Agenda item

The Executive Member for Place, Planning and Regulatory Services.

The Executive Member for Place, Planning and Regulatory Services, Councillor Michalowski, gave an overview of the report: A23 Great Street Design Code Draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which was published as part of the agenda pack.

The Design Code covers the area between Redhill and Horley and contains a set of rules and guidance that will provide more certainty for developers and landowners when they look to promote their site in the area. It will also provide an essential tool for the Council as decision maker to be able to assess the design quality of emerging proposals and to dictate the design standard that is expected. The report sought to progress the Code to formal status as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

Following Executive agreement, the draft Design Code SPD will go out to public consultation for six weeks between early December 2023 and January 2024.  The draft SPD will then be updated to reflect comments received from the public, which will be summarised in the final Consultation Statement to be published alongside the adopted SPD. The A23 Great Street Design Code SPD will then be recommended to the Executive for adoption, currently planned for Spring 2024. 

Background

The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to prepare design guides or codes that are consistent with the principles set out in the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code. It states these should reflect the local character and design preferences for their area. The recent Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 has strengthened this requirement, requiring every local authority to produce a design code for its area. This will update the Local Distinctiveness and Character Design Guide SPD, updated in 2021, which has provided useful guidance to help steer the design of development proposals to better reflect local character.

The Council benefited from being part of the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) Pathfinder Programme. Throughout the Pathfinder programme, three public engagement events had taken place. These centre around four principal themes:

·        To make the area work better for pedestrians and cyclists;

·        To improve access to open spaces and parks;

·        To identify opportunities for development; and

·        To raise the quality of design.

Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder engagement included input from Borough Council and Surrey County Council officers  as well as comments received from internal groups such as the internal Member and Officer Local Plan Advisory Group (LPAG) and the Leader’s meeting.

The Leader, Councillor Biggs, noted the quality of this draft A23 Great Street Design Code SPD. It was a credit to the Council’s Planning Department to secure DLUHC Pathfinder funding. He  thanked Planning Policy Officers who had undertaken this detailed work as well as Councillor Michalowski for leading the consultation and other Members who had provided early feedback. There were no further comments from Executive Members.

Visiting Members who had taken part in the consultation praised the good start and excellent work so far. Visiting Members at the meeting, also made the following observations and asked questions on these areas:

·        Environmental issues – it was noted that the Code benefitted all residents, in particular in areas of active travel and cycling to open spaces.

·        Vision for the A23 Great Street – this set out 12 significant challenges facing communities at a national and international level from an ageing population to a sense of place, from climate crisis to High Streets. However the draft Design Code was not explicit enough about the challenges being addressed by climate change in Part B of the document (Design Codes – Chapter 5 – Nature).

·        Stewardship model and long term maintenance solutions – this was part of both borough council and parish council remits. Who would be responsible for the budget for maintenance of this area?

·        Electric Vehicle charging points along A23 corridor – how many were planned as a rough guide and where were the opportunities for drivers of electric vehicles to charge up their cars across the borough.

·        Proposed tall buildings –  It was noted that the proposed Design Code was timely following a previous proposal to redevelop the Redhill station town centre car park with a development. Members asked if this Code could give guidance on what developers can and cannot do with reference to high developments.

·        Borough-wide Design Codes – what were the future aspirations for other parts of the Borough?

·        Transport – the Design Code references the local transport plan on walking and cycling. What engagement had there been with Surrey County Council as the lead on Surrey Highways and transport as well as on road carriageways and junctions?

·        Great Street reference – it was noted that much of the A23 area is rural and in the green belt so Members said the intention should not be to use the Design Code as a mechanism for further development along this street. The Leader assured Members that it had been taken into account that the A23 covered both rural and urban areas. Members would protect the Borough’s Green Belt.

·        Plans for Council-owned land – while this Design Code covered a mixed area between Redhill and Horley – parts of this included pleasant, green open spaces. How would Council-owned land be protected as the right plan for those areas in the future.

The Portfolio Holder for Place, Planning and Regulatory Services, Councillor Michalowski, welcomed Members’ comments. He acknowledged that the issue of climate change was at the forefront of the mind of many residents, and this may come out in the public consultation and review of feedback. On

EV charging points, Councillor Michalowski noted that it was too early to make a specific commitment on detailed EV charging points in the draft Design Code.

Head of Planning, Andrew Benson, said officers would consider the points that had been made at the meeting alongside the feedback from the public consultation. Planning Policy Officers had worked with Surrey County Council on their draft Design Code.  It was also aligned with SCC’s Healthy Streets for Surrey Design Code. After the public consultation, all feedback will come back to the internal Local Plan Advisory Group (LPAG), so that all responses can be considered through that process. Officers will also discuss feedback with the Council’s Sustainability team. It was noted that discussions on the height of future developments needed to be a balance between local areas use of land and the Local Plan.

It had been a useful exercise for Reigate and Banstead Borough Council to carry out this project with DLUHC funding and they were in better place than other local authorities. There was a longer-term ambition to have further Design Codes, but it would be challenging to have one Code for the whole Borough. It was not yet clear how Central Government saw Design Codes working in practice.

The Leader, Councillor Richard Biggs, thanked Members for their questions, and said he looked forward to receiving the public consultation responses early in 2024. It was then:

RESOLVED – that the Executive:

(i)               Approve the A23 Great Street Design Draft Code Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for public consultation;

(ii)             The Head of Planning in consultation with the Executive Member for Place, Planning and Regulatory Services, be authorised to make any necessary minor amendments to the A23 Great Street Design Draft Code Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) prior to consultation.