that shown the public exhibition of 15 th July 2015, located on the site of the current University hockey pitch. However, it is noted that this is now supplemented with a landscape scheme, involving the reshaping of the landscape mound, to minimise visual impact of the development. Q: How tall will the proposed business school and student accommodation be? A: Details such as building height are yet to be considered, but details will be included within Reserved Matters planning applications in the future. Q: Do you need to do all of this building? A: Yes, it is part of the University s expansion programme which is also linked to overall economic growth in Gloucestershire. By bringing talented young people to study in Gloucestershire, and hopefully stay when they graduate to get jobs in Gloucestershire, we can achieve a powerful benefit for the wider economy. Students also contribute their spending power in local shops and entertainment venues, as well as contributing to a wide range of community, volunteering and cultural activities. Q: Couldn t you build accommodation on another part of the site? A: The site is constrained by several factors with the major one being flooding. Buildings need to be situated outside of the floodplain. Q: What will happen to the land our gardens back onto, will you be building right to the boundary? A: The buildings of the proposal would not be built up to boundary. The Masterplan has been designed to give appropriate spacing between uses. In addition a detailed Landscaping Scheme accompanies the outline planning application, with excellent landscaping planned to minimise the visual impact of development. Sport and Open Space Q: Will the community lose green space if the University development goes ahead with these plans? A: We are committed to enabling not only the creation of additional sports provision, but better use to be made of the existing facilities, by providing additional changing facilities for both University and community use. We are also working closely with the City Council to ensure that the plans for sporting provision as part of the development dovetail with the City s emerging playing fields strategy, and that the needs of other users of Plock Court, such as dog walkers, joggers, etc, are considered as part of the plans. Working with statutory consultees, such as Sport England, we have and will continue in striving for a development which provides much better facilities for the community for sport and exercise, allowing more people to gain the benefit of the facilities in the Plock Court area. Q: Will Plock Court be retained as an open space with sports facilities? A: Yes, and the sports facilities will be improved.
Q: What new sports spaces are proposed? A: The Masterplan presents a scenario of fantastic sports opportunity; including two new flood-lit 3G all-weather pitches, improved Plock Court playing fields, new 12 court sports hall for indoor sports with new changing room facilities to accompany proposed and existing sports facilities, a replenished cricket pitch and new cricket pavilion, a 500-seat spectator stand and a new management system which will better utilise the facilities for students, staff, and local residents who may use them. Q: Will the existing pedestrian accesses to Plock Court remain? A: Yes Q: Will the Bishops College sports hall be retained whilst the new sports hall is being constructed so that badminton players can carry on playing? A: This is noted and will be considered. Overall, the development will be phased to minimise disruption. Q: This is a nice green area. Can t the university use disused sites in the city instead? A: The majority of Plock Court cannot be built on as it is in the flood plain. It is the intention of the University to provide a new business school and student accommodation within the University s land ownership. In addition to this there will be improvements to the green areas of the site, opening them up for community use. The University already has extensive teaching, research, and residential facilities on the Oxstalls site. In order to provide a well-managed campus experience where students and staff can work with each other, we want to extend the facilities at Oxstalls as a unified, integrated campus, rather than setting up small new campuses elsewhere. The outline planning application includes a Masterplan which visualises the proposed uses and facilities. Q: Will there be a tree boundary around the student accommodation? A: There will be landscaping around all of the site including the student accommodation. A Landscape Framework Masterplan is included with the outline planning application. Ecology and Landscaping Q: Will the additional development bring more light pollution? A: Lighting assessments undertaken indicate that the sports lighting will be in areas that are already lit. Pedestrian (Public Right of Way) routes will be lit to improve safety and navigation and with appropriate mitigation measures in place it is considered that there will be negligible adverse residual effects. The proposed 3G all weather sports pitches will be floodlit, but will be carefully designed to minimise any wider light impact. The Lighting Report by consultants GIA Equation has found no unacceptable impact as a result of the proposals. Q: In terms of ecology what considerations are being made? A: The ecologist working on the scheme is continuing to undertake a variety of species surveys including: bats, reptiles, Great Crested Newts, badgers, water voles and otters. Investigations completed so far show no sign of protected species on
site. The masterplan has and will continue to take into consideration the habitats and requirements of species within the site. The ecologist is working alongside the drainage and landscape consultants to ensure ecological issues are fully taken into consideration in line with relevant legislation. Q: Will the trees be retained? A: A full arboricultural assessment has been undertaken to assess the trees on the site. It has been our intention to retain as many as we can within the Masterplan. Overall, in line with ecological aspirations, we expect the development to increase, rather than reduce, the number of trees on site. Q: What measures will be put in place to protect both students on campus, and also houses surrounding the campus, specifically from the open landscaped areas? A: Through landscaping and other measures, safety and security will be designed into the proposal. The Outline planning application does not go into this much detail, with consideration being incorporated into the later detailed planning applications. It is also standard practice to consult the police on new developments who then provide advice on designing out crime and designing in safety.