Urban design policy and guidance

National policy and guidance

Read the government’s national policy on design which is contained in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

Section 12 ‘Achieving well designed places’ of the NPPF provides guidance on the key aspects of design to be taken into account when preparing local plans or making decisions on planning applications.

Further national guidance on design is contained in the government’s Planning Practice Guidance

The section in this guidance named ‘Design: process and tools’ gives advice on the types of documents and processes which can be used to ensure good design.

National guidance on design is also contained in the National Design Guide

This guide illustrates how well-designed places that are beautiful, enduring and successful can be achieved in practice. It forms part of the Government’s collection of planning practice guidance.

Local policy and guidance

Policy EM10 of the adopted Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan 2011-2029 addresses design issues. View our Adopted Local Plan webpage.

The Design and Sustainability Supplementary Planning Document addresses a wide range of urban design issues. View our Design and Sustainability SPD webpage.

Design policies are also contained within Neighbourhood Plans. These plans often contain character appraisals of the local area which are sometimes included in an accompanying Design Code. View our Neighbourhood Plans webpage.

Design guidance and a character appraisal of the local area are also found within Village Design Statements. View our Village Design Statements.

Building for a Healthy Life 12

Building for a Healthy Life 12 is a tool to help assess the design quality of housing schemes. It has been produced by Homes England in partnership with NHS England and is endorsed by the Home Builders Federation and the Urban Design Group. Its 12 questions help structure discussions between local communities, the local planning authority, the developer of a proposed scheme and other stakeholders. View the Building for a Healthy Life guidance

It is not a requirement of the council that an assessment be carried out for larger housing schemes of 10 or more dwellings. However, developers are encouraged to assess their schemes against it when preparing them.