Staffordshire Highways Design Code: new guidance for residential streets.

What has changed

The scrutiny report explains that the county's Residential Design Guide of 2000 was overtaken by Manual for Streets in 2007, although its technical appendices remained in use. The new code is intended to standardise how officers already interpret national guidance, drawing on the National Design Guide, the National Model Design Code, Manual for Streets 1 and 2 and LTN 1/20. It applies to new residential streets, not to the existing public highway or off-site highway works.

The council describes the code as covering the project lifecycle from pre-planning engagement through to adoption, with an emphasis on long-term stewardship and maintenance.

Structure and approach

The code sets overarching principles that every new residential development is expected to address, covering placemaking, movement, inclusion, safety, materials, longevity and stewardship. These are organised into six themes: place, movement, access, safety and servicing, utilities, and lifespan.

The code is expressed as minimum requirements rather than aspirations. Departures are permitted only with a clear and agreed justification. Reporting of the cabinet decision notes an emphasis on tree-lined streets, consistent with national policy, with recommended species differing between the north and south of the county, and on lower-speed streets, better crossings and more direct walking and cycling routes.

The deliverability check

The scrutiny report describes a new deliverability check before the local planning authority issues permission, to confirm that the street design is buildable and capable of adoption. Its purpose is to avoid layouts receiving planning permission that later prove difficult to deliver or adopt.

For applicants, this brings forward work that has often been left until after permission: confirming that the layout, widths, levels, drainage, trees and services can be accommodated in a form the highway authority will adopt.

Points to note

The code was approved as county highway authority guidance, not as a supplementary planning document of a district planning authority. Its weight in planning decisions will depend on how the district and borough councils in Staffordshire refer to it in their own policies and consultation responses.

The code document itself is large and was published in October 2026. We have relied on the scrutiny report, the council's publication page and reporting of the cabinet decision for this summary. Specific dimensions and requirements should be taken from the code.

Practical points

• Engage the highway authority before submission, since the code covers the lifecycle from pre-planning engagement.
• Prepare for the deliverability check, with enough technical detail on the street layout to show it can be built and adopted.
• Design streets with trees from the outset, allowing for species and space requirements.
• Record and justify any departures, since the code sets minimums rather than targets.