Guidance

Fact Sheet 6: The role of design and placemaking in new homes and communities

Published 2 November 2023

Applies to England

This fact sheet explains the principles of good design, what is meant by placemaking and how communities can be involved in the design of new homes in local areas.

What makes a ‘well-designed’ place?

The design quality of new homes has become a national policy priority in recent years.

The government’s National Design Guide identifies 10 characteristics of well-designed places which are further built upon within the National Model Design Code. The characteristics are based around three main themes:

• Character: how a new development will interact with the existing environment and how the unique traits of a local area can be maintained and enhanced
• Community: how existing and future residents will be able to use and enjoy places, and how a development can support and sustain a sense of community
• Climate: how the design and construction of developments can be environmentally sustainable

For further information on how new homes can support social and environmental objectives, please refer to Fact Sheet 8: Economic, social and environmental benefits.

How does placemaking fit into good design?

Good design also includes placemaking. Placemaking is the process of involving communities in establishing what good design means to them through consultation and engagement. Placemaking can empower communities to have a sense of belonging and pride in their local area as places change over time. This can help to create healthier neighbourhoods, as demonstrated by the Town and Country Planning Association resources on Healthy Placemaking. Further resources are available at the Housing Information Hub.

Placemaking is at the core of Homes England’s new Strategic Plan and the Government has recently launched the Office for Place to help councils create beautiful, successful and enduring places.

How do local authorities consider design in regeneration and housing developments?

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill came into force in 2023 and requires every local planning authority to produce a Design Code for its area. The concepts and characteristics of well-designed places as set out in the National Design Guide aim to guide locally specific Design Codes. This means that local areas will have their own framework for creating well-designed and inclusive places in keeping with local context, character and preference.

Design Codes can be created for a local authority area, for an individual neighbourhood, or in some instances, Design Codes might be prepared for individual development sites. In this scenario, a developer may lead the preparation of the Design Code.

Local Design Guides and Codes consider a range of design elements.

These include:

• building height - this might include the number of floors and the heights of eaves
• appearance and detailing - guidance may be provided on the use of colour, quality of materials and detailing, for example the types of bricks to be used
• layout - this can include where homes and infrastructure are placed throughout a development
• this considers the number of homes per hectare, when the amount of land for new homes is constrained, for instance in an urban location, high density development may be considered appropriate, the use of multi-storey apartment buildings mean that land can be retained for other uses which sustain a community such as shops and green spaces, different types of density suit different areas

How can communities be involved in developing Design Codes?

When creating a new Design Code, community engagement is mandatory, regardless of whether it is prepared by a local authority or a developer. To find out more on how and when communities can get involved, see the Office for Place’s guidance on community engagement in Design Codes.