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The Spelthorne Design Code will set out the design requirements for proposed new development in the borough. It will ensure that new development is locally supported, sustainable and functions well for all its users.
The Design Code will be used to determine whether planning applications are acceptable in design terms, and will support the emerging Spelthorne Local Plan. It will contain simple, concise, illustrated design requirements for streets, open spaces and buildings. It will also set out expectations for good design process. It will be based on wide-ranging input including that from the local community, other stakeholders and wider understanding of the places within the borough, to ensure it is locally-supported, robust and can be used in practice.
Creating a Design Code in Spelthorne
Spelthorne Borough Council is preparing a new Local Plan which will include policies to shape development in the borough for the next 15 years. In support of our Local Plan there are Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) that provide more specific details and guidance on how existing and emerging policies should be implemented. The Design Code is one such document; it will support the implementation of policies relating to design matters in Spelthorne.
The government’s National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that all local planning authorities should prepare them. Producing a ‘Design Code’ for the Borough is only possible with the involvement of our residents and businesses and its success depends on that collaboration.
The aim of the Spelthorne Design Code is to reflect local character and design preferences; providing a framework for creating high-quality design in the borough.
The council has appointed an external project team of planners, designers, and architects to help it prepare the design code, who will work closely with council officers and your elected councillors. The approach being taken by the project team is to put local people at the heart of the process. Therefore, over the next few months, the project team will be meeting with diverse groups across the area to find out what they think of Spelthorne today and what it could be like in future.
Find out more about Design Codes
The Spelthorne Design Code is being prepared in line with the Government's National Model Design Code, which provides detailed guidance on the production of design codes, guides and policies to promote successful design.
The Office for Place, a part of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), sets out
The Design Council, as part of the DLUHC Pathfinder programme which gathered lessons on how to create successful local design codes, has published a series of resources on design coding.