Cavell Way - A Planning Zone

Introduction

This report has been prepared by Caroline Field of Moat Housing Society, Sevenoaks, Kent and was published in March 2000.

Please use the navigation below to move to the pages of interest:
Introduction
The Planning Process - Getting Everybody Involved
Events
Planning For Real
The Concept Plan
Next Step For Cavell Way

This report is a summary of work undertaken during 1999 to plan a Home Zone for Cavell Way, Sittingbourne. The report focuses on the processes of planning, consultation and involvement. The concept of Home Zones is outlined and references are provided to sources of more detailed information.

The estate has had a poor local reputation and, although successive housing officers have successfully tackled some of the issues on the estate, as always it is difficult to change people's perceptions of the estate.

There is a well-established Residents Association:

"The Residents Association has been extremely strong. When we set it up we wanted to improve the community spirit and work with the Council and Housing Association for everyone's benefit. We wanted to make the estate somewhere where people want to live"

Graham Whitehead Residents Association ex-chair

The housing is in good condition.

There is an area of open space in the centre of the estate, part of which is a children's play area, but which is generally bleak and underused. Cavell Way has been described as having ' A lot of space but not much place'.

The road layout consists of a broad sweeping access road with small cul-de-sacs branching off. The width and the open aspect of this access road does not encourage drivers to slow down when they enter the estate.

There is an additional traffic hazard at the entrance to the estate at Staplehurst Road. There is no footpath on the Cavell Way side of Staplehurst Road and crossing to the pavement on the other side of the road is hazardous due to the proximity of a hump-backed bridge. As part of the development, money was reserved for a path but this has never been built, as the landowner was reluctant to sell.

With almost all the housing let to families with children, Cavell Way has a high child density. According to a Residents Association survey, just over half the children are under 11. The children actively use the street and open spaces for a wide range of play activities.

The Residents Association have led a longstanding campaign for traffic calming:

"There were already a couple of speed ramps an the estate. The problem was that cars would mount the pavement so that they could bypass the ramps at speed. We asked the Council for bollards. They installed flexible bollards but the children have used them as bouncy seats and some have broken off. There were also problems with cars and motorbikes driving down the alleyway so we got the Council to put up a barrier"

Graham Whitehead Residents Association ex-chair

The Cavell Way Home Zone

From the beginning, the Cavell Way Home Zone has been a joint initiative by Moat Housing Society, the Residents Association and Swale Borough Council. 'We' in this report refers to all three organisations, working together.

In late 1998, the Swale Borough Council Head of Highways, Brian Planner, met with Cavell Way Residents' Association. Knowing of the residents' longstanding requests for more effective traffic calming, he suggested the Council put forward the estate as a possible pilot.

"We had kept pestering them so they realised we were serious about things. When the Council heard about the Home Zone project, they knew we would be interested"

Graham Whitehead Resident Association ex-chair

"We want the Home Zone because it will be safer for everyone. The kids will have more to do and it'll generally be a better environment for us all to live in"

Elaine Rochester Resident Association Chair

Click through to:
Introduction
The Planning Process - Getting Everybody Involved
Events
Planning For Real
The Concept Plan
Next Step For Cavell Way

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