New guidance for developers to secure high quality new builds in South Kesteven and Rutland will be put before SKDC Cabinet this week.
Both South Kesteven District Council and Rutland County Council are committed to ensuring that development responds positively to the natural and built qualities of the local area.
The guidance will also ensure any new development responds to the demands of climate change, now one of SKDC’s top priorities, as part of creating a clean and sustainable environment.
Cabinet Member for Planning and Planning Policy, Cllr Nick Robins said: “Good design matters as it frames the places in which we live, work, study, visit and invest. From the orientation of a rear garden to the amount of sunlight reaching a public square to how welcoming streets are to pedestrians and cyclists, research has consistently demonstrated the link between design and people’s physical and mental wellbeing.
“This document sets out the Council’s design expectations for high quality, inclusive and sustainable development which reflects and responds to local character alongside the design process to achieve this. It also provides detailed guidance for the design of commercial areas to meet best practice.
“It outlines the design process and principles which will be encouraged across sites of all scales, and which should underpin design at all stages, from site-wide master-planning to the design of blocks, buildings and streets.”
Working in partnership with Rutland County Council, South Kesteven District Council prepared guidelines to provide all applicants – either for single domestic projects or larger development schemes, with a clear understanding of good design, including landscaping and drainage. They also reflect what members of the councils’ planning committees look for when considering an application. This encompasses the aim of building well-designed developments, including housing that meets the needs of all residents, healthy and strong communities, and creating a clean and sustainable environment.
The draft guidelines illustrate the various stages of the design process, including how to respond to, and comment on, local planning applications from a design perspective.
The final guidance will help applicants understand the issues they need to consider prior to applying for planning permission. It also sets up developments to stand the test of time as great places to live and enjoy in the same way our existing places have.
A report to the SKDC Cabinet on Tuesday (9 November) states the key aims to:
Establish the expectations for a high level of design and build quality in all development proposals in Rutland and South Kesteven
Set out the design steps and considerations that planning applicants are expected to undertake
Provide applicants with a clear understanding of good quality design at any scale or type of development, from a new community to an individual home extension.
The draft document, if supported by Cabinet, will be presented to a meeting of the Full Council for formal adoption.
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