This piece of work was commissioned from Bartlett School of Planning, University College London, to provide us with a synthesis of Agency funded research - both centrally and regionally sponsored - and to highlight key messages, to contribute to the...

Vision for a Sustainable, Multi-Functional Rural-Urban Fringe

With reference to the rural-urban fringe this piece of work was commissioned from the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London and LDA Design Exeter in 2004.


This study was commissioned to provide us with a synthesis of Countryside Agency funded research carried out to date - both centrally and regionally sponsored - to contribute to the evidence base informing its Visions and actions.

The consultants have: produced a concise distillation of our research findings to date, and highlighted key messages. They have also made recommendations to inform our final vision for a sustainable multi-functional rural-urban fringe, and inform best practice. The key messages and recommendations have been interpreted by LDA to provide a "thinkpiece" to show how these could influence landuse planning and landscape design and management, and the built environment generally.

The study looks at how the Agency's vision for the rural-urban fringe - set out in the consultation document Unlocking the Potential (2004) - might be delivered, especially through planning mechanisms. It considers, in detail, the generic planning and partnership principles that should accompany delivery. It also contributes initial ideas to how the rural-fringe might be planned, managed, and enhanced. The analysis offered is grounded in the assumption that any vision for the rural-urban fringe should not merely encourage coexistence between land uses, but should actively promote interaction - social, economic and environmental - between these different activities and land uses.

In practical terms, the Agency set out a vision for the rural-urban fringe that is dependant on: effective partnership working; integrated management; community involvement; managing/negotiating the property market; effective planning at the fringe; using new and emergent planning tools; leadership; delivering an accessible fringe. Our consultants have found that our vision for a sustainable, multi-functional rural-urban fringe needs to be underpinned by key principles, and guided by the need to deliver specific outcomes. In terms of principles the following are crucial: a positive vision; leadership; partnership; integrated management, and; inclusion. The vision needs to deliver the following objectives: accessibility; interaction; integration; multi-functionality, and sustainability.

The challenge of delivery puts the spotlight on planning and design practices at the rural urban fringe. Established best practice objectives of planning and design need to be rigorously addressed and in a way appropriate to local character. Natural England has a particular role in ensuring that generic objectives of planning and design are addressed in a way that respects local character and identifies opportunities to strengthen or re-establish landscape structure. We may be able to encourage this through the promotion and development of criteria based policies relating to these areas, and a programme of skills-raising to help local authorities negotiate better planning and design outcomes taking these criteria into account. 

This report has been split into a number of pdfs - these can be downloaded by clicking on the right hand links.

  1. Executive summary, background and Section 1: The evidence base
  2. Section 2: The principles
  3. Section 3: The Vision 
  4. Appendices and references