Following its launch at the start of this year, Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) is continuing to prepare a new ‘Design Code’ to set out quality and standard rules for new developments.
Now the authority is inviting residents, local interest groups, design professionals and developers to have our say on the next stage of the process. Since Ruddington’s precious green spaces have taken a significant hammering over the past few years – as a result of infill housing within our village, plus the ‘Rushcliffe Local Plan Part 2’ and its wider development consequences on former Green Belt land – the Design Code is of particular relevance to us.
RBC says this code will establish the expectations of developments which designers, architects and developers will have to follow when bringing forward new developments in the future.
It will cover a range of topics including:
• How new and existing developments should be connected – for example, through footpaths and roads
• The position of new buildings and their size and scale
• The design of public spaces
• Landscape around new buildings, such as green spaces and tree planting
Earlier this year, during the first stage of the process, RBC invited residents to have our say on Rushcliffe’s strengths, weaknesses and priorities for a Design Code. Following this feedback, the Borough was divided up into seven zones known as Area Types:
• Urban (West Bridgford)
• Riverside
• Key Settlements (including Ruddington)
• Settlements (villages)
• New Neighbourhoods
• High Streets
• Rural and Farmland
RBC says design objectives for each zone and an “overarching design vision” for the whole of the Borough have been developed, in a document called the ‘Draft Rushcliffe Baseline Appraisal’. Four of its pages (44-47) are dedicated to Ruddington, as shown below:
{N.B. You can click on the document images above to enlarge them}
RBC says its vision is to design new development to be beautiful, sustainable, high quality and characterful. The vision will develop further, and become more comprehensive, as the Design Code progresses over the coming months.
Now in Stage Two of the process, the authority is inviting participants to have their say on the Design Vision and the design objectives for each of the Area Types.
Ruddington residents and businesses are invited take part in this online survey, and share our views, at www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/designcode until Sunday 30th June.
RBC’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Cllr Roger Upton says: “We’re now in the second stage of developing the Rushcliffe Design code and we’ve launched a consultation on the Design Vision which is open for six weeks. The code will provide more certainty for Rushcliffe’s communities about the design of new development, raise design standards and support the Council in determining planning applications.”
He adds: “We want to hear from residents, local interest groups, design professionals and developers to gather a range of views on what topics, types of development and geographical areas the design code should focus on. Please take the time to fill in our consultation online where you can share your views and help shape our Design Code for future of design in the Borough.”
A further consultation on the Draft Design Code will take place in the autumn.
