Issue - meetings

Local Character and Distictiveness Design Guide SPD

Meeting: 24/06/2021 - Executive (Item 5)

5 Local Character and Distinctiveness Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document

Executive Member for Planning Policy and Place Delivery

Supporting documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED that the Executive:

1.    Adopts the Local Character and Distinctiveness Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD);

 

2.    Revokes the Local Distinctiveness Design Guide Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) 2004.

Minutes:

The Executive member for Planning Policy and Place Delivery, Councillor Biggs, set out the background to the planning guidance documents known as Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs). The SPD recommended for adoption at this meeting was the Local Character and Distinctiveness Design Guide SPD.

Councillor Biggs highlighted that:

·       The Planning Policy Team had revised the 2004 Local Distinctiveness Design Guide SPG to reflect changes in local planning and national policy.

·       The document had been revised to reflect recent development trends and case studies over the past 17 years including in relation to Development in Residential Areas of Special Character (RASCs), importance of good window design, solar and photovoltaic panels, conversion and redevelopment of barns, farms and other buildings in the countryside and green corridors, parkways and soft edges.

·       A new chapter on Design Process had been added to help achieve good design in new developments.

·       Following Executive approval on 28 January 2021, the draft revised SPD went out for a four-week public consultation in February 2021. Twenty-four responses were received, and these were set out in the SPD’s Consultation Statement.

·       All Members had had the opportunity to contribute to the document and the final responses from the consultation and the Council’s comments had been circulated to Overview and Scrutiny Committee Members.

·       The 2004 Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) required formal revocation as stipulated by the Local Planning Regulations.

Members welcomed the comprehensive document and thanked the team who had worked on it. The Leader, Councillor Brunt, commented that it gave a good insight into the diversity of the Borough.

Visiting Members asked whether the document would prevent developers from clearing trees from potential development sites. It was noted that this was a matter for the Council’s Tree Officer to make sure there was proper protection for trees which contributed to the character of the area.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

1.    Adopts the Local Character and Distinctiveness Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD);

2.    Revokes the Local Distinctiveness Design Guide Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) 2004.