Top 5 ‘rules’ that demonstrate a well designed housing layout
A simple guide for planning committees when determining whether a housing layout is a ‘good design’ or a ‘poor design’.
Is it designed in 3D?
Are the streets designed as compositions?
Are the gateway, key and landmark buildings easy to find?
Are all streets and open spaces overlooked?
Is it clear how the analysis work has influenced the layout?
Assuming the layout has met all policy requirements and design standards such as housing mix, affordable housing requirements, parking standards, garden sizes, highways design, SuDS, sustainability, walkable neighbourhoods, secure by design, national and local design guidance etc… these five urban design characteristics must also be present in the design.
Bluepencil have produced a number of “How to” guides which are available from the Resources page of their website as free downloads.
See all the How to Guides
“How to Assess the Design Quality of a Housing Layout” is intended to assist planning committees and planning officers when determining the quality of a housing layout.
This is a short guide which cuts through the vast array of National and Local Design Guidance, some of which is contradictory and confusing and almost all of which does not differentiate between a small housing layout (less than 50 new homes) and a large scale strategic, mixed-use development of 3000+ new homes with associated uses and infrastructure.
