Applying the Building Better, Building Beautiful Report

There is widespread support for implementing the recommendations of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission.  In the Blitz community spirit with which we will all rebuild Britain post the Coronovirus pandemic, everyone will pull together to create beautiful places.

Local Design Guides

The cynic might wonder whether design is really going to unite the great British public.  Research into design preferences shows that young people react more favourably to clean, modern facades, whereas older people prefer traditional bay windows and dormers. It may not be so straightforward to get consensus after all.

Tree lined streets

Street trees are, it appears, one aspect of design we can all agree on. More greenery is unequivocally a Good Thing.  Or is this too simplistic?

Root protection zones around trees might conflict with the desire for finely grained traditional narrow streets.  One wonders if trees might also conflict with the Government's aim of "gently intensifying" suburban areas.  Suddently we find ourselves back in the familiar, messy, real world of balancing many competing priorities with which planners are so familiar.

Community Engagement

The theory espoused by the Government is that any tensions between competing objectives can be resolved by delegating design choices down to the community level.  Unfortunately local unanimity is rare and it is more likely that Local Design Guides will seek to please their many competing viewpoints with long lists of ‘must haves’ for good design.  This passes the hot potato to the applicants to deal with and could potentially introduce long tick-lists of design requirements.

To identify what design issues have been important in appeals in your area, try searching keywords like "design", "local character", "vernacular", "contrast" and "mass" in combination with the name of the local planning authority on our search page at https://appealfinder.co.uk/.