The Portsmouth Society - News

News How to declutter your streets
Earlier news "Posts, signs, bins, guard railings and traffic lights...." They form a visual mist in the foreground, obscuring the buildings and forms that create the unique distinctiveness of a place." Civic Focus, November 2004. How familiar is this scenario to all of us - in our own street, in our city, on holiday elsewhere. The article in Civic Focus highlights this problem, summarises the reasons for it and suggests what we can do about it.

The Portsmouth Society is always on the lookout for excellence in streetscape (Isambard Brunel Road?) or problems of clutter such as signing (road signs all over the city) and attempts to praise, encourage or condemn.

One of the major difficulties is the lack of co-ordination between the different agencies of local government - just think who looks after our streets : - Bus shelters - Highways, Public art - Arts officer, Hanging baskets - Parks department plus a mixture, in some places of District and Town Council authority. No wonder our streetscapes are such a confusing mess.

So, what can we do? Civic Focus suggests :
  1. Audit a street near you. Record the best and worst.
  2. Contact the local press with photos and details of the audit.
  3. Get local people (preferably influential) to support the cause.
  4. Send photos and comments to council leaders.
  5. Try to encourage specialist officers to co-ordinate their schemes.
  6. Look out for excellent projects and send photos and comments to all these people and suggest repeats.
From November 2004, all local authorities wall have received a copy of English Heritage "Designing Living Streets" manual and we must encourage them to use it and improve our streetscapes. For more information, including downloadable leaflets and street audit forms visit www.english-heritage.org.uk or contact English Heritage Customer Services on 0870 333 1181.

Gill Norman