Road to Design Codes Detailed overview Roadmap key
START HERE
BACKGROUND TASKS These are essential activities that support the coding process, and which need to be continuously considered throughout the coding development process.
Primary route
REALITY CHECK
Outputs or results needs to inform subsequent steps in the coding journey
Start your coding journey by understanding the challenges your area faces in delivering the high-quality places that people want. A clear set of objectives makes it easier to define whether a design code is the right tool for you, and can inform the design code’s scope and the level of detail needed. Answer the following questions before continuing to the next step:
Route for site-specific codes (masterplan) only External link to other resources on the topic
ENGAGEMENT
you know what a code is? Do Do you need a code? or could a guide be the right tool for you? Do you know what a code can do? Video: Introducing Design Codes
DEVELOP A RESOURCE PLAN
DEFINE YOUR SCOPE
Drafting a resource plan will clarify the project’s duration, key stakeholders, required skills, and staff time. A 2024 Pathfinders survey found design code development took on average 19 months to complete.
Define the scope of work right from the start and consider the spatial scale of the code (i.e. whole or specific area), council priorities and local aspirations. This work will form the basis for further work and in particular the internal code brief and strategic vision of the code.
Identify skill gaps Assess the skills needed for the design code production and identify any internal gaps that may require external consultants, whether for the entire code or specific areas like engagement or graphic design.
Focus only on what is necessary, encouraging more efficient and effective use of available resources. A narrowly scoped code, specific to your place, will make implementation easier. Engage with your Development Management (DM) officers whose knowledge and experience can support in defining priorities and thus agreeing the design code’s scope.
Defining funding resources Map and include funding sources in the resource plan to determine how the coding process will be delivered.
Furthermore, consider the following to avoid abortive work later in the process: Spatial boundaries to code Final document output type (PDF, website) Alignment with LA corporate priorities Your key users Number of applications/types of development the code will apply to
Written insights: Managing code creation Making resource efficiencies Role of collaboration in coding For secondments and placements: Public Practice Associates Programme
ALIGN AND MAP POLICY
CREATE A STAKEHOLDER MAP You achieve better results by drawing on a broad base of local knowledge, both inside and outside the council. Start by creating a stakeholder map to identify internal departments and external stakeholders, scheduling their involvement in the project plan. Also, review corporate structures to identify and engage the right directorates and delivery teams. This will support adoption of the code.
Relevant stakeholders can include: Internal (Adjacent and non-adjacent departments): Planning policy officers Development management officers Highways authority Regeneration officers Urban design officers Elected members Corporate leadership
Research and understand your local policy context, including opportunities to align with your coding process. Codes that are not aligned with other policy will have significant issues when trying to adopt them. Therefore, existing policy and guidance should underpin your code’s status, such as:
Written insights: Managing code creation Role of collaboration in coding
External: Local community, including interest groups Local and national developers or housebuilders Environment Agency Historic England
02. E xisting or emerging Local Plans or Neighbourhood Plans: provide crucial policy hooks for design codes.
Produced within LA
SETUP Identify the key stakeholders necessary for delivering the code, and establish a strategy for engaging with them effectively. Begin by clarifying the aims and scope of your code: What do you want the code to achieve? What specific outcomes are you aiming for?
DEVELOP A STAKEHOLDER STRATEGY
PROCURE EXTERNAL CONSULTANTS
A code developed without securing buy-in from key stakeholders is likely to encounter significant challenges. To prevent this, clearly define your engagement strategy for both internal and external stakeholders. Outline who you will engage, how you will engage them, and when their input will be required.
Procuring consultants is not always quick or straightforward. A 2024 survey of Pathfinders found that the process took on average 2.3 months, regardless of whether the Pathfinder had existing relationships or service agreements in place.
Produced by external party (eg. developer)
At every step, you should make the most effective and efficient use of participants’ time, which means tailoring how you engage them. For example, you might consult external interest groups separately or in inperson or online mixed workshops depending on your objectives.
A problematic masterplan may severely impact the results of a design code. Therefore, if you are unsure about the quality of your masterplan, we advice to review and update this before going ahead producing a design code.
Further resources on internal engagement: Written insights: Managing code creation Role of collaboration in coding Role of development management in coding
Pathfinder case studies: Bradford Council (Authority-wide coding)
Baseline asset mapping
ENGAGEMENT
EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT
DEVELOP AN INTERNAL CODE BRIEF
External engagement can start after you have established with whom you need to engage, and how and when you will do this engagement. This is a continuous process that will feed into all stages of code development.
Once you have completed the set-up stage, you should have a better idea of the resources available to produce a code. With this in mind, refine the scale and scope of your code.
Engagement is fundamental to code development and should directly inform the analysis and integration of baseline information. As part of your engagement strategy, you’ve developed a plan to involve the community, stakeholders, and internal departments. The next step is to incorporate these engagement outcomes into your analysis. Identify the priorities of both internal and external stakeholders and ensure these are reflected in the code development process.
This will inform the internal code brief where you clearly articulate the goals and expected results of your code.
SCOPING
POLICY MAPPING
Existing landscape character areas Functional attributes of areas such as active travel areas Existing planning designations Settlement typologies in existing local design guidance.
The area analysis should be informed by your external engagement, therefore ensure to feed in stakeholder priorities in this analysis, alongside your existing policy. You may wish to complete and refer to the following analysis: Community and asset mapping Wider context analysis Character and heritage analysis Movement analysis
SCOPE AND ANALYSE BASELINE DATA
Continue to review if and how your code aligns with existing policies while avoiding duplication.
Identify the available data and analyse it to determine whether it is up to date and reflects the current realities of your area. Additionally, identify any further data needed to develop a code.
MONITORING Do you already have relevant, high-quality and wide-ranging data for a Design Code?
No
Yes
Yes
I don’t have any data.
I have data but analysis has identified gaps/ concerns about its quality
I have all the data necessary from previous work
Analysis writeup Good practice to do a short analysis write up of the constraints or outcomes of the analysis process that need to feed into the draft code. Refer back to this to ensure your final code addresses the constraints and opportunities from this analysis
CODING PLAN
Collect baseline data related to the vision for your code to inform its scope and monitoring process. For example, consider the percentage of planning applications refused on design grounds. Reducing these refusals is often a key objective of a design code, and knowing the refusal rate prior to adoption will help measure the code’s impact.
Written insights: Design Code in Practice
DEVELOP A STRATEGIC VISION
DESIGN VISION
BASELINE
To start you can draw on existing and defined areas, for example:
Define a strategic vision that clearly articulates both your aspirations and those of the community for the area, while being informed by the authority’s corporate priorities and baseline data. A compelling vision will be crucial for securing buy-in from corporate and political leadership. Written insights: Design Codes in Practice
ENGAGEMENT External engagement should inform the vision for the code. Continue engaging with the community to ensure the vision reflects their aspirations. Align the code with the corporate priorities of the local authority and validate these with other local authority departments.
Each spatial scale of coding is made up of a set of area types, which are defined through robust analysis and community engagement. They must set out a clear understanding of the area’s character and the opportunities where design codes can address specific challenges in delivering sustainable development in line with the community’s vision for the future.
At this stage, you will develop a vision for your code that clearly articulates the community’s aspirations, corporate priorities, and other baseline data you have gathered. This vision outlines the specific aims for the design code and serves as a crucial foundation for its development. The visioning process will likely be a key focus for consultation, setting the context and ensuring that the code is both aspirational and aligned with stakeholder priorities.
Ensure that your design coding objectives are translated into measurable criteria, both quantitative and qualitative. From the outset, consider how you’ll assess the achievement of these objectives, and integrate this approach throughout the development of your design code.
Written insights: Working in Partnership Making resource efficiencies
DEFINE AREA TYPES
VISION
MONITORING
It makes sense, therefore, to have analysed your capacity to carry out the work in-house at the outset, and to only procure external consultants if doing so is justified on grounds of costeffectiveness, skills-gaps, time and quality.
Further resources on external engagement: Video: Introducing Design Codes Slide deck: Why should you code Written insights: Strategies for community engagement
UNDERTAKE AN AREA ANALYSIS
At this stage, assess what is feasible given your available resources and capacity, and how these constraints will affect the scale and scope of your code. Consider what can be realistically accomplished within these limits and what can be achieved with the resources at hand.
Written insights: Ensuring effective implementation
03. Area Action Plans
National Model Design Code – 10 criteria for effective design coding
ANALYSIS
Consider the status of your code. To carry weight in decision-making, codes should be produced as part of a local plan, or as supplementary planning documents (SPDs) or, looking ahead, supplementary plans (SPs). It will be for individual local planning authorities to determine which is the most appropriate approach for them, reflecting local circumstances.
Written insights: Optimising design code performance
Yes
If you are not producing a masterplan as part of the coding process, we advice to complete an analysis of historical masterplans and local plans to inform your coding brief, and focus for the code you will be producing.
Identify where your code fits and interacts with existing policies. You may use a policy matrix to map out existing policies and their broader objectives. This will help identify areas covered by other policies, help prevent duplication and ensure the code’s usability.
Develop and refine your monitoring framework in line with the evolving objectives and vision of the code, as these may change through discussions with internal stakeholders and as your resource plan becomes clearer.
Do you have a masterplan in place, or will you be producing a masterplan as part of the coding process?
No
POLICY MAPPING
Think about not only about monitoring the impacts on development outcomes, but also on the planning applications process too.
01. Material considerations: SPDs, masterplans, urban design frameworks, existing local authority-wide design guides, conservation area appraisals
ROUTE FOR SITE-SPECIFIC (MASTERPLAN) CODES ONLY
Yes
Written insights: Role of development management in coding Writing for the reader Ensuring effective implementation
Continue refining the scope of your work in collaboration with other departments within the local authority. Start by consulting with your development management team to gather their insights. Once you have a clear understanding, communicate the refined scope to other stakeholders as you begin engaging with them. This will ensure that everyone is aligned and understands the objectives.
Area types are based both on the existing character of the place and how the local authority and community expect the area to develop in the future. Once area types are identified and outlined, coding can be prepared to translate the vision and objectives into design requirements for development proposals.
Maintain engagement with corporate leadership and elected members on progress, and how the code will deliver for the council and communities. Leverage coding champions to enhance engagement efforts. This proactive engagement will facilitate the code’s adoption in the future.
Create site-specific visions When coding for a large area, it is advisable to develop site-specific visions for individual areas to address the unique characteristics of each location while ensuring alignment with the broader vision of the code.
Written insights: Video: Introducing Design Codes Slide deck: Why should you code Written insights: Strategies for community engagement
Written insights: Design Code in Practice Pathfinder case studies: Bradford Council (authority-wide coding) Uttlesford Council (rural coding)
MONITORING Revisit and update your baseline monitoring data to ensure it is aligned with the strategic vision for your code.
National Model Design Codes: Guidance on area types
Concept Plan
ROUTE FOR SITE-SPECIFIC (MASTERPLAN) CODES ONLY
If you’re producing a masterplan
Create an indicative high level plan or diagram drawing on your analysis. This can illustrate key design principles helping to guide the focus for your design code.
WRITE DRAFT CODE Write your coding requirements and introduce appropriate images or graphics, consistent with the outcomes of the analysis and to support delivery of your vision.
CODING At this stage you start writing the first draft of the code in response to the vision, aims and objectives. Your code may identify and reference design principles, layout, architectural details and materials to emphasise distinctive aspects of the area that new development must respond to. Agree the level of detail and coverage of the code and tailor this to the area’s context, character and heritage.
Authority-wide codes can set coding requirements at a more strategic level, while area or site-specific codes will be more detailed. Ensure to: Integrate other regulatory concerns (e.g. building regulations or bio-diversity net gain) Decide how the code relates to and can help deliver standards and guidance used by other authorities, such as Highways Authorities
A key measure of success for a design code is that people can use it and feel confident doing so. Unfortunately, some design codes can be difficult to use as they are dense and too detailed, trying to satisfy the needs of different audiences. A process of testing and updating the code is therefore important to ensure you are producing a user-friendly document. Even with the most carefully considered content and structure, your code will benefit from testing with end users. This will help you to spot issues and refine it for maximum useability.
Writing, testing and updating the design code is an iterative process that should be done in collaboration with internal departments and external user groups.
Draft Masterplan
Pathfinder Insights: Role of development management in coding Design coding in practice Presenting codes Writing for the reader Ensuring effective implementation Office for Place: Design code library
REVIEWING AND UPDATING
TESTING
ENGAGEMENT
Define the structure of your code’s document to reflect the needs of your different users Consider how the codes will be used and implemented by development management officers
Review and update your draft code based on the feedback you have received to ensure it meets your aims, vision, objectives, and that the document is user-friendly for key user groups.
National Model Design Code: Masterplanning guidance
TESTING
CONSULTATION
Testing with end users is essential prior to adoption. This will help you to spot issues and refine its content to optimised useability and help save time and unanticipated expense later.
Depending on the status of your code, you may need to undertake a public consultation. Even where consultation is not required, it is advisable and an important step in the coding process.
Test your draft code with internal and external stakeholders. For example:
SPDs, for example, require a 6-weeks consultation period.
01. Against previous and live planning applications 02. F rom the perspective of your different users
DESIGN REVIEW PANELS
Written insights: Role of development management in coding Writing for the reader
COMPILE FINAL CODE Through a consultation and review process, you’ll be able to fine-tune your design code to ensure an implementable, user-friendly document.
Pathfinder case studies: Bradford Council (authority-wide coding)
Written insights: Presenting codes Writing for the reader
Continue to draft, test and refine the code to ensure you produce a user-friendly document which is easy to apply.
MONITORING Complement your quantitative research with qualitative feedback to add nuance to your data. Surveys, focus groups, and interviews can be used to collect this data during stakeholder engagement and testing phases.
Teams may wish to test the quality of the draft code itself through design or community review panels where experts or community members input on the code while it’s in production. This is particularly relevant where a Design Review Panel is intended to form part of your decision-making process Written insights: Ensuring effective implementation
ADOPTING THE CODE Integration with council processes Provided the objectives of a design code have been properly aligned to the local plan and wider corporate objectives through engagement and collaboration, the data from monitoring the code’s performance can then be used to inform and update local policy and corporate objectives, as well as the design code itself.
Promotion Ensure you clearly notify key user groups about the adoption of your design code and keep them informed during its production. Greater awareness of the code will ensure a smoother implementation process and maximise early impact.
POLICY MAPPING Maximise the code’s weight by adopting the code as part of your local plan. Emerging local plans should seek to adopt clear design policies to better suit an existing or future code.
POST ADOPTION TRAINING
ADOPTING At this stage all elements of your code will come together and are put into practice in making decisions on real planning applications.
Training for Development Management (DM) officers, councillors and external users is crucial to ensure they understand how the code works, the processes for monitoring, and the transition to its use in day-to-day practices. Therefore, training should be well-planned and resourced, with careful selection of experts who have a deep understanding of the legislative context, the code details, and the associated administrative and operational processes. These experts may include DM officers, policy team members, in-house specialists, or external consultants.
ADMINISTERING
IMPLEMENTATION At this stage, the code is actively being used in decision making. An ongoing monitoring process post adoption is required to ensure the code is up-to-date and delivering on its intended objectives.
UPDATING THE CODE
Design codes are iterative and should be updated based on monitoring and user feedback as your design code is being used in practice. Establish a clear process for post-adoption updates to keep the code effective and relevant, such as continuous feedback loops to refine your code. This is a long-term process of testing and updating the code
Possible routes for updating the design code include: Status-Based Updates: Adjustments based on the code’s status, whether as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), Development Plan Document (DPD), or a Council-approved policy document. Dedicated Review Process: Updates triggered by specific events (e.g., completion of a set number of units) or within a predetermined time frame (e.g., every five years). Staged Process: Developing and refining the code in phases to accommodate ongoing changes and improvements.
MONITORING Monitoring the effectiveness of the code is an ongoing process that must be managed efficiently to ensure it meets its intended objectives. The qualitative and quantitative data gathered during previous coding phases, as well as the ongoing monitoring data after the code’s adoption, will contribute to this iterative process and provide teams with the information needed to make informed updates and improvements to the code.