Object

Representation ID: 9072

Received: 12/11/2021

Respondent: Colmworth Parish Council

Agent: Troy Planning + Design

Design Guide / Design Codes
17.4. CPC raises concerns regarding BBC’s stated approach to preparing a Design Guide for the whole Borough. It states that the Council is currently preparing a Design Guide to supplement the policies in the Local Plan 203054. From the description of the Design Guide it sounds like it will provide ‘general design advice’ which is not what is needed. There is already a Government prepared National Design Guide which is to be used where a local authority does not have its own.
17.5. A key tenet of the preparation of a Design Guide and Design Code is engagement with the community from the ‘scoping stage’. Whilst we are aware of the Design Guide SPD Scoping Document and consultation, CPC is not aware of there being any engagement strategy or consultation strategy with Parishes or other community groups on the preparation of a Design Guide. We seek clarification from BBC on this and what its proposed process for engagement will be.

INCLUDES FIGURE 17.1: NATIONAL MODEL DESIGN CODE PAGE 7

17.6. Linked to the above point, the Draft Local Plan and Local Development Scheme is entirely unclear as to what the Council’s proposed approach is for new Design Codes, SPDs and / or DPDs in relation to potential strategic development in its Local Plan. For instance, if a new settlement were to be proposed would the Council seek to prepare a separate specific DPD, SPD or Design Code for the new settlement? One would expect this to have been thought through by this point in the process and communicated to the public as it has significant impacts not only on the programme and timetable for when a site could potentially come forward but provides more certainty for all involved as to the roadmap ahead is.