Streets & Spaces Framework

In November 2015, Southampton City Council adopted its Streets & Spaces Framework, a guidance report to inform the quality of the city’s public realm.

The purpose of the Streets & Spaces Framework is to ensure a holistic and integrated approach to Southampton city centre’s public realm that improves the attractiveness, distinctiveness and connectivity of the streets and public spaces of the city centre. The guidance sets out public realm design guidance for Southampton city centre that expresses in greater detail the aspirations set out in the City Centre Action Plan. As such the Streets & Spaces Framework is now a material consideration in the determination of planning applications within the city centre and should guide the design of public realm and highway improvements.

A wide range of city centre stakeholders were invited to take part in a series of street audits and workshops and their observations and comments helped shape the guidance. The preparation of the guidance has also taken into consideration the advice of relevant officers including city development, parks and open spaces, transport, conservation, and planning policy.

Richard Eastham was the author of the draft version of the guide while working at Southampton City Council and was responsible for the diagrams and graphics.