The government intends to make the codes a "material consideration" for planners when considering applications for new developments next to schemes that were designed using codes.
Under the present legal framework, the codes, which set guidelines for factors such as road layout and window height, have no legal standing even if they have been agreed by councils and developers.
The change will give design codes similar status to regional planning guidance or agreed masterplans. This means planners will only be able to deviate from the codes agreed for a specific area if they can show overwhelming reasons for doing so.
Housing minister Keith Hill said: "New planning guidance on design coding would be on the same footing as any other aspect of planning policy. It would be about introducing its status as a material consideration in planning applications."
The government will not change their status, however, until it has seen how the codes work in 11 pilot projects across the country (HT 16 April, page 8).
The first six pilots were launched on Wednesday: the 1500-home Ashford Barracks in Kent; the 2500-home Walker Riverside site in Newcastle; a 400-home urban extension in Cirencester; the 700-home Ore Valley site in Hastings; the 4500-home Aldershot Military Estate site and the 600-home regeneration of Rotherham's river corridor.
They will work in partnership with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, ODPM and English Partnerships.
The ODPM will present its conclusions on the pilots during next January's urban summit.
John Prescott gave his backing to design codes last November in the hope that they could help speed up the planning process and deliver better-quality developments.
He said: "New homes and buildings must be sympathetic to the local environment, taking account of what's already there."
However, some developers and architects fear design codes could constrain innovation and add bureaucracy.
Source
Housing Today
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