Overview
Production of Gedling’s area wide Design Code as part of the National Design Code Pathfinder Project. The ‘area’ design code is one of the first of its kind in the country and has been produced to raise design quality across the Borough reflecting the distinct character of its landscape, settlements and communities.
Project Highlights
Clients
Gedling Borough Council
Date
2022 - 2024
Scale
Authority wide
It has been fantastic to play such an important role in the Government’s Design Code Pathfinder Programme through our work with Gedling Borough Council. Our Design Code will help bring about high quality development which reflects the distinctive and unique characteristics of Gedling.
Scott Gibson, Associate Urban Designer / Planner, David Lock Associates
The Project
Gedling Borough, situated north of Nottingham city centre, is characterised by a variety of residential developments at the urban edge as well as several rural villages which sit within the green belt. These range in size and character, from traditional settlements to former colliery communities. Visions and placemaking strategies have been developed for each settlement type, reflecting the rich and diverse characteristics. The Design Code places value on the process of observation, and analysis of sites within their context, in order for locally distinctive design responses to be developed.
The Process
We undertook a thorough analysis of the borough through observation and evaluation, identifying patterns and characteristics of relevance in achieving high quality, locally distinctive development. This baseline was informed by a programme of stakeholder workshops and local community engagement, alongside a custom digital platform that allowed residents to submit key design issues. These contributions were analysed and logged to help shape and inform the design code.
Producing the code as part of the Pathfinder Programme involved a process of peer review, roundtable discussions, and an opportunity to present to the Design Council, all of which provided valuable insights that contributed to the final document. Involvement has also meant that our work has contributed considerably to the programme, creating an innovative model that can be followed by other authorities. A pioneer of area wide coding, the Gedling Design Code has played a significant role in testing and refining approaches to borough wide design codes, where variations in; landscape, settlements and communities can be significant.
The clear mandatory and specific design requirements in the design code will ensure new development proposals in the Gedling Borough are sensitive to their built and natural environments, and respond positively to existing character. The Design Code is being adopted to form part of Gedling Borough Council’s Local Plan as a Supplementary Planning Document.