The scheme advocated innovative street solutions from an early stage, including reduced visibility curves, narrowing street widths, a continental-style roundabout and minimal signage. Pedestrian are given a greater priority at junction crossings through design measures; different approaches have been taken to allow this to happen but this is most successful within the later stages. Refer to the images accompanying this text. Cheap, easily maintained materials have been used throughout with the exception of the streetscape within the centre of the neighbourhood centre. Here, higher quality materials and street furniture have been used to help create a central heart to the development with a clear identity. A variety of street scene has been created either through "traditional" streets with carriageway and footways, streets with tree planting and shared surface streets. Street names reinforce each local area, hence within for example the Gullane area the streets are called Gullane Road, Gullane Place, Gullane Terrace and Gullane Avenue. Streets in Ardler were the first in Dundee to drop visibility curves allowing a reduction in forward visibility from 35m to 20m. At Scotscraig Road, north of the neighbourhood centre, further speed reductions have been achieved through reducing the road width to 4.1m. Most of the private development is to the north-west of the Village and the same principles of road design have been applied there. Overall the scheme has successfully reduced speed through urban design measures and allowed more sustainable use of land through allowing building lines to come closer to corners. There has been extensive use of SUDS throughout the site which have been considered integrally from the outset and the strategy has been monitored as the development has been built. Swales were initially designed for use through all residential streets. Problems, however, arose with maintenance especially concerning grass cutting and litter collection when the first phases were built and occupied. There were also aesthetic considerations of taking access driveways across the swales and how this impacted on the streetscene. This led to swales being dropped in favour of detention ponds at key points instead on later phases. On streets where swales were planned, but the proposal was dropped before construction, the land width has been kept but used for a grass verge and tree planting instead. The Council maintain all areas of SUDS. Swales are now used only either in association with areas of open space or where they will have a minimum length of 20m. SUDS are attenuated through both wet and dry ponds; wet ponds are used as a site feature and are at their most successful when linked to other open space within the site development as at Troon Gardens/ Gleneagles Avenue. Dry ponds feature within residential areas and double up as open space for casual play such as at Wentworth Drive. |