Civic Voice attends: ‘Design codes in practice: Local Authority wide codes’
Civic Voice was represented by Robert Osborne at a presentation on Design Codes in Practice: Local Authority Wide Codes and Guidance held on Wednesday 26 June 2024 at JTP.
Following on from the publication of the National Model Design Code (NMDC) in 2021, the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act requires every local planning authority to produce a design code for its area. This should encourage Local Authorities and industry practitioners to actively engage with communities to produce tailored design codes and guidance. One recent example highlighted at the event is that produced in Calderdale which has just won the Planning Award for Stakeholder Engagement. The judges comments noted that other Councils "could learn from Calderdale’s engagement and clear focus on people making the place.”
This event took stock of experiences gained in the practical application of the NMDC. There were presentations from
- Andrew Dobson - Associate Director, JTP,
- David Rudlin - Director of Urban Design, BDP,
- and Hilary Satchwell - Director, Tibbalds
- with Sophia de Sousa - Chief Executive, The Glass House, joining them for the panel discussion.
Ben Derbyshire, a former RIBA President and President of the London Forum of Civic Societies provided the summing up. There was support for the view that Local Authorities can be the enablers and provide the mechanism and infrastructure for collaboration on design codes, but there needs to be the right mindset to achieve collaboration.
Robert Osborne added, "We would welcome hearing from civic societies about any design code conversations they are involved in, as your on the ground input will be crucial for shaping Civic Voice's focus in this area."