B5.10.4 Waste storage placement and design

New development must integrate waste storage into the overall design, ensuring bin areas are discreet, functional, and designed with user safety in mind. Storage locations must be:

• well-lit

• easily accessible

• have adequate storage

• positioned to allow natural surveillance, providing a safe environment for all users, including vulnerable people

• located separately from cycle storage

Private bin storage locations must be clearly identified for all new dwellings, with easy, level access from their storage location to the collection location. Areas indicated for bin store locations must not create unusable or awkward areas within private gardens.

The placement of bin storage must be provided in accordance with the relevant housing type:

• detached and semi-detached houses: bin storage must be located to the rear or side of the property, behind a minimum 1.8 metre high lockable gate to ensure security and to avoid negative visual impact on the street scene

• terraced, mews and town houses: bin storage must be located to the side or rear of each dwelling with clear, convenient access. Where possible, individual pathways with gated access from the front or side must be provided to enable secure, direct bin movement without reliance on shared rear passageways. If a shared rear pathway is unavoidable, no more than three dwellings may share a single gated access to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour risk. Where individual storage is not feasible, shared bin stores may be provided within secure communal courtyards or discreetly positioned along alleyways, ensuring they are well-screened and accessible with adequate containment for the dwelling occupancy

• apartments: communal bin stores must be provided either internally or externally. External stores must be positioned away from primary building façades and key frontages to avoid negative visual impact and fire risk, and must be secure, well screened, and conveniently accessible for all residents and refuse vehicles

• In courtyards or gated developments, bin collection points must be provided on the edge of the development which are accessible to refuse collectors

Exception: For mid-terraced properties, front bin storage may be acceptable if it is provided within an attractive and secure bin store, or integrated into an enclosed section of the porch or boundary structure.

New housing developments must enable refuse vehicles to reach dedicated bin collection points or communal bin store locations within 25 metres of the carriageway. The maximum 25 metre route to the refuse vehicles must have an appropriate gradient and be free from obstruction to allow safe and easy bin movement by Council collection staff

New residents should not be expected to carry waste more than 30 metres (excluding any vertical distance) to a bin collection point on private drives. Gradients along the route should also be considered to ensure bins can be moved safely by both residents and Council collection staff.

New development layouts must be designed to avoid refuse vehicles having to reverse along streets, to minimise risks to pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles. Where this is unavoidable, proposals must include adequate turning provision within the street design.

For Local Residential Streets (such as short cul-de-sacs), or Shared Surface Streets under 45 metres in length serving fewer than 10 dwellings, refuse vehicles may reverse into the area from a Secondary Main Street under supervision. In such cases, the turning area at the street end may be reduced to accommodate only a private car turning head, provided that:

• a safe, clear area for refuse vehicle manoeuvring is demonstrated

• vehicle tracking drawings are submitted to confirm that safe access and egress can be achieved without obstruction or conflict with pedestrians, parked cars or adopted footways

New development proposals must demonstrate safe circulation and forward gear entry and exit by a refuse vehicle (with a standard length of 11.2 metres) and a fire and rescue appliance.

Refuse vehicle tracking must be undertaken at a design speed of 15mph on Primary Distributor and Secondary Main Streets, and 10mph on Local Residential and Shared Surface Streets using the most appropriate design vehicle within the produce used. Turning space is necessary to avoid the need for long reversing manoeuvres.

The usual dimensions of a refuse vehicle are as follows:

• overall length: 11.2 metres

• overall width: 2.53 metres

• overall body height: 3.752 metres

• minimum body ground clearance: 0.304 metres

• track width: 2.5 metres

• lock to lock time: 4.00 seconds

• kerb to kerb turning radius: 9.5 metres