This is a web page version of a report from Living Streets, which is also published as a pdf document. This version has been adapted to focus on providing accessibility for people who want to enlarge the text or to use a screen reader.
The key information below is taken from the document cover pages:
Document title: Pedestrian Pound Update Wales Annex
Document date: November 2024
The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors alone, and do not necessarily represent the views of the client or the funders. In addition, whilst Transport for Quality of Life has used due skill, care and diligence to ensure the information in this document is accurate, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of that information; and cannot accept liability for any loss or damages of any kind resulting from reliance on the information or guidance this document contains. Any errors or omissions are not the responsibility of the funders.
The authors would like to thank the following for help with the Welsh case studies, input during the Welsh stakeholder workshop and/or review of this Annex (in alphabetical order by organisation and surname):
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council (Amy Taylor); Caerphilly County Borough Council (Hamish Munro); Cardiff Council (Michael Biddulph, Chris Hanson); Cardiff University (Catherine Purcell, Francesca Sartorio); Chris Jones Regeneration Consultancy (Chris Jones); Design Commission for Wales (Jen Heal); FOR Cardiff (Emily Cotterill); Friends of the Earth Cymru (Haf Elgar); Institute of Welsh Affairs (Joe Rossiter); Living Streets (Julia Crear, Aisha Hannibal, Rachel Lee); Living Streets Uplands Group (Jane Tonks); Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council (Anouska Beaumont); Monmouthshire County Council (Madeleine Boase, Daniel Fordham); Planning Aid Wales (Francesco Sartorio); Public Health Wales (John Bradley); RNIB Cymru (Kirsty James); Roberts Limbrick (Chris Gentle); Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) (Rhian Brimble); Sustrans Cymru (Christine Boston); Transport for Wales (Matthew Gilbert, Robert Gravelle, Dave McCullough, Gywn Smith); Urban Foundry (Ben Reynolds); Vale of Glamorgan Council (Mererid Velios); Welsh Government (Natalie Grohmann, Hayley Keohane).
Transport for Quality of Life Limited
This Annex sets out the context for public realm and walking improvements to high streets in Wales, including the geography and social context, as well as key targets, policies, funding and delivery mechanisms for such schemes. The evidence for greater investment in walkable high streets can be found in the main report which includes examples of case studies from Wales. The aim of this Annex is to help identify the specific context for Wales in which those decisions are made and the opportunities and barriers to that investment.
This Annex is for anyone who wants to understand the context and key policies and mechanisms for delivery of public realm and walking improvements in Wales. This includes people new to the sector and people from other sectors or other nations. There are also recommendations for policymakers in Wales.
This Annex is informed by the findings of a workshop for Welsh stakeholders held in April 2024, organised by Transport for Quality of Life, to inform the research for this edition of The Pedestrian Pound. Delegates included policymakers, practitioners, professional bodies, academics, charities and activists from across Wales.
The social context review of Wales identifies many challenges, but these also present an opportunity for interventions that promote and enable more walking to have a significant positive impact on health, transport poverty and access to opportunities.
Wales is a relatively rural nation within the UK, with a population of 3.1 million in 2022 (Office of National Statistics, 2024). The majority (65%) of residents live in urban areas (and 35% in rural areas1) (Woods, 2021). It is described as ‘a country of small interdependent towns, villages and communities’ with the majority (86%) living within five miles of a town centre (Audit Wales, 2021). This means that facilitating walking journeys within compact towns and between settlements, and integrating walking with public transport, are key. Public realm improvements that improve the walkability of local centres will benefit residents of settlements of all sizes.
The population in Wales is generally poorer and has higher levels of obesity and inactivity than the rest of the UK, which, as shown in the main report, could be helped by investment in public realm schemes that encourage more walking. For example:
The average weekly earnings in Wales in 2023 were the lowest of any of the UK nations (Francis-Devine, 2024).
Nearly a third (32%) of adults in Wales were living with obesity in 2021-22, the highest levels of any of the four UK nations (Bone, 2024).
Nearly a third (32%) of men and over a third (36%) of women in Wales were classed as inactive in 2019 (British Medical Association, 2019).
While there are more health inequalities compared with England and Scotland, men and women in the most affluent areas of Wales have been found to live around seven and six years longer respectively, compared to those living in deprived areas (People’s Health Trust, 2022).
A study has found that many people across all parts of Wales suffer from the effects of transport poverty. In most areas of Wales, it is estimated that 40-50% of households need to spend more than 10% of their income on the costs of running a car (Sustrans Cymru, 2022).
These transport and health inequalities mean that there is particular need for investment in public realm and walking improvements in the most deprived areas to help residents benefit from the positive impacts on health and wellbeing, economics and community, as part of levelling up.
At the Welsh stakeholder workshop, it was generally agreed by delegates that people in Wales take pride in being Welsh and have a strong sense of place (‘cynefin’ and ‘milltir sgwâr’ which roughly translate as ‘habitat’ and ‘square mile’) and connection to home (‘hiraeth’ which roughly translates as ‘longing’). It was also agreed that there is a strong sense of community and a tradition of people taking responsibility for their towns and villages.
The rurality of Wales was felt to be both a positive and negative factor. Delegates recognise the value of the unique landscapes of Wales but consider that the steep topography across parts of Wales can also be a challenge, by increasing the time and costs of projects, and limiting design options. For example, this is the case in the South Wales valleys where space is limited, and towns and villages are essentially ribbon developments on busy through roads. There are also many examples of roads and railways cutting off communities. Many people don’t live within walking distance of town centres but, on the other hand, many people do drive when walking is possible. It was suggested by delegates that Wales also has low car ownership but high car dependency due to car-dominated planning and land use, which leaves the 20% or so of the population without car access at risk of social isolation.
There are many Welsh policies which are specific to planning and placemaking. Town centre regeneration is a longstanding Welsh Government objective, reconfirmed in the 2021-26 Programme for Government.
The main strategies, policies and guidance relevant to public realm improvements in Wales include:
Future Wales - The National Plan 2040. This is the national Welsh development framework and has a strong Town Centre First policy approach (see Policy 6) (Welsh Government, 2021a).
Planning Policy Wales – Edition 12 provides the policy framework for the effective preparation of local planning authorities’ development plans as well as development management. It includes the Welsh Government’s vision for town centres and placemaking (Welsh Government, 2024a).
Planning (Wales) Act 2015 introduced the use of ‘Place Plans’ led by local communities and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) (Welsh Government, 2024b). A Town Centre Position Statement supports the Town Centre First policy and sets out a series of actions aimed at addressing key challenges facing town centres (Welsh Government, 2023a).
The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (Schedule 3) (which came into effect in Wales in January 2019) requires all new developments to include Sustainable Drainage Systems that comply with national standards.
Placemaking Wales Charter and Guide 2020 identifies six placemaking principles including ‘public realm’ and provides guidance on placemaking in Wales (Placemaking Wales Partnership & Design Commission for Wales, 2020).
Building Better Places sets out the Welsh Government’s planning policy priorities to assist in taking action after the COVID-19 pandemic crisis (Welsh Government, 2020a).
Place Plans. These set out local infrastructure needs and are developed by local people. Planning Aid Wales has a toolkit for communities and planners on the process and details of producing plans (Planning Aid Wales, undated).
Placemaking Toolkit for Wales. This is a forthcoming tool from a multidisciplinary team of academics and practitioners, four Welsh local authorities, the Design Commission for Wales (DCFW), the Urban Design Group and Living Streets (Cardiff University, undated).
Many local authorities have public realm improvements as a key part of their regeneration programmes. A wide range of quasi-governmental, private and third sector organisations help to champion placemaking and public realm improvements in Wales. These include the Design Commission for Wales, a Welsh Government funded organisation, which promotes good design in the built environment to the public and private sectors in Wales (Design Commission for Wales, undated) and the Placemaking Wales Partnership, a multi-disciplinary group of professions and organisations working on the built and natural environment who co-produced the Placemaking Wales Charter (RTPI, undated). Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)2 also play an important role in high street regeneration (Audit Wales, 2021) as do Town and Community Councils, who are often the convenors of BIDs.
Many public realm improvements involve active travel schemes. The Welsh Government is responsible for walking policies, strategies and funding while Transport for Wales, a wholly-owned, not-for-profit company, provides support and expertise to the Welsh Government's transport projects.
Whilst the UK government has responsibility for some aspects of transport (such as rail infrastructure and franchising), as a devolved nation, the Welsh Government has powers over others including active travel (as well as health, environment and planning).
The Welsh Government’s general policy approach has a strong emphasis on community, equality and social justice, and eliminating inequality (Welsh Government, 2017a). For example, The Equality Act 2010 goes further than the English equivalent and contains express provisions about engagement and equality impact assessments which are not present in the English Act (Welsh Government, 2020b). Wales has a Disability Rights Taskforce set up in 2023, with travel being one of their priority areas (Welsh Government, 2023b).
The unique Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 aims to improve the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales through seven well-being goals (Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, undated). It also sets out ‘five ways of working’ that guide how public sector organisations should work towards these objectives, which require collaboration and long-term thinking. The health and wellbeing of citizens is therefore a legal requirement for the Welsh Government and a range of public bodies, and is embedded in policies across government, including in the new Welsh curriculum.
This groundbreaking Act has helped shape other policies and strategies. For example, Llwybr Newydd, the Wales Transport Strategy is driven by the need to deliver social equity and meet climate targets and includes an explicit recognition of the need for fewer cars on the roads and more public transport, walking and cycling. The Act has also had a strong influence on some pioneering policy decisions on transport, such as the Welsh Roads Review (Welsh Government, 2023c).
The main strategies, policies, guidance and targets relevant to walking include:
Llwybr Newydd: The Wales Transport Strategy 2021 puts sustainability at the heart of transport planning in Wales (Welsh Government, 2021b). It sets a new target for 45% of journeys to be made by sustainable means across Wales by 2045, up from 32% in 2019, to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The strategy also embeds the ‘Sustainable Transport Hierarchy’, which is used to prioritise new transport infrastructure and places walking and cycling at the top of the hierarchy. This has been followed by a new Transport Delivery Plan, as discussed in the section below on delivery.
The Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 requires all local authorities in Wales to map, plan and promote active travel journeys, with particular emphasis on encouraging modal shift from cars to cycling and walking for everyday short journeys. All local authorities are required to make year-on-year improvements to their active travel routes and facilities. The Act is accompanied by two statutory guidance documents on delivery and design (Welsh Government, 2021c). The Act was reviewed by the Senedd in 2022 and made 51 recommendations including the need for a new delivery plan and better monitoring (Welsh Parliament, 2023). Many of those recommendations have been agreed by the Welsh Government.
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Act 2024 has introduced new duties for Welsh Ministers and local authorities to promote active travel as a way of reducing or limiting air pollution (Browne Jacobson, 2024).
The Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022 makes Wales the first nation in the UK to introduce legislation to have a default 20mph speed limit (Welsh Government, 2024c).
Wales has an Active Travel Board to coordinate activity to support the effective implementation of the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013. The Board has an independent Chair and members include the Welsh Government as well as external stakeholders and independent members (Welsh Government, undated a).
At the Welsh stakeholder workshop, delegates expressed strong support for the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which, it was agreed, provides a long-term vision, a framework for decision-making and encourages joined-up thinking. Other key policies supported by delegates include the Town Centre First policy, the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 which provides context for decision making, together with Llwybr Newydd (the transport strategy) and Planning Policy Wales, which both emphasise the hierarchy of transport users and the integration between transport, health and communities. The political leadership of some Welsh politicians on transport issues was also recognised and appreciated, but delegates criticised leaders for a lack of consistency, and rolling back decisions (e.g., the 20mph limit) to win political support.
According to the Welsh Government (Welsh Government, 2023d), in 2022/23:
Over half (51%) of people aged 16+ in Wales walked at least once a week for active travel purposes.3
Over six in ten (62%) of those who lived in urban areas walked for more than 10 minutes as a means of transport at least once a month, compared with around half (52%) of those who lived in rural areas.
In the absence of official data on mode share for all journeys in Wales, walking mode share was estimated at 25% of all trips in Wales in 2019 (Sloman and Taylor, 2021).
These statistics point to the potential for increased walking, which has multiple benefits for the economy, health and wellbeing, community and the environment (see the main report). Delegates highlighted that the important role for walking needs to be recognised and well provided for, especially for shorter trips in the vicinity of residential areas which link people to amenities, education, services and social activities, and that there is also a need to cater for the walking needs of people in rural areas and smaller communities. There is also a need for more funding for wider and better maintained pavements throughout Wales.
There are a number of Welsh and UK Government funds that have recently been or can be used for high street, public realm and walking improvements in Wales. These are shown in Table W1. Between 2014 and 2021, the Welsh Government directly invested or levered in around £900 million of funding to regenerate town centres (Audit Wales, 2021).
The Senedd has recommended that Welsh Government funding for active travel should be set at £17-£20 per head per annum (Howorth, 2023). Active travel funding allocations to local authorities for 2023/24 were just over £20 per head (Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee, 2023).
Table W1: Recent and current funding streams for high streets, public realm and walking improvements in Wales
Below is a table with each of 6 rows each describing one funding stream. There are five columns, giving (from left to right) the fund name, funding amount, a description, the nation, and a reference.
| Name of fund | Funding (£) | Description | Nation | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transforming Towns Wales | £100 million (2022-25) | A single fund created in 2020 to redevelop and improve town centres or their nearby areas which includes loan funding4. | Wales | Welsh Government, undated b. |
| Active Travel Fund | £72 million (2023-24) | Fund to support the delivery of active travel schemes across Wales by local authorities. Includes a combination of core funding and a competitive bidding process. | Wales | Welsh Government, 2021c. Howorth, 2023. |
| Safe Routes in Communities (closed) | £5 million (2024-25) | Capital funding for walking, wheeling and cycling routes to school and School Streets projects. | Wales | Welsh Government, 2023e. |
| UK Levelling Up Fund (round 3 closed) | £4.8 billion | Fund for infrastructure including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets. | UK | Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, 2021. |
| Shared Prosperity Fund (final allocation 2023/24) | £2.6 billion | Funding for improvements to town centres and high streets, including better accessibility for disabled people, including capital spend and running costs. All areas of the UK receive an allocation via a funding formula. | UK | As above |
| UK Community Ownership Fund (round 4, final round) | £150 million | Fund to support local facilities, community assets and amenities. | UK | As above |
At the Welsh stakeholder workshop, there was strong support for the core allocation from the Active Travel Fund to local authorities, as well as the wellbeing and ‘foundational economy’5 focus of the Welsh Government. Lack of maintenance funding was considered a big issue, with cuts to budgets, as this influences the design of public realm schemes, with elements that may be seen as a maintenance burden reduced or left out of schemes. The damage done to streetscapes by utility companies was also identified as an issue. There was wide agreement on the need for more revenue funding (together with capital funding) to enable better management of schemes and to provide training and engagement. The loss of European funding and the lack of long-term funding security (with the end of the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund) were both considered disadvantageous to Wales. Lastly, delegates agreed that poor design can cost as much in the long term as good design (for example, due to the need for earlier replacement), and therefore more time and resources in good design upfront could save money in the long term.
A 2021 report by Audit Wales found that, despite significant Welsh Government funding for town centre regeneration, many towns were continuing to struggle, largely due to a lack of capacity and skills within local authorities (Audit Wales, 2021). The powers to help stimulate regeneration were also not being used effectively or consistently. Audit Wales also noted that the Town Centre First policy was not fully embedded, and there was a need to better value and use information to understand the problems and identify what works. The Welsh Government responded to this with the development and publishing of a Town Centres Position Statement (see Policy Context section earlier).
Research for the Welsh Parliament (Senedd Cymru) showed that funding for active travel exceeded the Senedd’s recommendation of £17-20 per head in 2023/24 (Howorth, 2023). But while funding has increased in recent years, this has not translated into increases in active travel, which has not increased significantly since 2013 (ibid.). A cross-party Senedd expert review panel noted that the Active Travel Act had not realised its full potential, particularly on delivery, but did pay tribute to the significant progress, level of political will and greater political focus on active travel (ibid.). The Welsh Government published a new national Transport Delivery Plan in 2022, with a range of integrated measures on active travel (Welsh Government, 2022a).
It is not clear how the political leadership changes in 2024 might impact delivery, funding and political will on public realm and active travel.
The main Welsh-specific appraisal and evaluation tool for active travel is Welsh transport appraisal guidance (WelTAG).
WelTAG is the Welsh Government’s framework to assess the strategic case for proposed changes to the transport system (Welsh Government, 2017b). It contains best practice for the development, appraisal and evaluation of proposed transport interventions in Wales. Updated guidance was put out for consultation in 2022 to align it with the new Wales Transport Strategy: Llwybr Newydd (Welsh Government, 2024d). The updated version of the guidance places less emphasis on the use of cost-benefit ratios, and more emphasis on wellbeing and wider social, economic, environmental and cultural factors.
More information on evaluation can be found in the Evaluation Briefing which accompanies this edition of The Pedestrian Pound.
At the Welsh stakeholder workshop, it was generally agreed that there is a consensus across council departments on broad objectives for scheme delivery, suggesting a more joined up approach to policy than in other nations. There was also support for the strong emphasis on the Sustainable Transport Hierarchy in Wales and the fact that walking is prioritised in Llwybr Newydd and the Active Travel Act and associated 2022 guidance. Delegates also noted that there are generally good levels of community engagement in the design of schemes in Wales, possibly as a result of the emphasis on a placemaking approach and the ways of working set out in the Well-being of Future Generations Act.
On the negative side, delegates felt that local authority capacity is generally low and political commitment variable, with too much siloed working. It was agreed that there is a lack of coordination between departments on placemaking and a lack of training and vision within local authorities. There is also a large focus on short-term measures and funding, and a lack of longer-term delivery programmes. Participants recommended better monitoring of the impacts of public realm schemes, with a need for robust evidence, longitudinal data and standardised metrics.
The key recommendations from delegates from the Welsh stakeholder workshop included the following:
Need for political leadership and consistency on transport policies (at Welsh Government and local authority level).
More evidence-driven policies.
Policies that empower communities to take better care of their place.
More revenue funding (together with capital funding) to better manage schemes and for training and engagement.
Ringfenced maintenance funding from capital funds for five-year maintenance periods.
Long term funding security from the UK Government.
More resources to ensure good design.
Quicker decision-making on the Shared Prosperity Fund.
Reallocation of investment to sustainable transport modes.
More local facilities in small towns.
Less car dominated planning and land-use, and more measures to ensure that people without cars are served.
Dedicated funding allocated to evaluation as part of all initiatives.
Funding for pre and post monitoring and evaluation to be costed into schemes.
Delegates noted the potential conflict between funding streams from their own governments compared with those from the UK government that can have different priorities.
Some of the recommendations above, which are common to all three nations, have been included in the main report.
See the case studies which accompany this edition of The Pedestrian Pound for examples of public realm improvements in Wales – and across the UK – which have benefitted pedestrians.
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