The Shape of Things to Come
This month sees the publication of a brand new National Design Guide.
It illustrates how well-designed places that are beautiful, enduring and successful can be achieved in practice through the use of the ten characteristics shown in the image below.
The Guide notes:
"In a well-designed place, an integrated design process brings the ten characteristics together in a mutually supporting way. They interact to create an overall character of place. Good design considers how a development proposal can make a contribution towards all of them. This applies to proposals of all sizes, including small scale incremental changes (such as highway works), new buildings, infill developments, major developments and larger scale developments such as urban extensions, new neighbourhoods, new settlements and infrastructure."
It also recognises that well-designed places and buildings come about when there is a clearly expressed ‘story’ for the design concept and how it has evolved into a design proposal – with the ‘story’ being set out in the Design and Access Statement that accompanies a planning application.
The document also asks councils to prepare and implement their own design codes, in line with the national standard, which can reflect their unique setting and character.
Government intend to follow up the standard with the first-ever National Model Design Code in the New Year setting out detailed standards for key elements of successful design. This will be subject to consultation and consider the findings of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission who are due to publish their final report in December 2019, including recommendations to the Government on how to promote and increase the use of high-quality design for new build homes and neighbourhoods.
It is great to see the Government taking more of a lead on design. Here at Northern Planners, we are in the business of creating beautiful places that we add to the sustainability of communities long after we have gone. Anything that can help deliver this vision is to be welcomed. Good development is well-designed development.
Northern Planners are well-versed in design matters and the production of concepts, detailed designs and Design and Access Statements. We are also au fait with the design guidance of Yorkshire planning authorities. If you need help with regard to any of these issues, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Greener Energy for Yorkshire?
Source/Copyright: Drax Power: http://repower.drax.com/press_release/application-approved/
This month has also seen Andrea Leadsom granting consent for the operators of Yorkshire’s gigantic Drax Power Station to replace 2 coal-fired units with 4 combined cycle gas turbine generators. The Business Secretary overruled the advice of the Planning Inspectorate who had recommended rejection of the proposal.
The Inspectorate ruled there was no need for the project given other existing consents and government projections and that the project’s climate impacts outweighed any benefits, recommending refusal on this basis.
The Inspectorate’s recommendation accepted and agreed with arguments from environmental lawyers ClientEarth who had opposed the plans on the basis that they will breach the government’s planning and climate change objectives and risk locking in high-carbon energy on the grid until 2050.
