Transport for new developments

Policy, guidance and processes for new developments, including parking standards.

The current guidance (Residential Road Design Guide) is being updated, and is gradually being replaced with Transport for New Developments. 

The list below shows the documents that will form this guidance, with links where the documents are complete, and a date indicating when we are planning to make the remaining documents available. Where a document is not yet available, please continue to refer to the appropriate section of the Residential Road Design Guide (below) in the meantime.

New guidance

These documents are generally referred to by the Transport Development Control Team:

These documents are generally referred to by the Road Agreements Team:

  • Highway design - June 2012
  • Commuted sums for maintenance liabilities - August 2012
  • Construction details and specifications - June 2012
  • Road Agreements and private roads - June 2012

Residential Road Design Guide

This guidance is gradually being replaced by the new documents above. Where new guidance is available, you will be referred to the replacement documents.

This guide is primarily aimed at developers of residential sites, but parts of it are of wider interest. It outlines our guidelines on a range of transport related issues, including cycling and walking. It also provides advice on landscaping, outlines road standards and covers procedures for transfer of the responsibility of the roads from the developer to the highway authority.

1. Philosophy

2. Main objectives

3. Introduction

4. The movement framework

5. Road types (tables and descriptions)

This section outlines the different road types in residential developments, their characteristics and where they should be used.

6. Technical support data

This section gives a range of design criteria including visibility criteria both along the road and at junctions and also it outlines junction types and minimum junction spacing. It outlines types of turning bays and where they should be used together with general road alignment criteria.

7. Parking and garage courts

This has been superseded by new policy: Parking standards for new developments.

8. Services

9. Landscaping

10. Conservation areas

11. Preamble to adoptions

This section outlines our procedure for the transfer of responsibility for maintaining new residential roads to us from the developer. It also outlines the need for Health and Safety requirements during construction.

12. Conditions for section 38 highway works

This section outlines the conditions of contract for works which involve transfer of responsibility for roads in residential development from the developer to the County Council.

13. The adoption of highways, public open spaces and parking spaces

14. Procedures and agreements

No longer available.

15. Specification for road construction

Appendices

1. Highway drainage

A satisfactory system of drainage must be provided for the collection and disposal of surface water from all areas to be adopted by the Highway Authority in the development area.

It is absolutely essential that the means of disposal of surface water be investigated with the Highway Authority at the preliminary stage of all development schemes. It cannot be assumed that permission will automatically be granted by the Highway Authority for connection to the existing highway drainage system within adjacent maintained roads.

The developer is required to make adequate and satisfactory outfall arrangements for his development in accordance with this Appendix.

This Authority endorses, indeed encourages, the use of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, and by way of examples as to the flexibility of approach the following are considered suitable as potential outfalls for a highway drainage system:

  • Watercourses
  • Soakaways/soakage trenches
  • Swales/basins
  • Existing highway drains
  • Existing public surface water sewers

All of the above systems require the written approval of the Highway Authority at an early stage, and for some a commuted sum to cover future maintenance of the system will be required. Details can be secured from the Group Engineer, Bridges (Highway Management).

Appendices

Drawings

2. Street lighting design requirements

Oxfordshire County Council provides a comprehensive street lighting design service using the latest specifications and computer aided design facilities. These designs show the minimum number of lights required to meet the appropriate category of lighting laid down in British Standard BS5489:2003. This also ensures the most efficient installation and keeps the capital cost, as well as future maintenance and energy costs, to a minimum. Doing this will also help in managing our Carbon Reduction Commitment.

We also had to consider the ongoing reliability, ease of maintenance and energy consumption of equipment. Therefore we have decided to standardise on the types of equipment we specify, which includes LED and dimming technology.

We have resolved to make a charge for design work which we carry out for third parties. The fee is based on 5% of the estimated capital cost of the installation works, subject to an £1020 maximum and £246 minimum charge for each section 38 or 278 agreement.

However, if a Developer/Consultant wishes to make arrangements to carry out their own street lighting design a specific design brief for your site must be obtained from the Electrical Services - Lighting Section. The lighting design must then be submitted to us approval prior to any installation work commencing on site.

Failure to seek approval of the street lighting design will prevent the section 38/278 adoption taking place. Please note that lighting designs submitted on more than two occasions will incur an administration charge of £66.00 for each subsequent submission. The charge will have to be paid before approval can be given.

Please contact our Street Lighting Team to discuss your requirement further, when the adoptable areas have been finalised and agreed with our Road Agreements Team.

3. Structural procedures

4. Planting on adoptable highways

5. Acceptable materials

6. Home Zone characteristics and new housing developments

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the input of the following, used to arrive at the content of this document:

  • Essex County Council
  • Warwickshire County Council
  • Cherwell District Council
  • Oxford City Council
  • South Oxfordshire District Council
  • Vale of White Horse District Council
  • West Oxfordshire District Council
  • DETR (Places, Streets & Movement)

In addition our thanks go to the individual members of staff of the above authorities, whose considered responses on both drafts have been most helpful in the subsequent work - and indeed to all of the County Council staff members who have submitted papers for inclusion in this document, and their invaluable observations throughout.

Last reviewed
06 August 2012
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