Design Code Library
A selection of design codes, chosen by the advisory board to the Office for Place, that demonstrate good practice.
Applies to England
The Office for Place has selected area-based and site-specific design codes from across the country which include good practice components.
The library categorises each of the design codes against key elements of the National Model Design Code. In the summary table below, you can find examples of codes and guides that cover individual sites, different types of area, and their planning status.
In future, the focus will increasingly be on authority-wide codes now required by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 and on clear codes that can de-risk development. This list of existing codes reflects past greater use of design codes for specific development sites.
| Document | Is this an Authority Wide Design Code? | What is the main type of built environment? | What is the Planning status of the Design Code? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mansfield Town Centre Design Code Mansfield, Nottinghamshire | ✘ | Town Centre | Adopted Statement of Council Policy |
| Chatham Centre Design Code Chatham, Kent | ✘ | Town Centre | Draft Supplementary Planning Doc. (SPD) |
| Lye & Stour Valley Design Code Lye, Dudley | ✘ | Town Centre | Draft Supplementary Planning Doc. (SPD) |
| Dollis Hill, London | ✘ | Mixed Use Neighbourhood | Draft Supplementary Planning Doc. (SPD) |
| Aerohub Business Park Newquay, Cornwall | ✘ | Business Park | Adopted Local Dev. Order (LDO) |
| Wellesley Design Code Aldershot, Hampshire | ✘ | Suburbs | Consented Planning Application |
| Beeston Park Design Code Norwich, Norfolk | ✘ | Suburbs | Consented Planning Application |
| East Kettering Design Code Kettering, Northamptonshire | ✘ | Suburbs | Consented Planning Application |
| Fairham Nottingham Sitewide Design Code Clifton, Nottinghamshire | ✘ | Suburbs | Consented Planning Application |
| Graven Hill Village Design Code Bicester, Oxfordshire | ✘ | Suburbs | Consented Planning Application |
| Look! St Albans - Design Workshop Report St Albans, Hertfordshire | ✘ | City Centre | Material Consideration |
| North West Cambridge Design Code Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | ✘ | Urban Neighbourhood | Consented Planning Application |
| Oakley Vale Design Code Corby, Nottinghamshire | ✘ | Suburbs | Consented Planning Application |
| Upton Design Code Northampton, Northamptonshire | ✘ | Suburbs | Consented Planning Application |
For each code, the library further catalogues them below by identifying:
- Location and corresponding planning authority.
- Scale as defined by the National Model Design Code page 5.
- Area Type as defined by the National Model Design Code page 14.
- Components that demonstrate the ten criteria for effective design coding and therefore represent best practice. These are the components that we advise you examine for best practice. Not everything else in the code is necessarily best practice.
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Mansfield Town Centre Design Code
Location: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire (Mansfield District Council).
Scale: Applies to an Area Type including some codes on Development Sites.
Area Type: Town Centre
Commentary:
- Some codes set out a balanced series of requirements and examples, such as Trees and Soft Landscape (see Town Rule T11 on pages 66-73). These give flexibility for site-based solutions and creativity whilst clearly setting out expectations and a clear level to be met.
- Other codes use measures to qualify good quality design, such as Active Frontages (see Area Rule A8 on page 112), where a method for measuring is outlined allowing any reader to understand and apply.
- Key opportunity sites have set development briefs that elaborate on how codes can be applied to the development site. This includes a series of objectives and references back to each applicable code. For example, the town shopping centre and car park (see Site 9 – Four Seasons Shopping Centre & Walkden Street Car Park on pages 146-149).
Location: Chatham, Kent (Medway Council).
Scale: Applies to an Area Type including some codes on Development Sites.
Area Type: Town Centre.
Commentary:
- There is a summary of key issues raised at engagement and consultation exercises (found on pages 16-17) which helps link to the formation of code requirements.
- Includes a good place specific vision for the future of the town (found on pages 30-31).
- Codes are generally short with a good use of language clearly identifying the requirement or its flexibility / as guidance or as an aspiration, such as those on street design that are precise and measurable (on pages 80-81).
Location: Dollis Hill, London (London Borough of Brent).
Scale: Applies to a Development Site.
Area Type: Mixed Use with Urban Neighbourhood, Business Park & High-Rise City.
Commentary:
- Vision includes understanding of key issues with a series of key principles and priorities allowing future proposals to dovetail into the ‘big’ picture (found on pages 32-41).
- Street types and hierarchy, despite being complex, are clearly set out with definitive labelled diagrams and supporting illustrations (such as Edgware Road on pages 70-71).
- Codes are colour coded and arranged in priority order. Language clearly reflects a requirement (must), preferred approach (should) or aspiration (could) (as found on pages 82-105).
Lye & Stour Valley Design Code
Location: Lye, Dudley (Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council).
Scale: Applies to an Area Type including codes on Development Sites.
Area Type: Town Centre with Urban Neighbourhood, Suburbs, and Industrial areas.
Commentary:
- Short area character assessments follow a consistent methodology, avoiding architectural vernacular, focusing on place qualities. They are short and clearly identify strengths and weaknesses providing evidence for key choices within the Design Code (see pages 16, 24, 32).
- Codes are often accompanied by numbers and measures, such as for residential amenity space (see page 28).
- Codes are quite practical and can usefully be employed by design teams exploring options and developing a proposal (such as on built form found on page 26).
- Codes use clear language and are clearly referenced so they may individually be reviewed or referenced (such as within supporting material or committee reports). This also means they can be adapted in isolation to each other if needed to be revised in the future (see page 26-27 as an example of short written codes).
Aerohub Business Park Design Code
Location: Newquay, Cornwall (Cornwall Council).
Scale: Applies to a Development Site and its Masterplan.
Area Type: Business, Science or Retail Park.
Commentary: The design codes are short and to the point, often visual and numerical (such as those on pages 6-11). These are easy to conceive and practical to apply.
Location: Aldershot, Hampshire (Rushmoor Borough Council).
Scale: Applies to a Development Site and its Masterplan.
Area Type: Suburbs.
Commentary:
- A clear vision statement sets the overarching themes and aims for the Design Code (see page 9).
- A thermometer hierarchy (hot – warm – cold) identifies the levels of controls within different areas of the masterplan. For instance, around prominent public spaces there is a high level of control which decreases in less prominent areas of the masterplan (see page 13).
- Codes are succinctly expressed in matrices allowing different design aspects to be easily understood side by side (such as that on page 52).
Location: Norwich, Norfolk (Broadland & South Norfolk District Council).
Scale: Applies to a Development Site and its Masterplan.
Area Type: Suburbs.
Commentary:
- Codes are identified within the determination process for Reserved Matters and expectation for how compliance can be demonstrated set out (see page 5). Additionally, it is identified that the Code be ‘complied’ with, or an alternative be ‘justified’.
- A transect matrix (see page 10) sets out clearly the changing density and key related design aspects across the masterplan allowing clear identification of change and variety across the area.
- Codes are often expressed in tables allowing readers to understand quickly what is expected and in what situations codes vary (such as those found on pages 28-53). These are short and numerical; precise and measurable.
Location: Kettering, Northamptonshire (North Northamptonshire Council).
Scale: Applies to a Development Site and its Masterplan underpinned by a Regulatory Plan.
Area Type: Suburbs.
Commentary:
- Codes offer short and practical descriptions of block types and their details (found on pages 50-61).
- Language is often clear and unambiguous such as for street types (found on pages 20-49).
Fairham Nottingham Sitewide Design Code
Location: Clifton, Nottinghamshire (Rushcliffe Borough Council).
Scale: Applies to a Development Site and its Masterplan.
Area Type: Suburbs.
Commentary:
- A clear street hierarchy has been set out that is short, visual, and numerical (found on pages 20-29).
- Design terms and measurable design aspects are clearly defined in the appendices (see appendix 1 found on pages 47-50)
- Guidance and supporting details are located in the appendices keeping the code itself short, targeted and concise (see page 51 onwards on materials, highways and landscape).
Graven Hill Village Design Code
Location: Bicester, Oxfordshire (Cherwell District Council).
Scale: Applies to a Development Site and its Masterplan.
Area Type: Suburbs comprising Self and Custom Build plots.
Commentary:
- Code uses single pages to set out requirements for each typology keeping them short and to the point (such as those found on pages 12-37).
- A clear process is identified setting out how to code applies and the use of plot passports (found on pages 8-10)
Look! St Albans Design Workshop Report
Location: St Albans, Hertfordshire (St Albans City & District Council).
Scale: Applies to an Area Type.
Area Type: Town / City Centre.
Commentary:
- Feedback and findings of workshops are clearly set out informing the recommended Design Codes (see pages 9-33).
North West Cambridge Design Code
Location: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (Cambridge City Council & South Cambridgeshire District Council).
Scale: Applies to a Development Site and its Masterplan.
Area Type: Urban Neighbourhood.
Commentary:
- Code relies on block types that are succinctly set out, with supporting visuals (found on pages 36-49).
- Character areas clearly demonstrate how each code can be applied and the anticipated sum of them all (see pages 228-235).
Location: Corby, Northamptonshire (North Northamptonshire Council).
Scale: Applies to a Development Site and its Masterplan.
Area Type: Suburbs.
Commentary:
- Areas of the masterplan are identified as hot-warm-cold to indicate the stringency of how codes should be applied (see page 4).
- Codes have been grouped per street segment aiding comprehension of required design response for sets of plots (found on pages 63-97).
- The appendix expands what is meant by certain terms and measures providing further clarity to the code (see pages 100-107).
Location: Northampton, Northamptonshire (West Northamptonshire Council).
Scale: Applies to a Development Site and its Masterplan. Often emulated as a Plot specification.
Area Type: Suburbs.
Commentary:
- Codes are often expressed in tables / matrices meaning they are short and visual (such as boundary treatments found on pages 68-73).
- Street types are exhaustively covered tying together different threads such as drainage and highways (see pages 24-57).
- Clear approach to implementation and delivery set out. Index directs users interested in certain design aspects to key pages (pages 106-112).
Last updated 28 February 2024 + show all updates
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Additional Design Codes and further information on Design Codes added.
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Uttlesford District Wide Design Code has been removed from the list
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Added links to Chatham centre, Mansfield town centre and Uttlesford district wide design codes.
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First published.