Parklet design guidance

A parklet should be designed to provide the widest possible benefit to the people who might use it. We would like to encourage creative approaches and would invite you to be as innovative as possible. Many parklets include planters, seating, notice boards, games or bike parking. The choice is yours.

Stage 1: initial parklet proposal

This section sets out the factors you should take into consideration when coming up with your initial parklet proposal.

Types of parklet

Community parklets

Parklets are typically installed in on-street parking bays. These are often located outside of a specific residential property. Though, parking bays are not allocated to residential properties.

We believe that parklets should be provided for the benefit of local communities instead of the occupant of a specific property. We are therefore only considering parklet proposals that are designed for communal use.

We intend for community parklets to be accessible for all members of the public. Community parklets cannot be used to perform any commercial activity. Where possible, these should not be located directly in front of any one single business.

Community parklets provide seating which is located on the public highway. This is lawfully considered public seating and must remain accessible to the public at all times.

Business parklets

Parklets may include a commercial element, like having food and drink served to them from a local business, which will incur a licensing fee.

As part of your Stage 1 application, you will be required to disclose any commercial elements to your proposal and to what extent it may benefit any specific business.

The council officer reviewing your application will discuss these requirements with you and will outline the process for obtaining a licence.

Businesses parklets which have a shop front licence and provide their own seating have the right to withdraw use from the public, if the person or persons are not a paying customer.

Businesses with a shop front licence can ask members of the public to vacate the parklet but do not have any provision in law or legislation to forcibly remove them.

For details of how to apply for a shop fronts trading licence, including terms and conditions, see shop front trading licence.

Funding your Parklet

Opportunities may become available to receive external funding for your parklet, subject to an application / awards process. Council Officers will be able to guide you towards any opportunities as and when they become available.

Basic design guidelines

Your parklet will be on the public highway and will have to follow certain basic guidelines. At this stage, you may also wish to engage with a contractor to get an estimate for the cost of your parklet proposal.

Do

make your parklet welcoming and comfortable for all members of the public and consider how your parklet celebrates and enhances the local area
ensure that the dimensions of the parklet fits within the width of single parking bay, not exceeding in 5m length and 1.8m in height (including height of planters with plants)
use materials that are:
- weather resistant (will not become a hazard when wet)
- sturdy (will not deteriorate)
- recycled or reusable where possible
ensure that the structure is visible on the carriageway. Use robust reflective edges and locate the structure near a source of independent lighting to increase visibility, especially at night
ensure that the overall structure is robust and includes a protective parameter between parklet structure and the carriageway (this could include planters or balustrade fencing)
plan to complete the installation in one day
think about how people with physical or visual impairments will be able to use the parklet
ensure that there is a level interface between the pavement and the parklet decking area to maintain access and reduce the chances of tripping
think about the back (roadside) of your parklet and design to deter people from wandering or tripping into the road
consider how it will be kept clean and maintained
provide for litter management if people will be spending time there, for example, if you will be installing seating
consider the potential for anti-social behaviour when thinking about your design (we can help with this)
design a parklet that can be moved in the event of roadworks, or at the end of its life
ensure that the design allows drainage so that water can flow freely and drain into the nearest gully. This will help prevent blockages which increase the risk of water pooling which cause slippery surfaces
consider including cycle and other micro mobility parking. Visitor or destination parking for cycles and other sustainable modes of transport is a valuable amenity that the Council encourages for all parklet designs.

Don’t

do anything that blocks the pavement or causes a trip hazard, such as installing next to a tree pit or existing street furniture on the pavement
include openings onto the carriageway side of the parklet to prevent users from exiting onto the road
use unfixed elements that could be blown away or into the road. (unfixed tables and chairs can be used be need to be stored away from the parklet overnight)
include very high elements (plants, furniture) that will reduce visibility the of parklet users
include elements that may pose a high risk to errant vehicle strikes (i.e. items that may protrude into the road)
include plants that may shed excessively onto the pavement or road
propose sites on single or double yellow lines. These are there for a reason and it is very unlikely that it would be a suitable or safe location
block the flow of water along the kerb edge or block any drains
permanently mark or disfigure the site
propose anything that needs electricity
use the parklet structure for storage on the highway
propose designs that involve soil resting on the road – all soil must be contained in something with a base and must be capable of being moved if necessary
use a community parklet for advertising purposes, as these should be a communal public space for all

If you have any further queries, please read our parklets FAQs.

Discuss with your neighbours and get their support

Speak to as many people as possible who live near the proposed site and include those on the opposite side of the street. Tell them what you are planning and perhaps have a rough drawing to show.

The more support you get, the greater the chance of your proposal going forward. You will be required to provide evidence of this in your Stage 2 application.

Complete your Stage 1 application

When the application window opens, we will be in touch with you to confirm your intent to apply for a parklet and will provide you with the Stage 1 application form.

We will evaluate proposals to see if they are workable in principle and where the location is suitable at a fundamental level (for example, not representing a safety hazard) If you are successful at this first stage you will be invited to produce a more detailed Stage 2 application.

If your Stage 1 proposal is rejected, we will provide feedback on why it was not suitable. You will have the opportunity to re-apply again using the Stage 1 application form.

Stage 2: detailed parklet proposal

Detailed designs

At this stage, you will need to provide detailed designs of your parklet, taking into account the feedback provided by Council officers on your Stage 1 application. This should include:

a technical drawing of your parklet design, including dimensions and labels. This should include a plan view and elevation profile (a contractor will be able to advise on these)
a list of items being installed in your parklet, both fixed (eg. decking, planters) and removable (eg. seating, plant pots etc)

Maintenance plan

A maintenance plan must be provided which sets out any regular maintenance that must be undertaken on your parklet for it to remain fully functional. This should include:

general maintenance and repairs (i.e. to fixed items and furniture)
plant maintenance
cleaning

You may wish to discuss these with the installation contractor, who may provide advice on maintaining your parklet.

Finance plan

You will need to provide evidence that you can afford the maintenance costs for your parklet, to ensure its upkeep.

You should therefore seek cost estimates for parklet maintenance and set these out on an annual basis. Please also include estimates for any non-regular maintenance costs, such as major repairs due to unforeseen damage.

As per above, you may wish to discuss these with your installation contractor.

Evidence of local support

You will need to provide the full evidence of local support, which you will have started collecting during your Stage 1 application. This will ensure a smoother statutory consultation period following submission of your Stage 2 application.

Public liability insurance

You will need to provide evidence that you have obtained public liability insurance that covers you, as the parklet keeper, for up to £5 million of third party claims.

There are many providers of this type of insurance and you may find that you simply need an extension of an existing policy that you already have.

Road safety audit

A road safety audit is a requirement for your parklet proposal, as it will identify any potential road safety issues or problems relating to your parklet design that may affect all users of the highway.

This will require a visit by a road safety auditor and may involve other parties, such as the police or a Council officer, to assess your proposal. The audit will take into consideration the following matters:

road layout and markings
position of signs
lighting provision
construction and dimensions of the parklet

Where any problems are highlighted with your parklet proposal, Council officers will work with you to mitigate these and ensure the final design is safe and appropriate in regards to the surrounding environment.

Road safety audits will be organised by Council officers, and they will provide you with details of this during the early stages of your Stage 2 application.

Traffic Management Order

The last stage of your Stage 2 application will involve the Council posting notice of a Traffic Management Order – a statutory requirement when changes are made to the highway and which involves a public consultation period.

As with all public consultations, it is possible that your proposal will receive objections. While we do not wish for this to be the case, if the Council receives a high number of objections it will be difficult to deliver your proposal and may ultimately lead to your parklet application being rejected.

However, by ensuring your proposal meets the guidance set out above and by providing us with a community letter of support, you stand the best chance of your proposal passing the consultation successfully.

This step will be undertaken by Council officers and will not require any further input from the parklet applicant.

Final approval

If you are successful with all of the previous steps, your application will be approved by council officers and you will be asked to enter into a parklet keeper agreement with the council.

Parklet Keepers are responsible for the general upkeep and maintenance of the Parklet on a day-to-day basis and throughout its life, in agreement with the council.

The agreement sets out the responsibilities of the parklet keeper to finance, install, maintain and, eventually, remove the parklet. Further details of this will be provided to you by council officers.

Once your agreement has been signed you will be able to start installing your parklet.

Page updated on: 30 January 2023