East Midlands residents will help shape new development in their neighbourhoods including choosing building materials or setting standards for sustainability following Government funding.
The East Midlands Development Company, Gedling Borough Council – and Mansfield District Council share £400,000
Residents in the East Midlands will lead the way in shaping the future design of their neighbourhoods under a under a trailblazing new design programme, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced this month.
EMDevCo, a partnership between Leicestershire and Nottingham County Councils, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe Borough Councils and North West Leicestershire District Council, has been awarded £120,000, Mansfield District Council has received £120,000 and Gedling Borough Council have £160,000 from the Government fund.
It will help residents set their own standards for design in their local area, which could include architecture, building materials, standards for sustainability and street layout.
Design codes are a collection of design principles that will guide local areas to deliver more beautiful, sustainable and liveable places and communities – such as specifying the use of local building materials or deciding the layout of streets.
Housing Minister Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP said:
“We want to give local people power over what their neighbourhoods look like and make sure all new developments enhance their surroundings and preserve local character and identity.
“Whether that’s choosing red brick for new buildings in our industrial heartland cities or choosing to set standards for sustainability for newbuild homes, our Pathfinder Programme will help turn visions of greener, more beautiful homes and places into standards which developers adhere to.”
Sir Chris Haworth, Chair of the East Midlands Development Company (EMDevCo) said:
“It is a testament to our local authority partners’ desire to work with communities and create beautiful spaces across the East Midlands that the Government has backed our bid to become a Design Code Pathfinder.
“The three development areas of Toton & Chetwynd, East Midlands Freeport Area, and Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station Site, the size of three London Olympic Parks, could really help level-up the area, creating 84,000 jobs in the region and adding billions to the regional economy.
“But more than this, our partners’ plans will set the benchmark and standard of design for new development, whilst looking to address some of the crises of our time, including climate change, health and inclusion.
“This support from Government will enable the area to be at the forefront of creating beautiful spaces for existing and new communities.”
The design codes produced by areas such as the East Midlands, will then be used as examples that communities across the country can draw on to produce their own, with support from the Office for Place.
The Design Code Pathfinder Programme, in line with the missions set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, will empower communities to demand the creation of development they can be proud of, with many projects focusing on regeneration of neighbourhoods and town centres.
The National Model Design Code (NMDC), published last year, will help guide selected local councils and neighbourhood planning groups on important design features such as street character, building type and layout, and use of public space.
