Does your street merit some makeover magic?

If you and your neighbours have ever wished you lived in a people-friendly community where cars drive slowly and kids can play outside then a new project launched could be right up your street.

While TV makeover shows stop at the house or garden, DIY Streets, run by green transport charity Sustrans, takes the renovation concept one step further.

Backed by designer Wayne Hemmingway, DIY Streets will give residents the 'tools' they need to transform their own streets. Sustrans is now looking for 10 neighbourhoods in the UK to take part in the pilot which helps residents re-design their roads into safer and more attractive places to live. The charity is calling for communities, local councils and other organisations, such as housing associations, to put forward suggested candidates for the pilot.

The idea is based on one conceived over 30 years ago in Holland when a community so fed up with the excessive noise, danger and pollution from motor traffic in their street dug it up and rearranged it. Cars had to slow down radically and their street could be enjoyed once again by the people who lived there and passed through it. DIY Streets goes back to that original concept, looking for simple, affordable solutions with local communities driving the process.

Peter Lipman, DIY Streets Project Director, said: "Sustrans will provide in-depth training, resources and ongoing support to the 10 communities. There are only two things we need in return: sufficient enthusiasm from the residents and real support from the local authorities. By working together we can build better neighbourhoods."

Wayne Hemingway, who joins the DIY Streets advisory board, explains why he decided to get involved in this project: "I believe we must look at ways to design streets and urban spaces which work well for everyone who lives or travels through them; we seem to have forgotten that streets belong to pedestrians and cyclists as well as cars drivers. While we should always be able to get new-build communities right, the cost of changing our existing streets means that we have to find inexpensive ways of achieving similar results so more people can benefit. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to work with Sustrans on their DIY Streets project, looking at how to do just that."

Local authorities, communities or anyone else interested in finding out more or taking part in the DIY Streets project should call Peter Lipman on 0117 915 0333 or email peter.lipman@sustrans.org.uk.