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Read your fellow residents’ queries and see how you can get involved!

While many comments and photos have been submitted so far by Spelthorne’s residents on the Interactive Map, which you can view here, local people have also been leaving some questions on the Design Code Team’s FAQ page, which has just been updated with the queries and answers below. Please see the following questions, which others may also be wondering about, and the Team’s response. 

Spelthorne residents’ queries and responses

“ How do I submit my views about specific categories? ”

You can now submit comments on our Interactive Map where you can drop a pin on a location you would like to talk about, e.g. an area of green space, off-street parking location, front garden, small development area, street, façade design etc. and share your thoughts tied to that location or more generally about that type of place. The Team would also welcome any comments you have to be sent into the email designcode@spelthorne.gov.uk. There’s also another exciting opportunity where you can apply to join the Design Code Citizens’ Panel here. This will comprise of 3 focus group sessions with your fellow residents who will all demographically represent the Borough and be a great way for you to further share your opinion in a guided, topic-led, discussion group.

“ How do I ask specific questions without other members of the public being able to view them? ”

The Design Code Team really welcome any comments local people in Spelthorne have, whether anonymously on the Interactive Map or in the FAQ submission box, which other fellow residents can view and get a sense of what others are sharing their thoughts on, or less publicly to our email address. You can simply write to designcode@spelthorne.gov.uk and send in your questions or opinions there or call us on 01784 444205.

“ How are subjective views and differences of opinion catered for? ”

The Spelthorne Design Code is community-led and will be co-produced by its own residents. We welcome all views from every demographic in Spelthorne to really get a sense of local peoples’ design needs and aspirations of the future. The Design Code aims to reflect what Spelthorne residents would like to maintain and preserve and what they may want to change and improve. The public will also be consulted on the draft Design Code later down the line, which will be drawn up in the coming months after translating residents’ views. 

Get involved further and spread the word!

We are committed to creating a Design Code that reflects the aspirations and needs of our community, but we can’t do it without you! Your input will ensure that future developments are sustainable, well-designed, and beneficial for all. Whether you have strong opinions about the look of new buildings or simply want to ensure the character of Spelthorne is preserved, this is your chance to make a real difference. We would also really appreciate if you could spread the word about the Design Code to your neighbours, friends and family so that as many people as possible can have their say!

As mentioned above, you can drop your comments and photos on our Interactive Map, apply to join the Citizens’ Panel, which you can read more about here and if you have any questions, you can see our FAQ page. We welcome more questions and will keep updating the FAQs.

For more information, you can read Design Code documents here and visit this ‘What are Design Codes?’ page, to understand more about Design Codes. We also urge you to subscribe with your email address on our Home page to keep you updated on the Design Code in the coming weeks and months.

Read our photo ‘how to’ guide to see how you can have your say about design elements in the Borough!

Local people in Spelthorne can have their say on the Spelthorne Design Code by leaving comments, letting us know how they feel about a place and submitting photos on our Interactive Map. The Map on our engagement hub has a "Drop a Pin" feature that makes it easy to share your thoughts and suggestions directly onto our Interactive Map. Here’s how you can start contributing:

5- Step ‘How To’ Guide for the Interactive Map in photos

Read, React and Engage with Others

What makes this engagement hub even more exciting is the ability to see what others are saying about different locations around Spelthorne! You can read comments left by your fellow residents and even react to their ideas by giving them a 'thumbs up' or leaving a reply.

It’s really important for local people to share their thoughts on design elements in the Borough in order to help co-produce Spelthorne’s Design Code which will inform the design for future development in the Borough.

For more updates, please sign up on our Home page with your email address. If you have any questions, please see our FAQ page and if you have a query, please feel free to leave a question or comment in our submission box at the bottom of the FAQ page.

Local voices are shaping Spelthorne’s future! Join your neighbours in sharing your views and help spread the word!

The next stage of our public engagement phase of creating Spelthorne’s Design Code is well underway. Last week, two new initiatives went live on this Commonplace to further capture the public’s opinions.

The Interactive Map

Anyone can simply drop a pin on our Interactive Map and comment or add a photo about any location in the Borough. So far, views have been coming in from the public commenting on a whole host of design elements including open green spaces, road and street design and the look of buildings.

Spelthorne’s Design Code Team would really encourage local people to upload photos of what they are commenting on to provide a visual example.

The public are also welcomed to share their views on as many features as they like, and to specifically say what they are commenting on and why. People are also encouraged to provide examples of design features which they like and would like to be replicated and encoded for the future, as well as features which they feel negatively about and would like to be changed or improved going forward. 

Citizens’ Panel

Spelthorne residents can also apply to be part of the Design Code Citizens’ Panel which will comprise of between 40 and 50 residents. So far, applications have been streaming in, so anyone who is a resident and interested in having their say on Spelthorne’s design for the future is really urged to apply to avoid missing out on this exciting opportunity.

The Panel will be blindly chosen and demographically-representative of the Borough. Residents from any location in Spelthorne, any age group (over 13), any gender, any ethnicity, any occupation, any housing situation etc, are really welcomed to apply to voice their opinion on design features. Panel members will also be compensated with £100 in high-street vouchers for their participation in 3 focus group sessions. 

You can fill out the form and apply here and find out more about our Citizens' Panel here.

Spread the word!

Your voice matters, and so do the voices of your friends, family, and neighbours. Help us reach every corner of Spelthorne. The more diverse voices we hear, the better our Design Code will reflect our community’s needs and aspirations. 

For more updates, please sign up on our Home page with your email address. If you have any questions, please see our FAQ page and if you have a query, please feel free to leave a question or comment in our submission box at the bottom of the FAQ page. 

Help Shape Spelthorne's Future: Drop a Pin and Have Your Say and Apply to Join Our Citizens’ Panel Now!

The next exciting stage of the Spelthorne Design Code’s public engagement period is now here! Two amazing opportunities are now available for you to get involved.

A new quick and easy way to share your thoughts with our Interactive Map!

We’ve launched a new Interactive Map on our online engagement platform. It’s an easy, fast way for everyone to get involved. You can simply drop pins on specific locations within Spelthorne and share your thoughts and pictures about that place or area or more specific design feature. You can also indicate your feelings about the subject of your views, whether positive, neutral or more negative. It is also possible to read comments from others in the community. Check out the Interactive Map here.

Local people are encouraged to interact with the map as much as they would like, with the opportunity to drop multiple pins and share numerous opinions. There are some pre-existing info points on the map, gathered from the walking tours, so you can identify spaces that have already inspired topics of conversation from residents so far in this period of public engagement.

Apply now for your chance to be part of our Citizens’ Panel!

In addition to the Interactive Map, we are forming a diverse Citizens' Panel, made up of between 40 and 50 residents, who will take part in three focus group sessions where they will have the opportunity to further share their views. As a thank you for their time, panel members will receive £100 in vouchers for participating in all three sessions. It’s a fantastic way to make your voice heard and contribute to a brighter future for our Borough!

All interested Spelthorne residents are really welcomed to have their say on the Design Code and apply to be part of the Citizens’ Panel. Applications will all be anonymised and the Panel will then be chosen at random to reflect the demographic in Spelthorne in order to ensure a representative set of local people.

You can apply at the link here to ensure you don’t miss out on sharing your thoughts on Spelthorne’s design for the future and find out more here!

Why Get Involved?

We are committed to creating a Design Code that reflects the aspirations and needs of our community, but we can’t do it without you! Your input will ensure that future developments are sustainable, well-designed, and beneficial for all. Whether you have strong opinions about the look of new buildings or simply want to ensure the character of Spelthorne is preserved, this is your chance to make a real difference.

For more information, you can subscribe with your email address on our Home page to keep you updated on the Design Code and if you have any questions, please see our FAQ page.

Read the new Design Code Shared Definitions document!

A new page is now live which will contain a library of documents relating to Spelthorne Borough Council’s Design Code project.

If you would like to better understand what Design Codes are, please see our document with a clear definition of a Design Code, including what the Code plans to do, what design themes it will cover, the process of its creation and general principles of the Code.

For more updates, please sign up on our Home page with your email address. If you have any questions, please see our other brand-new FAQ page and if you have a different query, please feel free to leave a question or comment in our submission box at the bottom of the page. 

The Spelthorne Design Code team have created a new Design Code FAQ page which is now live!

We have listened to and recorded common queries from local people and answered them, from general questions to more technical enquiries, on the new page that you can access here.

We also welcome you to leave any more comments and questions in our submission box at the bottom of the page.

You can also subscribe with your email address on our Home page to keep you updated on the Design Code, including the latest news on how to have your say further.

Spelthorne Borough Councils’ Design Code Team is preparing for the next exciting stage of community engagement that will be coming soon. 

Local People will be welcomed to apply to be part of the Citizens’ Panel that will comprise of 50 residents. This panel will reflect the demographic in Spelthorne to ensure a representative set of local people. They will be able to take part in focus group sessions where they will have the opportunity to further share their views. They will also receive compensation for their participation in these sessions.

Applications to be a part of the Panel and for Spelthorne’s local people to have their say in the aesthetic and functional future of the Borough will be open soon.

In the meantime, you can leave your email on our homepage to be notified with the project’s latest updates.

Spelthorne Borough Council’s Walking Tours have continued across the Borough and engagement has been going well. Members of the Design Code Team have been consulting residents and other local people in the Borough both in-person and virtually and welcoming them to have their say. 

Members of the public have demonstrated a real passion for the project, with one resident commenting that “this is a welcome process, fantastic to be listened to like this”. Another resident noted that “this is a great process, not happened before” and so far, local people have shared their views about a whole host of design features in their community.

Insights have been gathered about multiple areas in the Borough and about many local features, including small façade details on a building, street functionality and green space design, just to name a few.

The Design Code Team have also been engaging the younger residents in the Borough with visits to Ashford Youth Club and to Sunbury Manor School and The Matthew Arnold School. Young people in Spelthorne have had the opportunity to share their views to help shape the Borough’s Design Code for the future.