Home Zones

A home zone is a street or group of streets where there is no separate road and pavement. Instead, there is a shared area for everyone - road users, pedestrians and residents.

The idea of a Home Zone is to make the street's social function, as a space for residents, more important than its highway function.

Why have a Home Zone?

The aim of Home Zone schemes is to improve the quality of life and sense of community in a street. By opening up the road to everyone, so that it is not just for the exclusive use of cars, the space can be used for a wide range of activities.

Home Zones can:

• turn residential streets into public space for residents
• create a greater sense of community
• encourage a wider range of activities in the street
• encourage active play and exercise for children
• increase road safety
• encourage walking and cycling in the local area
• improve the environment in urban streets and encourage demand for urban living.

The movement of motor vehicles is not normally banned or restricted in home zones. But the design should give a clear message to drivers to drive slowly and carefully - and to be aware that they are sharing the street with other users.

Who can set up a Home Zone?

Many home zones are now being included within new developments. We encourage developers and planners to consider including them when planning new developments.

However, it is difficult and costly to introduce one into an existing street, because of the lack of space. One major problem is that there would be a loss of on-street parking, and this is often a reason for residents to reject a scheme.

Residents need to take a leading role if they want to have an existing street turned into a Home Zone.

What would I need to do to turn my street into a Home Zone?

Creating a home zone in an existing street involves a lot more than just taking up pavements and installing bollards. The engineering work is the last, and possibly easiest, stage in a long process.

The most important and challenging step will be to get the involvement and agreement of local residents. No on-road parking is possible, which is something that not everyone might agree to.

One of the first steps to take would be to set up a local residents' association to discuss and push forward the idea.

Residents would also need to consider and talk to the wider community, parking may be pushed onto neighbouring streets, and this and other issues would need to be discussed. Local residents would also need to plan and decide what they want from their home zone, what it would include and look like.

Home Zones are a residents-led scheme

The engineering work to create a home zone is the final link in a long chain. It is an expensive process, and resources are limited.

Residents will need to get involvement from local community groups and organisations, and even look for help with funding from other sources. In most cases, residents would need to take all these steps, before asking to consider starting the expensive consultation and engineering work needed.

These steps are challenging, but not impossible.

Home zone information and advice on what residents can do, and how to do it, is available from the International Home Zones website.

Home Zones in Kent

There are currently 3 Home Zone schemes in Kent:

• Cavel Way, Sittingbourne
• Rose Avenue, Northcourt Estate, Gravesend
• Thistle Road, Northcourt Estate, Gravesend.