18/01/2023: Breckland Design Guide Survey and Workshop Dates Announced

Breckland Council is in the process of developing a new Design Guide for the district and we need your help!

The Breckland Design Guide will raise the design standards and consistency of future development across the district. It will be used by developers and their agents to guide the design of their development and by the council's planning department in determining applications.

Design codes and guidance also need to be based on a clear understanding of the design issues that Breckland faces and a vision for what kind of place Breckland should become in the future. We want this process to be informed by local residents and groups, such as neighbourhood planning groups, parish and town councils.

We would therefore like to know more about your views on how you see the future for development in Breckland and some of the design issues around new development.

·       What should future homes look like in our towns and villages?

·       How should future designs respond to environmental challenges such as energy provision and efficiency, and water management?

·       How should new development respond to the surrounding landscape and important landscape views in our rural areas?

·       Should new homes be of the same style and materials as period homes, or should more modern designs be encouraged?

·       Is it better to locate new housing on the outskirts of a village or by infilling?

·       How can we design good quality affordable houses?

A survey has been sent out to all parish/town councils and will be the first of a number of consultations around design guidance. The survey is open to all residents and copies can also be emailed directly to residents by contacting the planning policy team at Breckland.  Hard copies of the survey will be available in the Council offices main reception, as well. The deadline for response is the 13 ^th February.

There will also be online stakeholder workshops on 9th February, which will involve informal interactive discussion with visuals, these will be conducted using zoom video conferencing and facilitated by design consultants and Breckland officers.

Workshop times: 2pm to 3.30pm or 6pm to 7.30pm.

A similar public/offline stakeholder workshop will be held on 24^th February from 10am to 4pm at the Council Offices in Dereham. These workshops are open to all residents and they are intended for people to provide their views and suggestions on what works and what doesn't work in the design of new development where they live, work and play. If you wish to attend any of these, please contact the planning policy team on Planning.PolicyTeam@breckland.gov.uk. 

Your comments, suggestions and ideas are important to the success of the Design Guide in ensuring that the standards of design are raised in Breckland.