Design Code Supplementary Planning Document consultation

Background

The County Durham Plan (CDP) was adopted in October 2020. It provides a framework for new housing developments and helps to assess planning applications up to 2035. This draft SPD supports a range of policies in the CDP.

What the SPD includes

The draft SPD sets guidance to make sure new developments are well designed and well suited to their surrounding area. This helps to make sure they reflect the place they are being built in, such as its history and character. The document will focus on residential development but will apply to most scales and types of development.

The SPD will be supported by Settlement Character Studies as they are developed, and an example is included in the SPD document. They provide evidence for understanding the history and essential character of our settlements. It also fulfils a requirement to prepare a design guide code as required in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).  

Read the SPD and register to comment on it.

Have your say

What happens next

Responses to the consultation will be considered in drafting Design Code SPD. We will then consult again in Autumn 2023. Any final amendments to the document will be considered and justified before completion and approval. Once approved, the SPD will be adopted and will be used to assess planning applications.