Contents

Introduction to the guide

Objectives of the Design Guide SPD

  • Be more Bexley

The Council encourages development that reinforces local distinctiveness and discourages generic designs that do not complement their surroundings. To support this, the Guide focuses on the design challenges and opportunities present in Bexley and provides targeted advice that is relevant to the local context. Examples of common forms of development will be used to illustrate and explain this guidance further and published as separate documents.

  • Promote good design

Good design leads to better wellbeing outcomes and a more sustainable form of development. The Guide seeks to improve the quality of proposals by establishing principles that should be followed but gives a degree of flexibility in how this is achieved so as not to stifle innovation and exemplary design.

  • Provide clarity

The Guide is intended as a useful reference tool to reduce uncertainty for applicants looking to develop a site, thereby increasing the quality of submissions and reducing delay at the application stage. To achieve this, the Design Principles form overarching guidance that applies across all development for consistency. Specific information on typical sites, buildings, and places will follow in documents published separately to clearly define and illustrate what is expected for well-designed places.

Policy context

Both national and regional policy place a clear emphasis on good design and the role of Local Authorities in determining what this looks like for their area.

The Council is required by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (2023) to prepare design guides or codes to provide clarity about design expectations at an early stage as outlined in paragraph 133. Paragraph 134 of the NPPF states that to carry weight in decision making, these codes should be produced as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). These requirements have not been altered by the recent proposed amendments to the NPPF.

SPDs are used to complement the documents which comprise the statutory Development Plan for the borough - the London Plan and the Bexley Local Plan. The Bexley Local Plan sets out the fundamental role of high-quality design in achieving sustainable development and refers to the Design Guide SPD providing further guidance on the policies.

The Design Guide SPD, of which the Design Principles forms the first part, seeks to define and illustrate what good design means in Bexley in greater detail and provide codes and guidance in line with the objectives defined in Fig. 01.

The production of this document has followed best practice and been informed by a robust local evidence base. It has been shaped by effective engagement with stakeholders and the public consultation process.

The Design Guide is intended to aid the planning process and is applicable to both new build development and changes of use - particularly where the latter leads to an intensification of activity and associated impacts on the appearance of the site and wider area. The document is therefore primarily for:

  • Applicants and their design teams in the preparation for pre-application discussions and planning submission.
  • Decision-makers when considering whether to grant or refuse planning applications.
  • People in local communities and their representatives to assess proposals in their area.

The guidance provided in this document is supplementary to the Bexley Local Plan policies. It demonstrates ways to meet these policies through the use of illustrations and codes.

Where relevant, specific policies are highlighted in the text for ease of reference. However, it is assumed that all guidance is provided to help applicants meet requirements set out in the Local Plan. In particular, the guide supports the implementation of the following Local Plan policies:

  • SP5 Placemaking through good design
  • SP9 Protecting and enhancing biodiversity and geological assets
  • DP11 Achieving high-quality design
  • DP30 Mitigating climate change

The Design Guide is additional, borough-specific guidance for Bexley. It should be read in conjunction with national and regional design guidance on placemaking, such as the National Design Guide and the London Plan Guidance.

This new Design Guide will replace the Bexley planning guidance document Design for Living SPD. Where relevant, guidance in the Design Principles will replace guidance on the same subject matter set out in Bexley Sustainable Design and Construction Guide, Crayford Town Centre: Design and Identity Guide, Crayford Town Centre: A residential design code and Design and Development Control Guidelines.