Design Code for Braintree District
We are producing a Design Code for the district.
A Design Code is a document to improve the design quality of new development and should follow the principles set out in the National Design Guide.
Braintree District Council has always used design guidance across the whole district. The Essex Design Guide (2005) has served us well in achieving well designed places.
Recently there has been a change in how design guidance is to be provided. Local Planning Authorities are now required by central government to produce a Design Code under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (Section 15F of Schedule 7) and these Design Codes will carry full weight in making decisions on new development proposals.
Help shape the code
The consultation period for the Design Code has taken place and is now closed as of 16 December 2024
Next steps
Your comments will be taken into account when preparing for forthcoming stakeholder workshops and also later on when preparing the final draft of the Design Code, which will be subject to further public consultation in late 2025.
The geographical coverage of the code will be established as part of an initial scoping exercise. From this, a document will be developed which can be used to improve the design quality of new development submitted under planning applications and set design expectations for how this new development should look.
Background Information on Design Codes
The Design Code will act as a set of rules covering a wider range of design topics than the Essex Design Guide and will be based on the 10 Characteristics of Good Design. These are found in the National Design Guide and the National Model Design Code, on which our Design Code will be based.
A well designed place
The ten characteristics of well-designed places
This new Design Code will replace our use of the Essex Design Guide with up-to-date principles tailored specifically to local areas in the Braintree district.
The Design Code will sit alongside the Braintree District Local Plan and existing policies, setting out clear expectations for design quality and sustainability in the district. Once adopted, it will be used in the determination of planning applications.
The Code will help set out what Braintree District’s design expectations are for new development. It will also take into account the mix of uses and facilities provided alongside new homes, the quality of streets and public spaces, the future, as well as existing, needs of residents and will support our commitment to addressing climate change and reducing carbon emissions.
