Local authorities challenged to call time on bad design

Published	12 June 2006

Lords Planning Minister, Baroness Kay Andrews, today called on local authorities and developers to make sure that all new developments are of high quality design.

The challenge came as new guidance was published on planning reforms that mean the majority of planning application will now have to be accompanied by design and access statements. The statements will set out how issues such as disabled access have been addressed in the proposal, ensuring there is a greater understanding of what is being planned and what the final development might look like.

In addition, a good practice guide on how the statements will work was released today by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). The guidance gives practical advice for developers and local authorities on what will need to be included and how the statements should be interpreted.

New research also published today shows that the quality of new developments is increased when Design Coding is used. The evaluation report shows that Design Codes - locally agreed guidance that sets out three-dimensional, site specific design requirements - has led to a more efficient, transparent development process. The research reviews 7 pilot schemes, which in some locations have been responsible for setting new benchmarks for design quality.

Baroness Andrews said:

"The Government is committed to putting high quality design at the heart of planning. We have reformed the planning system to ensure that good design is an integral part of any new development coming forward. The challenge now is for local authorities and developers to take these new approaches on board and to make sure that bad design is a thing of the past."

Design Coding in Practice: An Evaluation shows that codes create a shared understanding between developers, investors and occupiers about what is expected for a development. In this way, they can help to reduce the risk that is associated with conventional approaches to planning and development, where individual applications can often be held up because of arguments about design and layout.

Notes to editors

1. Secondary legislation was laid before Parliament on 12 April 2006 covering a number of measures that amend the planning development control regime. The measures on design and access statements and the changes in relation to outline planning permission which come into force on 10 August 2006. The provisions on Local Development Orders (LDO), mezzanines and determination periods for major applications came into force on 10 May. The measures largely enact key parts of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. This follows public consultations in March 2005 on the detail of the proposals. The Circular issued today provides guidance on these new planning measures.

2. Design and access statements will be required for all planning applications except householder, change of use and engineering and mining operations from 10 August 2006.. Many developers are already familiar with producing such statements and this new requirement can be seen as an extension of what is current best practice.

3. The Circular, "Guidance on Changes to the Development Control System", is available from The Stationery Office and on Communities and Local Government website at Circular 01/06 (Communities and Local Government): Guidance on Changes to the Development Control System

4. A Design Code is a form of detailed design guidance which sets out three-dimensional, site specific design requirements for development. They help to produce a development that is distinctive yet clearly based on certain design principles that derive from the local and regional context. The aim of a Design Code is to provide clarity as to what constitutes acceptable design quality, and thereby a level of certainty for developers and local communities alike. This can help improve the delivery of good quality new development.

5. The Government wished to test the potential for design coding as a means of delivering higher quality development at greater speed through the planning process. In May 2004, the DPM announced seven Design Coding Pilots schemes which would take part in a nationwide programme to investigate various models and approaches for developing, adopting and implementing Design Codes - to assess the potential benefits of Design Coding in the British context.

6. ODPM (now Communities and Local Government), working in partnership with CABE and English Partnerships, carried out this action research programme throughout 2004 and 2005. Government has today published Design Coding in Practice: An Evaluation. This report was commissioned by Communities and Local Government and CABE to assess the Design Coding Pilots Programme and presents the findings from the independent monitoring and evaluation of the programme. The report provides a solid foundation to develop design codes for the future, which will benefit local authorities, regional policy teams, and the development industry.

7. The report is available at: Design Coding in Practice: An Evaluation

8. Design Coding is one solution that in the right circumstances may have a positive impact in terms of facilitating quality housing development through the planning system. Draft PPS3 sets out that design codes are one form of detailed design guidance that can help to improve the quality of residential development.

9. Codes seem most valuable when sites possess one or more of the following characteristics:

Large sites (or multiple smaller related sites) that will be built out over a long period of time
Sites in multiple ownership
Sites that are likely to be developed by different developers and/or design teams