‘Good design is impossible’ under government upheaval of planning, says CPRE

Commenting on the launch of the government’s new national model design code, Paul Miner, head of land use and planning at CPRE, the countryside charity, said:

‘Good design is crucial for healthy, thriving and low carbon communities in our countryside. That's why it is hugely welcome to see these new design codes and the launch of the new Office for Place.

‘We must turn the tide on the decades of disastrous design. Over three quarters of large housing developments scored mediocre or poor on our 2020 housing design audit with University College London. Too many of these are car dependent developments in the middle of nowhere. We’re urging the Office for Place to make reliable public transport and active travel central in creating the communities of the future.’

‘But the government's disastrous planning proposals, that look set to halve democratic input in planning, will completely undermine any progress on design and design codes. Good design is impossible without local democracy and accountability in the planning system. So, if Ministers are serious about creating the beautiful places of the future, they should start by totally rethinking their planning proposals and ensure people and nature are put back at the heart of planning.’