Emerging Character, Sustainability and Design Codes SPD

The emerging Character, Sustainability and Design Codes SPD (Supplementary Planning Document) is an update to our existing 2014 Urban Context and Character Study. It updates the character assessment and will also propose design codes for the borough. This updated study will play a crucial role in shaping future development to ensure that it responds positively to our borough’s character and is of high-quality design.

It is proposed that the emerging Character, Sustainability and Design Codes SPD will be adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document. A final adoption consultation was undertaken between 16th June and 14th August 2023, alongside the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation SPD and the Hounslow and Brentford masterplans. Information about these now closed consultations can be found here.

Context

Design coding is one tool available to local planning authorities, communities and developers to define and deliver design quality. It is a set of design requirements that provide detailed parameters for the physical development of an area. The Character, Sustainability and Design Codes SPD will be adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which will be a material consideration in decision making on planning applications.

The New London Plan emphasises the use of design codes: Policy D4 states that design codes should be used to help bring forward development and ensure it delivers high quality design and placemaking.

The need for area-wide design assessments is currently set out in the NPPF. Furthermore, design codes are set to become a statutory requirement as stated in the proposed changes to the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework). Paragraph 124 of the NPPF emphasises the role that area-based character assessments, codes and masterplans can play in helping to ensure that land is used effectively while also creating beautiful and sustainable places and Paragraph 172 emphasises that all local planning authorities should prepare design guides or codes consistent with the principles set out in the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code (NMDC), which reflect local character and design preferences.

Aims

The Character, Sustainability and Design Codes SPD aims to improve design quality across the borough through:

Updating the character assessment to provide an up to date understanding of built and socio-economic character;
Updating the character area boundaries to form an understanding of local character and to underpin area-based design code recommendations;
Proposing area-based recommendations and visions to guide the transformation, enhancement and conservation of each of the character areas;
Developing design codes that ensure the delivery of the area-based recommendations and high quality, characterful and sustainable design in development.

Progress to Date

We undertook an initial engagement survey entitled “Tell us about your Neighbourhood” in January and February 2021. The survey sought feedback from residents and people who work in the borough about their local areas, asking for feedback what makes the area special, what is liked and disliked and the activities that are undertaken in different parts of the borough. This was in order to provide an understanding about what contributes to an area’s special character and how future improvements can enhance the design quality and character. The survey also sought feedback on character area boundaries. The survey gathered around 750 responses. A summary of responses will be provided in the final report.

On 3 March 2021 we held an informal engagement workshop with residents, where presentations were given by Allies and Morrison on proposed character area boundaries and on opportunities to enhance character in each neighbourhood. A video of the workshop can be viewed here and the presentation here. Please note that the presentation is a work in progress and will be updated in the final report.

On 12 May 2021 a 2nd informal engagement workshop was held with residents to gather feedback on proposed area design codes, propose alternative codes and come up with new codes that shape the future of neighbourhoods. A video of the workshop can be viewed here and the presentation here. Please note that the presentation is a work in progress and will be updated in the final report. For this workshop, we put together an informative video to explain what design codes are, what they aim to do: Watch the video here.

Further online engagement workshops were held with residents in Feltham (23 July 2021), Brentford (3 August 2021) and Chiswick (3 August 2021) to gather feedback on aspirations for specific sites to shape design codes.

The first statutory consultation on the Study took place between Monday 4 April and Monday 16 May 2022, where we invited comments on the document via a prototype consultation portal. A number of public workshops were held including: a West of the Borough workshop on 21 April 2022, an East of the Borough workshop on 28 April 2022, a workshop with the Youth Parliament and a workshop with a disability focus group. Following this, the study has been refined in line with your feedback.

Following this consultation exercise, a number of changes were made to the emerging SPD in response to the comments received. The Engagement and Consultation Statement summarises the feedback and resulting amendments, organised by theme, place and site for ease of reference. The main changes are set out below:

To address comments that the document was extensive and detail on specific issues may be lost, the structure has now been streamlined into a modular structure, with each Place module containing all information related to that area, including any site codes. Part A, which covers borough wide guidance and codes, is also structured modularly to allow easier referral to specific content.
Town Centre codes have been added for the four town centres to deliver the ideas in the masterplans and visions and the building heights have been revised.
Additional guidance has been added to Part A2 Common Considerations, including additional design guidance related to accessibility, climate change, the sustainable design journey & links to the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation SPD.
A section on front gardens, parking and boundary wall guidance & sustainable energy infrastructure & insulation has been added to the REGs in response to community feedback that front gardens are being lost to driveway conversions.
The visions for each place now include a sustainability focus.
Some neighbourhood boundaries were amended following feedback from stakeholders, focusing on boundaries in Chiswick, Brentford and Isleworth.

An adoption consultation was undertaken between 16th June and 14th August 2023. The purpose of this adoption consultation was to give stakeholders a chance to comment on a version of the document that was as close to the Adoption Version as is possible. This means that amendments made after this consultation period will be minimal focussing on the accuracy of the document and ensuring that the changes that were made to the document reflected the feedback that you gave us.

The Adoption Version of the Consultation Document can be accessed via pdf found at the links below:

Part A1 – Introduction, Borough wide character analysis & growth strategy	Part A1.pdf	Part A1 analyses and summarises Hounslow’s character at a Borough-wide level. It also proposes a set of design principles and looks at where growth should be focused.
Part A2 – Common Considerations	Part A2 .pdf	Part A2 sets out design guidance relevant to all site types, including resources, nature, movement, homes & buildings.
Part A3- Typology Design Codes	Part A3.pdf	Part A3- includes guidance for seven distinct site types- backland, residential infill, town centre, large format, arterial route, waterside and upwards extensions.
Part A4- Tall Building Design Guidance	Part A4.pdf	Part A4 includes design guidance for tall buildings.
Part A5- Residential Extension Guidelines	Part A5.pdf	Part A5 includes design guidance for residential extensions.
Part B1- Feltham	B1 Feltham .pdf	Part B1 includes a vision and growth strategy for Feltham, in addition to area-level design codes, neighbourhood level design guidance and site codes.
Part B2- Hanworth	B2 Hanworth.pdf	Part B2 includes a vision and growth strategy for Hanworth, in addition to area-level design codes and neighbourhood level design guidance.
B3- Bedfont	B3 Bedfont.pdf	Part B3 includes a vision and growth strategy for Bedfont, in addition to area-level design codes and neighbourhood level design guidance.
Part B4 – Hounslow West	B4 Hounslow West.pdf	Part B4 includes a vision and growth strategy for Hounslow West, in addition to area-level design codes, neighbourhood level design guidance and public realm guidance.
B5- Cranford & Heston	B5 Cranford and Heston.pdf	Part B5 includes a vision and growth strategy for Cranford & Heston, in addition to area-level design codes and neighbourhood level design guidance.
Part B6 – Central Hounslow	B6 Central Hounslow.pdf	Part B6 includes a vision and growth strategy for Central Hounslow, in addition to area-level design codes and neighbourhood level design guidance.
Part B7 – Isleworth	B7 Isleworth.pdf	Part B7 includes a vision and growth strategy for Isleworth in addition to area-level design codes and neighbourhood level design guidance.
Part B8- Osterley	B8 Osterley.pdf	Part B8 includes a vision and growth strategy for Osterley, in addition to area-level design codes and neighbourhood level design guidance.
Part B9 - Brentford	B9 Brentford.pdf	Part B9 includes a vision and growth strategy for Brentford, in addition to area-level design codes, neighbourhood level design guidance and site design codes.
Part B10 - Chiswick	B10 Chiswick.pdf	Part B10 includes a vision and growth strategy for Chiswick, in addition to area-level design codes, neighbourhood level design guidance and site design codes.
Engagement and Consultation Statement	Consultation Statement CSD June 23.pdf	The Draft Engagement and Consultation Statement outlines the engagement work undertaken so far, the feedback received.

The Public Notice informing of the formal consultation period pursuant to Regulations 12 & 13 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 can be seen here. This was placed in local press.

Next Steps

Following this consultation, minor amendments will be made to the SPD in line with feedback received (if necessary). The SPD will be formally adopted towards the end of the year.