FAQs

A Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) can provide additional information and guidance to explain how planning policies in OPDC’s Local Plan can be successfully implemented. SPDs cannot create new planning policies. 

OPDC is preparing a series of SPDs, including this Public Realm and Green Infrastructure SPD.

The Public Realm and Green Infrastructure Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) will provide additional planning guidance and detail on how OPDC will, as the Local Planning Authority, implement policies in the Local Plan that relate to public realm and green infrastructure across the OPDC area. 

The core focus is on providing additional guidance explaining how developments can create a welcoming, sustainable, green and inclusive area with new and improved public realm and open spaces. 

The SPD has a strong Equity, Diversity and Inclusion focus and seeks to deliver  best practice public realm and open spaces from high-quality greening, placemaking, design, accessibility, connectivity, equity, inclusivity, diversity, wellbeing, environmental and sustainability perspectives.

The Public Realm and Green Infrastructure SPD sets a coordinated approach to nature recovery by delivering an overall increase in green cover and a net gain in biodiversity. The guidance secures a diverse ecological network and high-quality open spaces that maximises opportunities to enhance our ecology by linking up green corridors and contribute to the area wide strategy for green and blue networks.

There is the opportunity to guide and inspire planning applicants towards enhancing day-to-day quality of life by enabling a sense of ownership, empowerment, respect, safety and provision of enhanced access to amenities, services, and open spaces. 

Our public realm and open spaces will be hubs for social gatherings, community events and activities that nurture social interaction.

The core focus is on providing additional guidance explaining how developments can create:

• Public realm and streets - how developments can deliver and enhance connectivity and use of streets that serve users by delivering the Healthy Streets approach; increased comfort, usability and safety; and supporting diversity, health and well-being; 
• Open spaces and urban greening - how developments can add value to new and improved green spaces; provide multiple benefits for people and wildlife through flood management; urban cooling; improving physical and mental health; street greening, ecological resilience, diverse formal and informal recreation; and contribute towards nature recovery and climate resilience; 
• Design - how developments can respond to local character, by setting out specific typologies and related guidance, where appropriate; and
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion - how developments can deliver equitably designed spaces and streets that meet the needs of groups with protected characteristics during the day and night including people with disabilities, children, older people and women, girls and gender diverse people. Examples include the delivery of personal-public spaces, social seating and well-considered lighting approaches.

The Draft Public Realm and Green Infrastructure Supplementary Planning Document will provide supplementary planning guidance to OPDC’s Local Plan. The document is intended to provide clarity to local people, applicants, developers and wider stakeholders on how OPDC will implement the policies in the Local Plan and will be a material consideration for the determination of planning applications.

There will be opportunities during the consultation period to speak to OPDC officers and find out more about the Draft Public Realm and Green Infrastructure SPD. Please feel free to:

• Drop by to the in-person consultation event at The Lab, Oaklands Community Centre, Oaklands Rise, NW10 6FJ  on 20th February, 2pm-7pm. No need to book so just drop in.
• Join us for an online session via Zoom on 4th March, 6-8pm – please register for the event

All responses will be considered by OPDC planning officers to help shape the final version of the Public Realm and Green Infrastructure SPD. 

We will publish each individual comment and provide a specific officer response to each comment setting out whether or not it has resulted in a change to the SPD and the reasoning for the officer response. These will be published in a table within a Statement of Consultation and presented to both OPDC’s Planning Committee and OPDC’s Board for consideration in adopting the SPD.

If adopted, the Public Realm and Green Infrastructure SPD will be a material consideration when determining all planning applications in the OPDC area, including those delegated to the London Boroughs of Brent and Ealing to determine on behalf of OPDC.