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The East Riding of Yorkshire Council is set to adopt a new design code as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) to improve the quality of new developments in the area.
The design code aims to provide clear design expectations for the local authority, offering clarity for applicants, decision-makers, and local communities. According to the council, the design code will serve to improve the quality of new development in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The East Riding Design Code will cover both coding and guidance that new developments will be expected to comply with, in order to meet the design policy requirements outlined in the East Riding Local Plan and National Policy.
Principal Planning Officer, Jessica Slater says the idea is to provide consistency in the way new buildings are developed.
Work on the design code began in 2021 in response to the Government's Planning for the Future White Paper. The East Riding Design Code has been developed over three years, incorporating a wide range of stakeholder engagement that took place throughout 2022.
The council engaged with the public to gather feedback on what makes the area special. A survey launched in March 2022, received 1,665 responses highlighting the importance of landscaping, connection with the surrounding countryside, climate change and flood risk, connections (movement and active travel), and homes and buildings. Targeted workshops, including a mixed stakeholder bus tour, and a youth photography competition also contributed to the code's development.
The project was part of a pathfinder programme run by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Jessica Slater says that being part of this national pathfinder has been beneficial to the region.
The design code applies to all scales of development and includes both mandatory codes and guiding recommendations. There are also codes related to other development types such as industrial development and agricultural development. A compliance checklist will be required with applications, ensuring applicants demonstrate how they have met the relevant codes.
A householder version of the design code has been prepared using the same code and guidance numbers as the full document. The council's Validation Checklist has been updated so that it is a requirement to submit a completed copy of the design code compliance checklist with applications once the code is adopted.
Following the adoption of the Design Code, the council will arrange training sessions for members, officers, developers, and agents. They will also investigate building an online version of the code. The design team will also start the process of creating Identity and Context documents for individual settlements to create more detailed design guidance.
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