Promoting alternatives to the car will be at the heart of future Somerset housing developments under new proposals which have gone out for public consultation.

Somerset Council has launched its 'Creating Places for People' consultation, laying out a series of outline principles which will shape and steer new development across the county in the years to come.

Developers will be guided by these principles towards creating "attractive and high-quality environments" which are "inclusive and accessible places for all, regardless of age, gender, mobility, or background".

The consultation will run until October 16, with the responses being analysed and incorporated into the creation of the new Somerset Local Plan.

The new Local Plan will bring together the Local Plans of each of the four former districts – Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West & Taunton and South Somerset – as well as the mineral strategy of the former Somerset County Council, laying out whether housing and employment growth for the entire county will be delivered for the next two decades.

The council intends for the new development guidelines to prioritise public transport and active travel (i.e. walking, cycling and wheeling) over the use of private cars, in order to achieve the following "substantial benefits":

• Improved air quality
• Reduced carbon footprints
• Safe and easy access routes to schools, shops and local amenities
• Places which are more resilient to climate change
• More protection for nature and wildlife

In addition to shaping new greener communities in urban parts of Somerset, the principles is designed to make rural roads less hazardous for both motorists and pedestrians.

The council said that making it easier for people to walk, cycle, wheel or take public transport would reduce congestion, allowing those who need to use the roads – such as delivery drivers and the less physically able – to do so more smoothly and efficiently.

A spokesman said: "Good street design is integral to creating high-quality places. However, too often new developments in Somerset are failing to achieve this.

"Developers have traditionally been required to design their schemes based on a system which predicts future transport movements based on past trends.

"This has led to an over-emphasis on ensuring the local road network and site accesses are built or upgraded to have sufficient capacity to accommodate the predicted increase in car use.

"Developers have been asked to consider other sustainable travel modes within their designs, and in some cases contributed towards off-site improvements. However, this has always been alongside, and often second to ensuring car-based capacity is delivered.

"This approach has often created rather sterile and 'anywheresville' feeling developments which lack identity, and people often feel they have no choice but to drive to reach everyday services and facilities."

The following draft principles have been identified for the public's feedback:

1. Key facilities and services should be within 20 minutes' walk or wheeling time to reduce short times by private car (known as 'internal trips')
2. Parking provision should be reduced in more urban areas, with public transport being provided alongside electric vehicles charging points, electric bikes and e-scooters (if the latter is legalised) and the provision of car or bike clubs and mobility hubs
3. Parking should be "unobtrusive in the public realm", with secure cycle parking being provided as well as on-street storage and repair facilities
4. Trees should be provided on the highways and green spaces, aiding with water management, biodiversity and phosphate mitigation
5. Traffic calming measures should be implemented across the board, with vehicle speeds in built-up areas being reduced to 20mph or less and priority being given to pedestrians and cyclists
6. Active travel to and from schools should be promoted to reduce congestion at pick-up and drop-off times, making parents less reliant on private cars and improving air quality near schools
7. Buildings should be constructed out of "durable, attractive and easy to maintain" materials to reduced carbon footprint while reflecting the local character of a given area
8. Streets should be designed with clear, unobstructed foot-ways and cycleways, with fixed lighting, signs and charging points to reduce clutter
9. Services and lighting should be considered at an early stage of planning to avoid unnecessary impacts on local wildlife and preventing ransom strips through "undefined" parcels of land
10. Sufficient waste storage should be provided with "convenient access" to reduce littering and preserve the beauty of a given location
11. Rural areas should benefit from "safe connectivity" to local services, without compromising the landscape, character, appearance and ecology of the area
12. People should be engaged with at the earliest possible point in the planning process and be kept informed throughout all decision-making

A spokesman said: "By making places more people-focused and higher quality, we can enable people to live more sustainably, feel safer and more confident, live healthy and vital lives, save money, reduce carbon footprints, access opportunities,and simultaneously create places people feel proud of, which are attractive and resilient for the future

"This can deliver major benefits for Somerset, socially, economically and environmentally."

To take part in the consultation, visit www.somersetcouncil.citizenspace.com/planning/creating-places-for-people by October 16.

Paper copies containing further information and the online survey questions will be made available to the public at the following locations:

• Bridgwater House, Bridgwater (weekdays 8:45am-5pm)
• Council offices, A371 Cannard's Grave Road, Shepton Mallet (weekdays 8:30am-5pm)
• County Hall, The Crescent, Taunton (weekdays 8am-6pm. Saturdays 9am-4pm)
• Deane House, Belvedere Road, Taunton (weekdays 8:30am-5pm)
• West Somerset House, Killick Way, Williton (weekdays 8:30am-5pm)
• Petters Way council offices, Petters Way Yeovil (weekdays 9am-4pm – opening times on Wednesdays may vary)
• All public libraries, including: Bridgwater, Frome, Glastonbury, Minehead, Taunton and Yeovil

Responses can also be emailed to [email protected], or can be posted to Planning Policy, Somerset Council, County Hall, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 4DY.