Authority wide design code

The Council has been successful in being selected as one of the Government's pathfinder areas for the production of design codes.

The Council are in the process of preparing a new Local Plan. This will replace the current adopted Newcastle-Under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Joint Core Spatial Strategy, 2009 and the saved policies from the Stoke-on-Trent City Plan 2001.

The Council wishes to commission the production of a design code which will be referenced in the new Local Plan.

The Council's development plan is the Core Spatial Strategy 2009 and has also in place a Supplementary Planning Document - Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Urban Design Guidance (2010) and a Supplementary Planning Document - Inclusive Design Access for All (2008). These provide design guidance for the city. Heritage and culture is an important characteristic for the city.

The Government attaches increasing importance to design reflected through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 and the introduction of the National Model for Design Codes. The Council wants to encourage high-quality design and to make the planning process easier for applicants in respect of design considerations.