Planning Inspectorate
The government has published guidance about national infrastructure planning which applicants and others should read. See the National Infrastructure Planning Guidance Portal. The guidance should be read alongside the Planning Act 2008 (the Planning Act).
This advice is non-statutory. However, the Planning Inspectorates advice about running the infrastructure planning system and matters of process is drawn from good practice and applicants and others should follow our recommendations. It is intended to complement the legislation, regulations and guidance issued by government and is produced under section 51 of the Planning Act.
National Policy Statements (NPS) set out the requirement to deliver good design and the criteria by which it will be assessed.
The requirement for good design
The Secretary of State is under a duty in preparing NPSs to contribute to sustainable development, mitigating and adapting to climate change and achieving good design.
Good design is crucial for achieving excellent functionality, sustainability, positive place-making and resilience in NSIPs.
The NPSs set out criteria for achieving good design in projects, aligning functionality with sustainability principles and balancing environmental, economic, and social factors.
The NPSs and guidance also point to the importance of explaining decisions taken in the design process and the reasons for them. This includes how environmental impact assessment (EIA) and views from stakeholder engagement and consultation have informed the design process.
Definitions of good design
There are many sources for definitions of good design. The principles set out by the Roman architect and engineer Marcus Vitruvius (c70-15BC) for good architecture still apply equally to present day infrastructure and chime with the statements in the NPSs. He defined good architecture as firmitas, utilitas, venustas meaning firmness, commodity, and delight, emphasising the importance of functionality, durability, and aesthetic appeal in buildings and structures.
Planning Policy Wales also recognises good design as a process. It defines design as the relationship between all elements of the natural and built environment. It emphasises the need to go beyond aesthetics and include the social, environmental and economic aspects of the development, including its construction, operation and management, and its relationship to its surroundings.
Achieving good design
Achieving good design requires a holistic approach to deliver high quality, sustainable infrastructure that responds to place and takes account of often complex environments. Good design is not primarily about how infrastructure looks, although these considerations (the aesthetics) are important.
Achieving high quality, good design outcomes requires an effective, intentional, transparent, deliverable process to be planned, followed and secured. Success in good design comes from a combination of securing both good process and good outcomes.
Given the scale and impact of NSIP developments, achieving well-designed project outcomes addressing sustainability and climate change is essential.
The National Infrastructure Strategy
The National Infrastructure Strategy commits government to embedding good design into all NSIPs. The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) Design Group recommends that considering design properly in NSIPs supports the governments ambition to speed up delivery and maximise value by addressing:
- a structured design process
- design principles
- multiple beneficial outcomes
Design principles, parameters and codes
The government has adopted four high-level principles of climate, people, place and value for infrastructure, published by the NIC in its Design Principles for National Infrastructure.
In the governments guidance on the Pre-application stage, paragraph 14, applicants are advised that they should involve a diverse range of people in developing their design and that they should explain how it responds to the NIC principles.
The NIC principles have been further underpinned with guidance on how to apply them within a project context Project Level Design Principles. This sets out a structured process for applying tailored design principles at every stage of a project life cycle. Building on the NIC high-level design principles the Project Level Design Principles provide applicants with issues to consider under each of thethe four design principles.
For climate these include carbon impact, environmental enhancement including nature recovery and climate resilience. Truly inclusive and accessible design that is sympathetic to the social and community context is important for people. Places should cover boosting a local sense of identity and stewarding the local landscape. For value, it is important to look beyond the site boundary, working with partners to unlock additional value.
The purpose of the design principles at a project level includes having an overarching vision with a locally contextual design narrative, being informed by affected people and groups, being inclusive and identifying opportunities for wider benefits and outcomes beyond the project itself.
Future Wales, Planning Policy Wales and Technical Advice Notes set out the national planning policy to achieve good design in Wales. Applicants should determine the appropriate design principles for the project.
Approaches to design principles are set out in guidance, such as the Design Principles for National Infrastructure and Project Level Design Principles and the National Design Guide, as well as in local design policies and standards. Applicants should ensure that good design outcomes will be secured through use of such design principles, parameters and design codes.
The National Model Design Code is a helpful tool for establishing design codes. These are most likely to be relevant post-consent in guiding the construction phase of the project. Design codes can be secured through requirements or the Design and Access Statement.
Good design process
A good design process is iterative within a structured approach which problem solves and secures good design outcomes.
A good design process includes the following components:
- an effective, intentional, transparent, and deliverable process
- a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach including positive community and land rights engagement
- a succinct and ambitious vision for the project, underpinned by a clear analysis of the context for the place, its environment and the opportunities for creating social value, including for the local and wider economy
- a clear statement of design principles that will drive the project and deliver wider value and benefits beyond the core purpose of the scheme
- a narrative that explains how the approach to design has evolved, the reasons for the choices that have been, or will be, made, an explanation of the multiple beneficial outcomes the project will achieve and how they will be secured
- design leadership supported by an engaged design champion to ensure design governance is secured and the design principles drive a structured design process and hierarchy of design control
Good design outcomes
Achieving good design outcomes involves:
- securing a clearly understood, integrated design concept, consistent design language, and project-wide sustainability
- consistent design language where all components can be followed through in post-consent decisions
- clarity on achieving project-wide sustainability that goes beyond mitigating adverse effects to achieve economic, environmental and social net-gain
- design principles that respond positively to t