VANTAGE TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT
DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAMME
MODULE ELEVEN: ASSESSMENT OF PLANNING
LAYOUTS
Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
VANTAGE TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT
PREFACE
Vantage Training and Management Pty (Ltd) has become a major role-player in the field of
local government training. It is currently presenting numerous learning and development
programs in seven of the nine provinces. Part of the company’s success can be attributed
to its attention to detail, the quality of its training programs and the professional manner in
which its programs are presented.
Quality customer service and customer care is a major ingredient of the company’s
contractual obligation with each and every client. Each of the company’s employees has
pledged to strive towards providing equitable and affordable training and development
opportunities, to all who wish to expand their knowledge and skill in the challenging field of
local government. The company is convinced, that through the transfer of knowledge and
skills, it is playing a meaningful role in the transformation of our towns and cities into
beautiful havens of hope and prosperity. Areas in which the different population groups with
their diverse languages, political aspirations, cultures and religion can work in harmony to
develop our beautiful country.
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
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ASSESSMENT OF PLANNING LAYOUTS
KEY AREAS ADDRESSED IN THIS MODULE:



The assessment requirements of different types of layout;
The theoretical background for layout design;
Community consultation and circulation to departments
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The objective of this module is to provide course participants with a sound
understanding of how to assess different planning layouts and the types of issue one
needs to consider when assessing layouts.
Participants should therefore be able to undertake the following after completing the
module:
 Have an understanding of the assessing requirements of different types of layout.
 Understand the theoretical background for layout design.
 Understand some of the technical requirements for planning layouts.
 Understand the need for consultation and comments.
 Be able to apply the above in their work.
 Be able to advise developers and land development applicants of the
assessment criteria and the reasons for using them.
Much of the information used in the compilation of this module has been drawn directly
from the Red Book : Guidelines for Human Settlement Planning and Design :
Department of Housing :2000.
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
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CONTENTS
STUDY UNIT 1 :
INTRODUCTION TO THE ASSESSMENT OF LAYOUTS
STUDY UNIT 2 :
DESIGN OF PLANNING LAYOUTS
STUDY UNIT 3 :
PROVISION OF PUBLIC FACILITIES IN LAYOUT DESIGN
STUDY UNIT 4 :
PROVISION OF OPEN SPACE IN PLANNING LAYOUTS
STUDY UNIT 5 :
THE USE OF STANDARDS IN PLANNING LAYOUTS
STUDY UNIT 6 :
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND CIRCULATION REQUIREMENTS
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
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STUDY UNIT 1 : INTRODUCTION TO THE ASSESSMENT OF
PLANNING LAYOUTS
1.0
INTRODUCTION
In the last two modules, you have covered map reading and the assessment of land fro
development purposes. Both of these courses are directly related to the assessment of
planning layouts. What needs to be bourne in mind is that with layout assessment, you
are now being required to bring to bear many of the topics you have covered in previous
courses.
Remember the first module which discussed the principles of development planning
followed by the module on Integrated Development Planning. All of the concepts learnt
in these courses should be applied in the assessment of planning layouts.
One trap that people often fall into is to assess the map in front of them in technical and
procedural terms. I.e they consider it only in terms of whether the correct information
has been submitted correctly, whether circulation requirements have been complied
with or whether the technical requirements of the layout have been addressed. What
you need to remember is that there is a lot of thinking and reasoning which goes firstly
into the decision to prepare a layout and then a lot of technical skill which goes into the
actual preparation of the layout.

The broader rationale for layout planning has its roots in development theory and
in the principles for land development you covered in the fist modules.

You then considered Integrated Development Planning which sets the scene for
the decisions for the general location of development.

The map reading and site assessment modules in particular provide the detail for
the selection and assessment of different sites for the layout to take place. T

The assessment of layout module provides you with some of the broader
theoretical and technical thinking which goes into the actual preparation of the
layout. The actual assessment of layouts and assessment of the procedures are
therefore only one component of the whole process.
In considering the broader picture for the assessment of layouts it is important to recap
on the general principles of land development contained n the legislation as these
principles provide the overall guidance for land development in South Africa.
The directive principles contained in the Land Management Bill impact upon
development planning and planning layouts. The directive principles are listed below
and require that land development must :
o
o
o
o
Be environmentally sustainable
Enhance equality
Be efficient
Be integrated;
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
VANTAGE TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT
o
o
Promote dignified spatial environments
Be based on fair and good governance
The DFA established a number of general development principles which apply
throughout South Africa. These are described below:



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






Facilitate the development of formal and informal, existing and new settlements.
Discourage illegal occupation of land
Promote efficient and integrated land development
Public Participation
Capacity Building
Facilitating developer interaction with government
Clear laws, procedures and administrative practice
Sustainable land development
Speedy land development
No particular land use is more important than any others
Security of tenure
Promotion of open markets and competition
If at the end of this module you have an understanding of the broader picture for the
selection process, land development requirements and technical requirements, then you
will have achieved the objectives.
There are several different types of layout design which are normally considered. These
are as follows:





Residential layouts (Low, middle and high income area designs.)
Agricultural villages (land reform and small-holding designs)
Eco-tourism (Mostly luxury developments)
Commercial layouts for shopping areas and town centres
Industrial layouts for service, light and heavy industries.
This module looks primarily at residential layouts as these are the types of layout most
commonly assessed. The design concepts and principles extend to the other types of
layout and can be applied to other designs as well.
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STUDY UNIT 2 : DESIGN OF PLANNING LAYOUTS
INTRODUCTION
One of the most important questions a layout designer has to answer is what is the
layout to be used for and how should the land best be subdivided to provide for the
proposed development. A large site offers many more design opportunities than a small
and constrained site. Greenfield layouts offer more opportunity for new and improved
ideas than layouts for smaller infill areas. Some of the key factors which influence the
design and division of a layout are as follows:
Physical conditions of the site
In the previous module on site assessment, you considered a wide range of factors
which have an impact on the selection and development of land. These are also the
primary considerations for determining the design and layout of a property.
Market forces
All developments rely on market forces to determine the type of development and hence
the layout design. For example if the market determines a need for heavy industry, then
a layout with large industrial sistes and railway access may be required. If the market
needs service or light industrial development then the sites can be much smaller with
just road access. The same goes for residential development. There is a great need for
low-cost housing still, particularly in the rural areas. Middle and upper income housing is
deliver as and when the demand for this type of housing occurs and is very much
location driven. E.g beachfront properties and upmarket areas.
Surrounding patterns of development
The surrounding development will often impact upon the type of layout on a site.
Between a low and middle income area, the sites may be a compromise size and
design. Unfortunately low cost areas are often the losers when it comes to location near
industrial areas. For eco-tourism layouts, tranquillity and scenery are important.
Regulatory limitations
Most towns have planning schemes with fairly strict development standards for site
design and layout. National building regulations apply generally and also determine site
layout and design.
Lot design must comply with the town planning rules relating to the following:

Minimum frontages

Minimum frontage to depth ratio (Normall1:3 to 1:5)

Side, rear and front space requirements
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Minimum lot sizes where specified

Maximum cul-de-sac lengths
DENSITY OF LAYOUT DESIGNS
In designing a layout there are a number of decisions relating to density which need to
be considered to make efficient use of land. These are as follows:

Higher densities should be encouraged along main roads, at strategic points,
around shopping centres, around clusters of recreation and community facilities.
The reasons are to maximise access to public transport and public facilities and
to provide cost effective lots on normally higher value land. Smaller lots can be
provided and higher residential densities permitted to encourage the
development of flats and duplexes.

Land uses which require a lot of space should be located on the periphery of
layouts where they will not utilise valuable residential land. E.g. stadiums, waste
sites, cemeteries.

A variety of different lot sizes should be provided to accommodate different
densities at different locations. E.g along main roads and public transport routes,
the density should be higher than surrounding residential only areas. Lot sizes
should take the needs of the residents into account in terms of providing for
home business opportunities and in poorer areas, urban agriculture. Some
planners argue that sites as small as 60-100m² are adequate for human
habitation. In coming to such decision, the topography of the land and the needs
of the people for agriculture and home business activities needs to be
considered. In KwaZulu-Natal, not many sites go below 200m² and even this is
considered small in many areas.

It is necessary to provide a range of housing types as well, in order to
accommodate the different needs of people. E.G larger lots for families, flats and
duplexes for single people or small families and older people, rental
accommodation for single people and small families

There is a need in layout design to be able to accommodate change. Layout
designers should also be planners who look into the future to determine what
land uses will need to be accommodated in the future and how to accommodate
changes which may arise. E.g Plan for expansion of shopping and industrial
areas at the beginning.
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LAYOUT DESIGN
There are numerous ways of designing layouts most of which are determined by a few
key factors such as topography, site size and beneficiary requirements. In general
however, sites should:

Be orientated to the north to maximise exposure to the sun.

Be designed in blocks of not more than 100m in length

Have narrow frontages where possible to reduce service costs

Smaller blocks of sites are preferable to create a sense of belonging

Reduce road lengths (thereby saving costs of construction and maintenance)

Make use of pan-handle sites where the community will accept these as it
reduces servicing costs.

Achieve a target residential density. (50 units per hectare is considered
reasonable for most developing areas. In upper income areas, 5units per
hectare or less is often used whereas in meduium density developments, 25 to
30 units per hectare is the norm)

Residential, commercial and industrial land uses should take up approximately
55% of the area of the development. Public land and amenities should take up
approximately 25% of the land area and movement (roads etc) should not take
up more than 20% of the land area.

The minimum width of a site for single or detached residential should not be less
than 8m to accommodate a decent room width and some space about the
buildings.

The minimum width of sites for row housing should not be less than 5m to
accommodate a basic room width.

The minimum width of sites for multi-unit developments such as flats and
duplexes should be 18m.

While smaller sites with narrow frontages help reduce cost of servicing
development, there is a point where the number of sites created balances the
cost of service delivery. There is then no need to reduce the site sizes
unnecessarily.

Large sites have high servicing costs and therefore higher rates and service
charges have to be paid to the Municipality for maintenance purposes.

From a servicing perspective, manholes are required at 100m intervals for
maintenance purposes. Straight roads are preferred from an engineering
perspective but can lead to unimaginative designs.

Long straight roads running across contours for any distance must be avoided as
these cause sever storm water runoff problems.
In summary, while there are numerous good reasons to reduce servicing costs and
engineering costs in layouts, one also needs to be imaginative in design of layouts.
Remember that the layout you design and approve will be there for many tears to come
and once it is constructed, it is almost impossible to rectify or change.
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LAYOUT OPTIONS
Depending on the physical conditions of the site, there are many options for layout
design. Some of these options are as follows:
Grid Layout
This type of layout works well on flat land and on sloping land. A grid layout allows
encourages vehicular circulation and also encourages economic activity at intersections.
(remember the corner shops) Grid layout permit both large and small sites.
It is possible to introduce a pan-handle design into grid layouts to create a four-stand
deep block, which can reduce servicing costs even further.
Walkways can be provided to provide pedestrian access to shops, schools and other
facilities. Walkways have lost favour in recent times because of crime and vragrancy.
Small grid blocks increase intersections and therefore traffic hazards. However, long
grid blocks can cause long roads which can be turned into “speed ways” and then
require traffic calming mechanisms such as speed humps. Curves and corners in roads
assist in reducing traffic speed in residential areas.
Short blocks tend to increase servicing costs because of the higher number of street
crossings.
Loop layouts
This type of layout reduces vehicular movement within residential areas and makes it
safer for children playing on the streets.
The lop layout is a cost effective and popular design as it promotes efficiency in
servicing costs.
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Cul-de-sacs
Cul-de-sacs are useful design mechanisms which create safe areas for children to play
in. They don’t necessarily reduce servicing costs except that the main service line along
the cul-de-sac can be extended to serve sites surrounding the sites in the cul-de-sac.
Some communities have an aversion to cul-de-sacs because they have a closed end
and there is no ”escape route” for vehicles and people. A pedestrian walkway at the
end of the cul-de-sac can resolve this issue.
Refuse removal can be a problem if the turning circle at the end of the cul-de-sac is not
adequate. The large refuse trucks and removal vans cannot turn in small areas.
Cluster design
Cluster units in a cluster layout can occur at fairly high densities. It is an efficient way of
saving on road widths and servicing costs. If the cluster site is privately owned as in
many middle and higher income cluster developments, then there all internal services
and roads are constructed at the expense of the development and property owners.
Privately owned cluster development also require a high degree of management
capacity. A body corporate or legal entity is required to manage the development and
collect proportionate levies from individual property owners.
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
VANTAGE TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT
STUDY UNIT 3 : PROVISION OF PUBLIC FACILITIES IN
PLANNING LAYOUTS
All types of layout require the provision of public facilities, but particularly in residential
layouts which are the most common, the provision of public facilities is an important
consideration.
Public facilities are classified as those services which cannot be supplied directly to
individual dwellings and include the following:
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Recreation and opens space areas;
Sports facilities
Public administration facilities;
Health facilities
Education facilities
Religious and cultural facilities.
Public facilities are classified according to the level or scale of population they serve.
High order facilities
High order public facilities serve entire regions or populations on a city wide scale. For
example, a university, botanical gardens, technikon, stadium.
Middle-order facilities
These facilities serve a number of communities and are supported by a number of
settlements. For example a high school, small stadium, library, multi-purpose Centre.
Lower-order facilities
These facilities are utilised by single communities and included facilities such as playlots, crèche, primary schools.
Mobile facilities
These are facilities which move from one location to another and are popular in the rural
areas and dispersed settlements where there are limited resources to serve spread out
communities. These include mobile clinics, libraries, police stations etc.
COMPATIBILITY AND LOCATION OF PUBLIC FACILITIES
As with any land uses, some are more compatible with each other than others. Some
land use, as you learnt in your land use management module, are not compatible with
other land uses at all. With the provision of public facilities in planning layouts, it is more
cost-effective from a money point of view and from a social development perspective to
cluster facilities. The reasons for this are obvious. Clustering public facilities enables
people to access a range of facilities within a short distance of each other. E.G Schools
located near libraries, sports fields and community halls or multi-purpose centres, can
make use of all the facilities with ease. The mistake of many of our settlements in the
past (and even today) is that the facilities are dispersed across wide areas which is
inefficient, costly and does not promote community development.
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The following diagramme shows the importance of linking and integrating different public
facilities:
Diagramme
The advantages of clustering community or public facilities are as follows:
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Convenience, as all services are located in one area or centre
Lower maintenance and management costs
Reduced amount of land required
Reduction of transport costs
Greater use of public facilities
Reduction in public expenditure
When preparing and assessing a planning layout, it is extremely important that the
concept of clustering facilities and “building a community” be applied. Often developers
will allocate bad land to community facilities across the layout because he/she is being
attempting to maximise profit by squeezing as many lots in as possible on the good or
developable land. This can create a dysfunctional community for short term gain and
need to be monitored in the assessment process.
Study the following diagramme which shows a compatibility matrix of different public
facilities. You may dispute some of the compatibility ratings shown in the diagramme but
it provides a useful guide to the decision to locate different facilities within a planning
layout.
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
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Diagramme
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
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STUDY UNIT 4 : PROVISION OF OPEN SPACE IN PLANNING
LAYOUTS
There are several different types of open space, but open spaces should contribute
towards the provision of what is called and “environmental service” to local communities.
Every layout, whether it is industrial, commercial or residential purposes should have a
degree of open space included in it. Open space consists of :
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Conservation areas
Environmentally sensitive areas
Parks
Botanical gardens
Undevelopable land which is reserved for open space purposes
Play lots
Sports fields
Road verges
The role of open spaces are as follows:
To enable ecological processes to be linked in a sustainable manner and to link
biodiversity. Insect, birds and even small animals in urban areas make use of open
spaces to procreate.
To provide green spaces for people to recreate in and look at. Dense urban
environments are not natural to people. People need to feel that nature is close at hand
and that they have space to play in and recreate in.
Different people have different recreation needs so to do different age groups have
different recreation needs. These different needs should be reflected in the layouts for
specific communities and different land uses.
For instance, in industrial areas there is a need for small parks where workers can
recreate in during breaks.
In residential areas where the lot sizes are 1000m² and above, there is justification for
less useable open space than in a layout where the lot sizes are 200m². this is because
children can play in large yards in large sites whereas in small sites they are forced out
of the properties onto the roads.
Differing open space needs of groups
For small children o between 2 to 5 years old, visual separation from care givers is a
cause of anxiety. Small open spaces of approximately 60m² in extent, located within
sight of residences and care givers is important.
Children of between 6 to 12 years of age tend to play in groups and need larger play
spaces of approximately 1500m². These play spaces need to be protected from fast
moving vehicles.
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Young adults of between 13 to 19 need open spaces for several reasons. One is simply
to “hang out” and meet other young people. A second reason is to play sports and to be
challenged by open space areas. Play surfaces with markings becomes important
together with areas to socialise.
Elderly people need passive engagement with other people. Preferably level or flatter
open spaces are preferred with. Older people use open spaces frequently and at
regular times. E.g mornings and evenings.
Physically challenged people have special open space requirements. Level land or
gently sloping not exceeding a gradient of 1:12 is important with hardened pathways to
accommodate wheel chairs.
General provision of open space requirements
There are standards for the provision of open space although it is extremely difficult to
justify one particular standard over another. The most appropriate way is to analyses the
needs of the target community by analysing their socio-economic profile. This enable a
layout planner to assess what type and extent of open space needs to be provided.
It is critical also to remember that peoples socio-economic circumstances change over
time, sometimes over short periods of time. An example of this is in parts of Eastwood
in Pietermaritzburg where past planners planned the layout without vehicular access. At
the time, the beneficiaries were poor and did not own cars. Of course, over time, the
people gained economically and all brought vehicles. Their sites still do not have
access. The same applies to the provision of open spaces based on too rapid a socioeconomic analysis.
Generally however open space standards of 1 hectare per 1000 people is used to
undertake a broad assessment of layouts. It is more appropriate to use the standards
and guidelines provided in detail in this module for different open space requirements to
ensure that an appropriate level of useable open space is provided in every layout.
Usually a layout planner will reserve all land that cannot be used for development
purposes as open space. This is often referred to by layout assessors as “monkey
country”, in other words it cannot be used for anything else except open space. It is
essential these days that open space planning is taken much more seriously and that
open space systems are included in layouts. A layout planner should consider the
following in preparing a new layout:

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Any Municipal Open Space System planned for the municipality as a whole
Strategic environmental assessment of the Municipality
The KZN Wildlife’s C-Plan for biodiversity
The Department of Agriculture’s GIS information on agricultural land.
As stated above, every open space provides a service to the town / area it is located in.
Open space should always be designed in a layout to be integrated externally to other
open spaces and internally to form a local open space system.
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STUDY UNIT 5 : THE USE OF STANDARDS IN PLANNING
LAYOUTS
In preparing a planning layout, there is a lot of thought and professional input which
needs to go into the rationale for the location, selection of site and layout design.
In determining the range and type of facilities which need to be provided to a community
the following key actions need to be undertaken:
Determine the nature of the settlement
A distinction needs to be made between what are classified as “green-field
developments and “infill” developments. Greenfield layouts occur on large vacant areas
of land and entails new developments which need a wider range of new public facilities.
Infill developments usually involve undeveloped areas of land within existing residential
developments and therefore are likely to have a level of public facilities in the
surrounding area already.
Assess the provision of existing facilities
In order to determine what facilities are needed by the target community, it is important
to first assess what facilities are provided in the vicinity. This needs to be done to avoid
duplication and to integrate services and facilities as much as possible.
Profile the target community
In preparing a planning layout for a new development it is important to know what the
socio-economic profile of the target community is. This is done so that we know what
the affordability levels are and what the appropriate level of services should be. In a
socio-economic survey, one should know the following:

Age and gender profile. A greater old population will need pension payout
points, and different facilities such as old-age homes, clinics etc.

Income profile. This will determine the ability of the target community to pay for
service charges and may well indicate a greater need for public facilities.

Cultural profile. Different cultures need different types of facility. Religious beliefs
create need for different facilities such as cemeteries and crematoria. Some
communities do not like the idea of cremation while other religions encourage it.

Community priorities. Not all facilities can be provided at once. It is important to
prioritise facilities in order to guide the provision of these facilities over time. For
instance, a multi-purpose centre my be more important than a separate library
facility.
Once you have an understanding of the needs of the target community and have
assessed the existing provisions of service in the area, it is possible to plan for the future
provision of services still required and to integrate your layout with surrounding areas.
There is a range of standards or guidelines commonly used to determine the need for
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the provision of different facilities. It is important to remember that standards and
guidelines are simply guidelines, not policy. They need to vary for particular reasons.
For example, a set standard for the provision of schools in rural areas is different from
urban areas because of the concentration of population. In rural areas, people have to
cross rivers and hills to get to schools, so a standard based on distance between
facilities is not practical. The following standards have been extracted directly from the
Red Book and provide the best guidelines for the development of facilities in planning
layouts available:
FACILITY
Creche
LOCATION
Need to be within
walking distance
of residential units
Facilities can be
clustered with
compatible uses
such as preprimary schools
and community
centres.
Primary school
High school
Needs to be
located close to
target community.,
preferably along a
public transport
route.
Can be combined
with other uses
such as high
school, community
hall, sports field
etc
School should be
located on major
transport route
with public
transport stops.
ACCESS
Needs to
accessible by
pedestrian
pathways without
cross major
streets
DIMENSIONS
Min. size = 130m²

50m²/45
children

25m² for a
playlot

1/3 of area
for admin.
THRESHOLDS
1: 5000 people
Min. site size =
2,5Ha.
Buildings = 1,4Ha
Recreation = 1Ha.
1 : 3000 -4000
people
Max. travel time =
10 minutes by foot
or vehicle.
Max. walking
distance of 750m
Should be
accessible by foot
or vehicle
Max. travel time =
20 minutes by foot
or vehicle.
Max. walking
distance = 1,5km
Max. travel time =
30 minutes
Max. walking
distance = 2,25km
OR
40 learners per
classroom & 50m²
per classroom
Min. site size =
4,6Ha.
Buildings = 2,6Ha
Recreation = 2Ha.
1 : 6000 -10 000
people
OR
40 learners per
classroom & 50m²
per classroom
Tertiary facility
Mobile clinic
These are regional
facilities and need
to be located
along major
transport routes
with public
transport stops.
Mobile facilities
move from one
area to another
and have no fixed
location.
As this is classified as a regional or high order facility, it is more
than likely that it would be planned at a broader scale.
Must be
accessible by foot
Max. walking
distance = 1km
Space is required to
operate the clinic.
Very often a structure
is need fro privacy &
shelter for waiting
patients.
1 : 5000 people
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Clinic
Clinics need to be
accessible to the
greatest number
of people and
should be located
close to public
transport stops.
Clinics do not
need to be major
transport routes
and can be
located in quieter
residential
settings.
Hospitals
Sports stadiums
Libraries
Community
centres
Max. walking
distance = 2km or
not more tan 5km
walking distance
from a public
transport stop.
Max. travel time of
30 minutes to
reach clinic.
Size of clinic varies
depending on
population served.
Min. of 1 : 5000
people
0,1Ha per 5000
people
0,2Ha per 10 000
people
0,5 Ha per 20
000people
1Ha per 40 000
people
1,5Ha per 60 000
people and more.
These are regional
facilities and need
to be located
along major
transport routes
with public
transport stops.
These are regional
facilities and need
to be located
along major
transport routes
with public
transport stops.
Should be easily
accessible
preferably on main
roads.
These are regional facilities and need to be located along major
transport routes with public transport stops.
Libraries can be
combined with
other uses such
as multi-purpose
centres.
Walking distance =
1,5km to 2,25km.
Multi-purpose
centres are
preferred these
days and should
be located along a
main road close to
the community.
These are regional facilities and need to be located along major
transport routes with public transport stops.
Libraries need to
be within walking
distance of the
target community.
Libraries require a
minimum of to books
per capita.
1 : 5000 to 50 000
people.
Recommended min.
size = 130m².
Not more than 5
minutes walk from
a public transport
stop.
Max. travel time =
20 to 30 minutes.
Should be located
within walking
distance of 1,5km
– 2,25km.
Not more than 5
minutes walk from
a public transport
stop.
Estimated min. size =
5000m² but will vary
depending on the
range of other uses
which share the
facility.
1 : 10 000 people
Max. travel time =
20 to 30 minutes.
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
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Cemeteries
Need not be in a
residential area.
Larger centrally
located
cemeteries are
preferred.
Municipal offices
These facilities
require high level
of exposure and
must be easily
accessible by
public transport.
Needs to be
located within
easy travelling
distance of funeral
parlours.
Max. travel time =
30 minutes.
Dimensions vary
depending on size of
cemetery.
There is often a need
to allocate different
parts of the cemetery
for different religions.
Min size = 3000m²
1 Ha per 2500
people
1 : 50 000 people
Can be located
with other
community
facilities or major
shopping areas to
facilitate access.
Post offices
Police stations
Area based
management
determines
appropriate
location of
administration
offices.
Post offices serve
a number of
communities and
need to be located
along main
transport routes or
close to major
shopping areas.
Need to be
located within
easy walking
distance of public
transport stops.
Should be
centrally located to
all communities
served.
Should be located
along main roads
so that emergency
vehicles can be
dispatched easily.
Fire stations
Fire stations are
higher order
regional functions
and need to be
located along
main roads.
Communities
should be able to
access post
offices on foot.
Max. walking
distance = 2km.
Can be located at
shops or in other
commercial sites.
1: 11 000 people
Min recommended
size = 500m².
Max travel time =
30 – 40 minutes
by foot or vehicle.
People should be
able to access
community police
stations on foot.
Varies between 0,1
to 1Ha.
1 : 25 000 people.
Average site size =
1,2ha.
1 : 60 000 people
Walking distance
of 1,5km
recommended.
Max. travel time =
20 minutes.
Generally planned
at a broader
regional scale.
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
VANTAGE TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT
Sports fields
Play lots
Located close to
schools and
private sports
clubs to
encourage max.
use. Schools use
fields during the
day and sports
clubs at night and
on week-ends.
Can be located on
low lying land
close to rivers as
part of the storm
water
management and
open space
systems.
Play lots can be
located in
association with
other land uses
such as schools
and open spaces.
Should be
sheltered from sun
and wind and
located so that
adults and
residents can
watch children.
Within easy
walking distance
of schools (300m)
and within 500m to
1500m of other
users.
The size dimensions vary depending on the
competitive level of the sport.. generally
the following sizes should be applied:
Playlots should be
located close to
primary schools &
creches (300m).
Play spaces should be small enough to
enable visual supervision of children.
Soccer = 65m X 105m (6 825m²)
Rugby = 69m X 125m (8 625m²)
Cricket oval = 128m X 128m (16 384m²)
Hockey = 50m X 87m (4 350m²)
Volley ball = 9m X 18m (162m²)
Basket ball = 14m X 26m (364m²)
Netball = 15m X 30m (450m²)
Approximate size of between 450m² and
1000m².
Max. walking
distance of 500m
or 10 minutes.
The following diagramme shows the dimensions of different types of sports fields :
Diagramme
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
VANTAGE TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT
STUDY UNIT 6 : PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND CIRCULATION
REQUIREMENTS
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
There are several stages to public participation and several different role-players in the
process. One of the most important ways of looking at consultation is to ensure that the
key role-players each understand what their roles and responsibilities are and what they
are getting themselves into with the development. From a community’s perspective, the
key issues are what are they going to receive and how much will it cost them? They also
need to know their long-term commitments in terms of ongoing service charges. From a
municipality’s perspective, the key issues revolve around ensuring that the community is
satisfied with the end product and that the community has the ability and commitment to
paying for the services rendered by the municipality. The municipality also has the
concern of maintaining the development for many years, at least all the public facilities
such as :







Roads
Storm water
Water supply
Waste removal
Sewerage system
Open spaces and
Public facilities.
The Community
In most residential developments, the community is defined as “beneficiaries” either of a
state subsidy or of land they will purchase on the open market. Beneficiaries have to be
fully included in the preparation of a planning layout as they need to know what they are
getting themselves into in terms of :



Servicing standards
Costs of services
Service charges
There are many examples of communities being unhappy with the product delivered.
One hears of dissatisfaction with lot sizes, house sizes, level and standard of services,
and consultation. All these are issues which should have been addressed during the
consultation stages. Most layouts require a “social compact” to be drawn up between
the beneficiaries of a housing development, the government and the municipality. This
mechanisms supposed to ensure that each party knows and understands its roles and
responsibilities and what it is getting into. An example of community dissatisfaction is
found at Mpophomeni at Howick where the community only discovered that they could
not get vehicular access to the properties after the development was complete. Access
is gained via pathways which is not acceptable to an aspirant car owing community.
There are many other examples but the social compact is still the best mechanism to
gain common understanding if prepared correctly. There are a wide number of ways
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
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that a community can be reached for consultation purposes. Some examples are as
follows:






Press releases
Community meetings
Radio notices
Pamphlets and photographs
Mail drops
Notices at public meeting places such as tribal courts, libraries, shops.
The professional
This category includes all those people with technical expertise and experience in land
delivery. This also includes the departmental officials who assess and approve layouts.
All professional have a responsibility to bring their knowledge and expertise to bear on a
project to ensure that the technical, social and environmental issues arte properly
addressed.
The decision makers
This category includes government departments and municipalities who have the power
of the law behind them and the responsibility to ensure that laws are implemented.
Government departments and assessing authorities can ensure that consultation has
been undertaken as comprehensively as possible.
The role of the department in coordinating the requirements of other departments is an
extremely important role and requires that officials of the Department of Traditional and
Local Government Affairs are generalists who have a good understanding of the
requirements and needs of other departments and service providers, so that these can
be included in approvals in order to make a development sustainable and acceptable.
CIRCULATION REQUIREMENTS
A planning layout needs to be circulated to a number of government departments and
service providers in order that their comments may be incorporated into the conditions of
approval. Where a department such as the Directorate : Development Administration
has been given the responsibility to assess and process application in terms of certain
legislation, and where the application has wide-ranging implications for the management
of legislation, future development, other departments and service providers, the
Department is required to coordinate the comments from other interested parties.
The following key role-players need to be consulted during an assessment process in
order to build up a comprehensive picture of development requirements. It is important
also to remember that time costs money. A layout should only be circulated to those
role-players who have a direct input to make. Unnecessary time delays from
departments who don’t really need to provide a comments should be avoided.
The following table shows the key departments and service providers and why these
need to be consulted for different reasons.
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
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ROLE-PLAYER
Department of Traditional and Local Government Affairs
• Development Implementation : Planning
• Development Implementation : Administration
• Rural Development
Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs
• Agriculture
• Environment
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
Department of Land Affairs
• Land Claims Commission
• Land Reform
Department of Transport
National Roads Agency
Kwanalu
AMAFA
Ingonyama Trust Board
District Municipality
Local Municipality
ESCOM
TELKOM
Department of Education
Department of Health
SAPS
KZN Wildlife
Non-Government Organisations e.g.
Bergwatch, AFRA,
Neighbours
Traditional Authorities
Others
REASON FOR CONSULTATION
• Town and regional planning assessment
• Conditions of establishment
• Comments from Traditional Authorities
• Consider Act 70/70 and agricultural resources.
• Applications must also be considered in terms of
the Environmental Conservation Act regulations.
The Department considers flood lines, dams, water
resources and pollution. Most applications in rural
areas should have the comments of the Department.
• To check land for possible land claims
• Applications in/near identified land reform areas
Any application which requires access from a
provincial main or district road
Any application which requires access from or to a
national road.
In terms of the KZN Heritage Act, AMAFA is required
to comment on applications for archaeological,
cultural and historical reasons.
Applications located on Traditional Authority land.
An application for certain development should
considered by the District Council.
Local Municipalities are becoming more and more
responsible for development and planning in their
areas. Almost al applications should have the local
municipality’s comments especially in terms of the
IDP.
ESCOM is generally the electricity service provider
in rural areas and therefore must comment on the
planned availability of electricity.
TELKOM is the telephone service provider in all
areas and therefore must comment on the planned
availability of telephones.
If a large residential layout is being considered, then
comments from the Department are required.
If a large residential layout is being considered, then
comments from the Department are required.
If a large residential layout is being considered, then
comments from the Department are required.
KZN Wildlife have traditionally provided
environmental comment on development application
for the Department.
Any major NGO which the Department is of the
opinion should be notified, should be afforded the
opportunity to comment.
Property owners of land adjacent or contiguous to a
proposed development area must be notified and
permitted to comment on development applications.
In traditional authority areas, the Regional Authority
and the Traditional Authority should be required to
comment, depending on the scale of the application.
The general rule is that it is better to receive full
comments from as many interested and affected
parties up-front in a development application. Any
party whom the Department or Municipality is of the
opinion should be notified, should be given the
opportunity to be heard and provide comments.
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
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APPENDIX A
SHORT ASSIGNMENT
You will be going on a site inspection to see at least three different types of planning
layout. You are required to attend all of the site inspections and to take notes of each
site because when you return for the practical assignment, you will be selected randomly
to participate in small groups to undertake the following tasks.
a)
Half of the groups must each select a different planning layout.
b)
One set of groups must perform the role of a developer/applicant and must
prepare a fully motivated application for one of the planning layouts. At least
the key headings and the key subject to be addressed under each heading
must be included.
c)
The other set of groups must perform the role of the Department and must
comprehensively identify all the issues that the Department as a whole would
expect to see contained in the developer’s application. At least the key
headings and the key subject to be addressed under each heading must be
included.
d)
Determine who the applications should be circulated to, and state why.
e)
Each group must consider the requirements of other departments and service
providers in their applications and assessments.
f)
Everyone is required to participate fully in the exercise as different people will
be required to present the application and assessments from each different
group. Presenters will be selected randomly.
g)
There should be no collaboration between the different groups.
All groups are required to bring to bear the knowledge they have gained during the
modules completed to date and need to consider the broader picture. For example,:
•Land use management
•Land development principles
•IDPs
•GIS
•Map reading
•Site assessment
•Layout evaluation
One of the aims of this exercise is to generate discussion around some of the activities
undertaken by the Department. For example, discussion around the circulation process
and the need to speed up development and save time on commenting should form one
subject of discussion.
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts
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ASSESSMENT OF PLANNING LAYOUTS
HOME ASSIGNMENT
You are required to prepare a planning layout for a site of you choice for a low cost
housing development of 150 beneficiaries. The site must be close to a major town and
can be a greenfields development or an infill development.
Your layout does not need to be a computer drawn layout and should be hand drawn as
neatly as possible. Neatness and reasonable accuracy will count in the assessing of the
assignment.
You must prepare a plan of scoping to determine who you need to consult and how the
consultation should be undertaken from the conceptual stage of the development
through to the approval of your development by the Department of Traditional and Local
Government Affairs. The plan of scoping should be approximately two pages in length
and may take the form of a written statement or a flow chart showing key steps. Use the
consultation requirements from Study Unit 6 of Module 11 to compile your plan of
scooping. As a proactive developer, you should advise the DTLGA officials, to whom
you will be submitting your application, of the other government departments and service
providers and interested parties to whom you believe need to be consulted and for what
reason.
In the design of your development, pretend that there are no other community facilities in
the vicinity of your development. Use the standards provided in Study Unit 5 of Module
11 to determine the provision of community in your layout.
Expected deliverables:
a) A hand-drawn, but neatly done residential layout for 150 low cost residential sites
with community facilities as per the standards. You will need to obtain a basic
contour map, (the 1 :10 000 ortho-cadastral map will do at this level) and draw
on a basic road layout, with residential and community sites. If you want to make
the layout more challenging, draw an existing servitude (E.G an EPTLS
servitude) going through the middle of the layout. Please show approximate
dimensions on the sites and roads and any other key information you believe
needs to be shown on a layout .
b) A two page plan of scoping as suggested above.
c) A two page justification of why you have designed your layout the way you have.
I.E Consider the site opportunities and constraints and why you have provided
particular community facilities.
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Module 11 – Assessment of Planning Layouts