Planning Advice Note: Pan 72: Housing in the Countryside

Planning Advice Note Housing in the Countryside

The way forward

Role of applicants

Applicants must play their role in delivering good quality designs. They should seek the assistance of skilled architects and designers. Applicants, and their agents, should familiarise themselves with the relevant policies before preparing a proposal, and likewise planning authorities have a duty to communicate to applicants, and explain to them what is required. Pre-application meetings with the planning authority should be encouraged.

PAN 68 on Design Statements provides advice on how to write design statements. They should often be prepared for developments in sensitive locations. Their purpose is to allow applicants an opportunity to demonstrate their analysis and understanding of the settlement character, their thought process behind their development and the quality to which is being aspired.

Ways for local authorities to help communicate effectively with applicants

Hold lists of good local architects and designers with examples to illustrate their work.
Publish design guides and advertise them to landowners, developers, local architects, planning consultants and builders in the area.
Provide detailed design guidance at the pre-application stage to ensure potential applicants are aware of the policies and less likely to submit proposals likely to be refused.
Mount a public display in the planning department to illustrate local examples of successful siting and design. This could be rotated around relevant venues such as libraries, shopping centres and community groups for maximum benefit.
Organise seminars to publicise the planning authority's policies on the location, siting and design of new housing in the countryside. Illustrate poor examples, and explain why they are unacceptable.
Hold local awards (such as Aberdeenshire Council) and advise applicants to submit to other award schemes.
Set up websites which provide easy access to examples of good design in the area.

PAN 68 - Design Statements

The Shetland house booklet

design awards 2004 booklet

Role of planning authorities

Local authority planning services should be committed to securing high quality design in new homes and must equip their teams with the necessary design skills. They must also engage effectively with applicants.

Development planning

Development polices must provide a clear vision for high quality developments. They provide an opportunity to set out the type of high standards expected from development proposals. They should be up to date, clear and forward-looking.

It is proposed that rural Scotland will be covered by single-tier plans, and also more concise plans in the future. This will mean that there will be a greater role for supplementary planning guidance.

Supplementary planning guidance

Development plan policies should be complemented by more detailed design policy in supplementary planning guidance (SPG). This is an effective way of handling detailed information. When drawing up the guidance, public consultation is essential followed by formal adoption. This strengthens its status as a material consideration in the planning process.

Some examples of SPG include:

Design guides - Guides or handbooks can help to illustrate the relationships of new houses to the landscape and the range of local traditions, with some principles of character and vernacular. Examples of good and bad practice from the area enable people to form a clearer picture of appropriate development. Illustrations with explanations of what would and would not be likely to be given planning permission can also be helpful. Overall, they appeal to a wide audience and bring to life many of the issues.

Design codes - Design codes may be appropriate in very special circumstances where a very high degree of prescription is required, for example, in a Conservation Area.

Leaflets - Simple information leaflets summarising local policy and guidance should describe the key policy elements, refer to additional sources and emphasise the benefits of submitting a well considered and presented application.

Development control

Authorities must ensure that applicants are clear about the expected quality and design requirements. The principles which will be taken into account when determining applications should be expressed clearly and concisely. It is also essential that authorities apply their policies consistently. Where policies are not clear and open to interpretation, this hinders the development control process, through an increased risk of inconsistent decisions. Design is a material consideration in determining planning applications.

Role of councillors

Development in the countryside can be sensitive politically. It is very important that there is a solid core of planning policy and guidance which is accepted, understood and applied consistently. If there is to be more development in the countryside it has to be well planned and then implemented properly. The process has to be seen to be fair and impartial and councillors must demonstrate a commitment to policy. Seminars, study tours and attendance at local awards schemes can be useful.