Neighbourhoods & communities

Reinforcing and supporting neighbourhoods and communities is a fundamental element of sustainability, promoting social cohesion and providing local facilities and services locally.

It is one of the key aims of the Sheffield City Strategy for 'Every neighbourhood to be a successful neighbourhood'.

Planning can assist in achieving this through supporting local centres, encouraging balanced communities through providing a good residential mix with appropriate infrastructure.

Guidance and information on how neighbourhood and community issues affect sustainable development. These points should be addressed within your Sustainability Statement.

Key requirements are highlighted below:

Neighbourhood regeneration

Sheffield has a major Housing Market Renewal programme and is trying to ensure that the benefits of new development are felt in all communities. 

The development of neighbourhoods and locating development in the right places is an important element in achieving sustainability; creating places that people want to live in, and ensuring that there is sufficient access to services and facilities within the local area to reduce the need to travel.

One of the Council's Big Ambitions is for ‘Every neighbourhood to be a successful neighbourhood’; seeking to build on the distinctive character of the city and working towards creating safe, strong healthy and attractive communities.

Design considerations

Locate retail, leisure or community buildings within district or local centres.

Ensure that residential and office development are located so that there is good access to a district or local centre.

Locate general industry or warehousing adjacent to the strategic road network.

Ensure that there is sufficient infrastructure provision within the local area (eg schools) to meet the increased demand.

Context & local distinctiveness

Having an appreciation and understanding of the qualities and characteristics of the surrounding area is important in contributing towards retaining local identity and a sense of place.

Responding to context helps to reinforce neighbourhoods. Sheffield is a unique city with a distinctive topography, built on 7 hills with an unrivalled location adjacent to the Peak District.

Responding to this helps to retain the unique character of the city and is an important element in creating an attractive city that people want to live in.

Design considerations

• ensure that the proposal is informed by the surrounding context
• reinforce local distinctiveness by developing a style of architecture and a choice of materials that helps define the area
• make sure the proposal respects the topography and landform
• take the opportunity to consult with local stakeholders

Balanced communities

Balanced communities develop through time and cater for different stages of life. They are an important component in achieving attractive, diverse, inclusive and sustainable neighbourhoods.

Interim Planning Guidance for Affordable Housing (2014) is ensuring that all significant housing developments help to meet the identified need for affordable housing in the City.

Regeneration initiatives are seeking to transform the quality and popularity of neighbourhoods such as the Housing Market Renewal areas.

Design considerations

• providing choice through a mixture of dwellings - in terms of house types, size, affordability and accessibility
• considering a tenure mix

Safety & security

A key sustainable objective for developments is to “create safe and accessible environments where crime and disorder or fear of crime, do not undermine quality of life or community cohesion".

Safer places and neighbourhoods help to encourage more social interaction and encourage walking as part of our priority to support and protect communities.

Design considerations

• seek to create a natural indication of public and private spaces through careful consideration of the layout
• ensure that there is a good level of natural surveillance provided through the orientation and design of buildings and the layout of rooms
• locate entrances so that they front onto public areas
• minimise the amount of blank elevations at ground floor
• integrate effective and efficient lighting into the design whilst minimising excessive glare and light pollution
• provide effective connections to the surrounding areas