In the face of planning deregulation, the new design codes might be our last line of defence

摘要

As MHCLG launches its national model design code and the accompanying guidance, it’s a relief tosee that the obsession with “beauty” that began with the Building Better, Building BeautifulCommission (BBBBC) seems to be waning. The words “beauty” and “beautiful” appeared more than 50times in the 84-page white paper Planning for the Future (quite hard to plan for the past after all…),published last August. Contrast that with the new design code and guidance which only use thesewords six times, despite totalling nearly 150 pages.