Pearl Arbenser-Simmonds reports on a busy year for the South Woodford Pathfinder Group as they begin to finalise their work producing a local design code. But your input is still needed
It has been a hectic 12 months and a bit of a rollercoaster ride since we were selected as one of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) Design Code Pathfinders in March 2022. We spent that time working in conjunction with JKA Architects, Azuko, DLUHC and Locality, with some support from Capita. The programme officially ended in May 2023 with the production of a draft design code. However, we are continuing to work on the code with the invaluable support of DLUHC, Redbridge officers and native north architects.
The South Woodford Neighbourhood Forum was one of just four neighbourhood groups in England to have been selected to participate in this groundbreaking programme, to help us set our own standards for design locally. It’s all part of the government’s plans to level up across the country. The Design Code Pathfinder Programme aims to empower communities to have their say on the development of new homes, buildings and amenities in their area and help restore people’s pride in the places they live.
Design codes are important because they provide a framework for creating healthy, safe, sustainable and distinctive places, with a consistent and high-quality standard of design. This can provide greater certainty for communities about the design of development and bring conversations about design to the start of the planning process rather than the end. The built environment has a significant impact on health and well-being. It needs to feel safe and secure for all, including those who could be more vulnerable. Creating beautiful places requires a greener approach that supports progress towards national environmental goals. This means more energy-efficient buildings, well designed public spaces, enhancing nature and delivering progress towards meeting the net-zero carbon target by 2050.
We have regular meetings with Redbridge Council officers as we work to refine various aspects of the code following meetings with TfL and various other stakeholders. We are also continuing to work on the website to allow us to host a fully digital code. We hope to have the design code draft completed in time to allow us to run an engagement campaign this September. For those of you who may have been involved in the previous engagement campaign, you will be invited to participate again, but the process is open to everyone living within the Neighbourhood Forum boundary area (see website).
Now the design code work is almost complete, this has allowed us to pick up the Neighbourhood Plan again, with a view to completing both pieces of work within a year. Once again, we would ask if anyone has any skills they would be happy to share – particularly web design and content management – please do reach out to us.
For more information on the design code, visit swvg.co.uk/dc
