B4.7.3 Street furniture

Code: 4.73c

Furniture which is underutilised, and affects pedestrian circulation, or is visually intrusive, must be considered for removal. Opportunities must be taken to rationalise (by removing, merging, relocating or replacing) redundant street furniture where possible to avoid creating unnecessary clutter. This must not be at the expense of safety, user comfort (including users with mobility issues), accessibility, or the ease of navigating around an area. Wayfinding and directional signs must not be compromised by efforts to reduce street clutter: See Codes: 3.25c, 3.26c and Guidance: 2.29g for further detail.

Streetlights and signs must be mounted on buildings or walls wherever possible. Any street furniture must be firmly fixed in the ground.

Street furniture must help to strengthen the character and the quality of the streetscape upon which it is located. It must facilitate positive activity within the streetscape and, serve a dual function if possible (for example, a bin could also serve the same purpose as a bollard or for Hostile Vehicle Mitigation as per (Code: 4.72c)). The design and durability of street furniture must ensure that it is well-located when considering intervals between routes and is not prone to vandalism.

Historic street features which contribute to the heritage of the district must be retained where possible. Wakefield Conservation Officers must be consulted if there is any doubt.

View across an open space area with tree planting, landscaping and a large play area. Seating is provided as a linear bench on top of a stone wall boundary which also acts as a defensive barrier for the open space.

Figure 125: Shows street furniture which serves a defensive function whilst also offering a place to sit Ancoats Green, Manchester (Code: 4.73c)

Open paved area within Wakefield City Centre at Crown Square. Raised planters and benches surrounding a paved area with a 3 storey brick building to one side of the paved area and a creme rendered two storey building on another side

Figure 126: Shows raised beds and street furniture which contribute to hostile vehicle mitigation without an overly defensive visual appearance in Crown Square, Wakefield (Code: 4.73c)

View along the walkway of the Millennium Bridge in Castleford showing the wooden floor of the bridge with white metal railings topped with wood. The central area of the bridge shows some raised seating areas

Figure 127: Shows integrated and architectural bench seating on the Millennium Bridge, Castleford which provides a convenient place to rest (Code: 4.73c)

$Street trees surrounded by black metal tree guards and benches in between them in a paved area of Pontefract with the War Memorial in the background$

Figure 128: Shows street furniture which is wellplaced around a natural gathering point at the War Memorial in Pontefract (Code: 4.73c)