On Tuesday 1 October the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published a new National Design Guide, along with an update to the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) in relation to ‘good design’. This is the first national update to design guidance in nearly a decade. The government’s current intent is for the Design Guide to be supplemented by a National Design Code later this year.

The new Design Guide provides some more substance to the definition of ‘good design’ for use by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) and developers.