The Office for Place has selected 12 local authorities to become design code pathfinders in 2024-25. The areas will receive a share of £1 million, as well as support from the Office for Place, to produce exemplar design codes.
The focus of this new round of the Design Code Pathfinder Programme is two-fold; firstly, to evaluate the effectiveness and expand existing local authority design standards, in line with the National Model Design Code; and secondly, to generate new 'theme-based' design codes to demonstrate the range of potential uses and benefits.
Five local authorities have been selected to evaluate their existing design standards and the impact of them on increasing certainty in planning decision-making, and updating their design standards. These authorities are:
- Dacorum Borough Council
- South Kesteven District Council
- Thurrock Council
- Wakefield Council
- London Borough of Waltham Forest
The remaining 5 areas will produce new 'theme-based' exemplars, covering issues including how to develop a design code for a non-residential area; how design codes can be combined with a delivery mechanism (such as a Local Development Order) to bring forward development; and joint local authority design codes. These authorities are:
- Blackpool Council
- Hartlepool Borough Council
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- Stockport Council
- Tewkesbury Borough Council, Cheltenham Borough Council & Gloucester City Council
The design codes produced will be used as examples that communities across the country can draw on and the insights gained from the programme will be shared by the Office for Place to support local councils in producing their own design codes.
