25 areas empowered to shape design of neighbourhoods

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has announced that 25 areas have been awarded a share of £3 million to help them set their own standards for design locally.

The Design Code Pathfinder Programme will empower communities to have their say on the development of new homes, buildings and amenities, such as shops and workspace, in their area and help restore people’s pride in the places they live.

The codes are a collection of design-principles to help local areas deliver more beautiful and sustainable places and communities – such as specifying local building materials or deciding the layout of streets.

The design codes will be used as examples that communities across the country can draw on to produce their own, with support from the Office for Place. Local councils and neighbourhood planning groups throughout England will benefit from the work of the pathfinders through the sharing of lessons learnt and good practice.

Housing Minister Stuart Andrew said: “We want to give local people power over what their neighbourhoods look like and make sure all new developments enhance their surroundings and preserve local character and identity. Whether that’s choosing red brick for new buildings in our industrial heartland cities or choosing to set sustainability standards for newbuild homes, our Pathfinder Programme will help turn visions of greener, more beautiful homes and places into standards which developers adhere to.”

Victoria Hills, chief executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said: “Today’s announcement of 25 councils and neighbourhood planning groups for the Design Code Pathfinder Programme is encouraging. Together with last year’s government announcement of the 14 council design code pilot schemes, there is a valuable body of evidence being built for the delivery of best in class design codes.

“The RTPI is particularly keen to see how the Pathfinder schemes can adopt a multi-disciplinary approach to delivery by including planners, local councillors, designers, ecologists, transport planners, civil engineers and energy professions in their preparation. I’m looking forward to using my role on the Transition Board for DLUHC’s Office for Place to support these chosen communities to build green, thriving and healthy places.”