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Communities across the country will lead the way in shaping the design of their neighbourhoods under a trailblazing new design programme, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced today (11 March 2022).

As part of the government鈥檚 plans to level up for communities across the country, 25 areas in England from Bournemouth to Carlisle, have been awarded a share of 拢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鈥檚 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 鈥� such as specifying local building materials or deciding the layout of streets.

Housing Minister Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP 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鈥檚 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.

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.

Many of the projects will focus on regeneration and deliver thriving town centres and green infrastructure, such as new walking and cycle routes. For example:

• Bradford Council will be pioneering an authority-wide design code to regenerate the urban areas in the district, to support the regeneration of some of the most deprived wards in the UK.

• In Medway, Kent, the council will use the pathfinder programme to produce a design code for the regeneration of the area鈥檚 emerging city centre, Chatham, with new development to reflect on local character while protecting the natural environment.

• In Mansfield, the district council will develop a design code for the town with a focus on the regeneration of Mansfield town centre with a specific focus on delivering homes and new opportunities for economic growth.

Chair of the Transition Board for the Office for Place, Nicholas Boys Smith said:

The evidence is clear that good design is good for you and good for our neighbourhoods and civic life. Too many of the lives our fellow citizens lead are affected by poor places, no friends round the corner, less sense of community, less walking, less local pride.

Left behind areas have suffered particularly, blighted with fast roads through town centres, ugly 鈥榖oxland development鈥� where there used to be a neighbourhood or 鈥榗ould be anywhere鈥� housing units when people want to live somewhere.

It is time to change this and to move from a vicious circle of generic development to a virtuous circle of regenerative development. These 25 council and neighbourhood pathfinders will help light the way to support the creation and stewardship of popular, healthy beautiful and sustainable places.

Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute said:

Today鈥檚 announcement of 25 councils and neighbourhood planning groups for the Design Code Pathfinder Programme is encouraging. Together with last year鈥檚 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鈥檓 looking forward to using my role on the Transition Board for DLUHC鈥檚 Office for Place to support these chosen communities to build green, thriving and healthy places.

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.

The National Model Design Code (NMDC), published last year, will help guide selected local councils and neighbourhood planning groups on important design features such as street character, building type and layout, use of public space, and encouraging councils to consider the sustainability of new development.

Last year, the Office for Place supported 14 local councils and communities to set standards for design in their area, using the National Model Design Code.

The areas allocated funding are as follows:

Planning authorities

• Carlisle City Council - 拢120,000
• Lake District National Park Authority - 拢120,000
• Trafford Council - 拢160,000
• Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council - 拢120,000
• Shropshire Council - 拢120,000
• Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council - 拢120,000
• Teignbridge District Council - 拢160,000
• Medway Council - 拢120,000
• Reigate and Banstead Borough Council - 拢120,000
• Surrey County Council - 拢120,000
• Brent Council - 拢120,000
• London Borough of Barking and Dagenham - 拢120,000
• Epping Forest District Council - 拢120,000
• Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service - 拢120,000
• Uttlesford District Council - 拢160,000
• East Midlands Development Company - 拢120,000
• Gedling Borough Council - 拢160,000
• Mansfield District Council - 拢120,000
• Bradford Council - 拢160,000
• East Riding of Yorkshire Council - 拢160,000
• Darlington Borough Council - 拢120,000

Neighbourhood planning groups

• Weymouth Town Council - 拢30,000
• Finsbury Park and Stroud Green - 拢30,000
• Bacup and Stacksteads Neighbourhood Forum - 拢30,000
• South Woodford Neighbourhood Forum - 拢30,000

Further information

To support the use of design codes in the planning system the government has created an Office for Place within the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The Office for Place is supporting communities in turning their visions of beautiful design into a reality. An advisory board to the Office for Place has been set up, chaired by Nicholas Boys Smith.