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Boyack Praises Scotland's Most Northerly Home Zone
03/08/2000
Sarah Boyack today visited Scotland's most Northerly Home Zone project - a quality of life initiative designed to create people friendly residential areas.
The Ormlie Estate in Thurso is one of four areas to successfully bid to pilot Home Zones in Scotland. Home Zones are people friendly residential streets with reduced vehicle speed and integrated safety measures for children, pedestrians and cyclists.
The Ormlie project is widely recognised as an ideal example of how communities can utilise the core elements of the Home Zones concept. The project involves far-sighted plans to re-design and re-allocate road space to reduce traffic speed, create child-friendly play areas and encourage greater use of street space by the community.
Sarah Boyack said:
"Home Zones are not just about reducing traffic speed, they are about creating a safe and pleasant living environment. This research will help determine the part they can play in implementing a balanced approach to sustainable development in Scotland.
"I have been impressed by the type of developments I have seen in The Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavia. Such foresight by planners on the Continent has gone a long way to providing a safe and pleasant living environment for many of our European neighbours.
"The Ormlie Home Zones project reflects upon the need to adapt successful initiatives and to work with communities to develop local improvements that will best suit our needs.
"Experience on the Continent suggests that residents have a vital role to play in the success of a Home Zone project and I have been very impressed today by the level of support and enthusiasm the people in Ormlie have shown towards this project from the start. I congratulate them and the Ormlie Community Association on being selected to participate in the trial and wish them every success in the implementation of their plans."
BACKGROUND
1. Local Authorities were invited to participate in a pilot exercise to monitor the effectiveness of Home Zones in Scotland in November 1999. Four pilot projects were selected in Thurso, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh.
2. The Ormlie Home Zones project has been developed by Ormlie Community Association in partnership with Highland Council, Highland Health Board, Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise and the Northern Constabulary.
3. The Ormlie Home Zones project is part of a number of initiatives being implemented in the area. The estate is one of a number of priority areas identified by the Highlands Social Inclusion Partnership. The Ormlie Community Regeneration Programme has been awarded £47,500 in provision SIP funding by the Scottish Executive to undertake a range of initiatives for young people in 2000-01.
4. Home Zones are essentially a quality of life measure although there are road safety benefits. They aim to improve safety and reduce vehicle noise and emissions. This can be achieved through reduced traffic speed through the introduction of traffic calming measures and signing. Landscaping, street furniture and other environmental improvements may also be introduced.
5. The Department of Environment Transport and the Regions is currently monitoring nine pilot Home Zones in England. The research aims to assess the range of techniques that can be used in Home Zones and to evaluate the extent to which the broad quality of life aims can be achieved within existing legislation.
News Release: SE169a/2000
3 Aug 2000