FOLLOWING a programme of community engagement in 2023 and 2024 to develop a design code for Arbury, King’s Hedges and parts of West Chesterton – as part of the ‘Inspired Living’ project – a formal consultation has launched to gather feedback on the proposed design principles ahead of being adopted as a supplementary planning document.
Feedback on the Draft Cambridge Neighbourhoods Design Code for Arbury, King’s Hedges and parts of West Chesterton is particularly sought from residents, businesses and community groups in the relevant neighbourhoods before the consultation closes on Monday 17 February 2025.
Design codes are illustrated planning documents that are informative and inspiring, and provide guidance for the physical development of a site or area, which aim to raise design quality and standards. They can be used by home owners wanting to make home improvements, transport authorities planning infrastructure such as cycle lanes or bus stops, or developers planning new schemes in the area, to ensure they know what the local community would like to see.
Once adopted as a supplementary planning document, the design code will build upon, provide more detailed guidance, and support the polices in Cambridge City Council’s adopted 2018 Local Plan – meaning they would need to be considered as part of determining planning applications in Arbury, King’s Hedges and parts of West Chesterton.
The draft design code focuses on five key principles that are based on the community’s priorities, with technical design guidance showing how the principles could be delivered. The five principles are:
- Make space for nature
- Prioritise walking and cycling
- Thriving public spaces
- Enhance character
- Increase sustainability
Find out more or have your say on the draft SPD: www.cambridge.gov.uk/design-code. Anyone who would prefer to request the consultation information or survey in another format should email designcodepilot@greatercambridgeplanning.org or call 01223 457000.
A number of events are taking place during the consultation period:
- online webinar on Monday 20 January, from 6 to 7.30pm
- in-person drop-in events on Tuesday 14 January and Tuesday 28 January, from 4 to 7pm at the Meadows Community Centre
- Arbury Community Centre, Arbury Court Library, Meadows Community Centre, and Cambridge Central Library throughout the consultation period
- Cambridge City Council’s Customer Service Centre from 9am to 5.15pm, Wednesdays to Fridays
The draft SPD and supporting documents will also be available to view at:
Cllr Katie Thornburrow, Executive Councillor for Planning, Building Control and Infrastructure at Cambridge City Council, said: “Being able to focus on the communities in Arbury, King’s Hedges and West Chesterton in this way has been enormously rewarding, as we’ve been able to understand what local people would like to see happen in their neighbourhoods and build that into the draft code. Now we need everyone to let us know if we’re getting it right.
“This matters, because once the design code is adopted it lets us put guidance in place that will shape how the area develops, based on the priorities and needs of the local community. We hope this will make a significant positive difference in the area by helping to coordinate improvements and investments, enhancing the quality of buildings, and of course encouraging the incorporation of climate resilience measures and other adaptations. We want to see high quality places that will improve the health and wellbeing of everyone living and working here and this is one step towards that.
“This is the first neighbourhood design code in Cambridge, and we look forward to seeing how it is applied in practice to support people’s priorities. If successful, the lessons could be applied to other areas in Cambridge and nationally, helping to improve the quality of life for many people.”
The ‘design code’ has been co-designed with the local community through a series of online and in-person events, workshops and survey in 2023 and 2024 as part of a pilot National Design Code Pathfinder Programme, funded by central government.
The project aims to test the process of developing consultation-led area design codes, focusing resources to work with communities and neighbourhoods with the most need, to tackle inequality, and inform and assess small and large-scale planning applications that may come forward in the area.
Following the consultation, feedback will be considered ahead of the final design code SPD being adopted in spring 2025.
