Cotswold Design Code
The Cotswold Design Code was produced in 2000 and forms Supplementary Planning Guidance to the Cotswold District Local Plan. It amplifies policy 40 -
Policy 40 The Cotswold Design Code
New development shall comply with the Cotswold Design Code in respect of the Cotswold Style, setting, harmony, street scene, proportion, simplicity, materials and craftsmanship.
This policy has been "saved" (i.e. it remains valid) and the Design Code is still a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.
Copies of the Cotswold Design Code SPG can be downloaded.
The Cotswold Design Code has been very successful in ensuring that new development has enhanced the District, but it has some limitations in that it does not fully consider the design requirements that are necessary to address climate change and sustainable development issues. The policies of the adopted Local Plan are based on the need to ensure sustainable development and the appropriate use of natural resources, as well conserving and enhancing the built and natural heritage of the District. Consideration has therefore been given to up-dating the Supplementary Planning Guidance to form a new Supplementary Planning Document; however given the speed of change and wide range of national guidance, as well as the stage of development of the new Local Development Framework in the District, the decision has been taken to retain the existing Cotswold Design Code SPG.
There are therefore issues around sustainable development and design that are not fully covered in the Cotswold Design Code SPG, which the Council would wish planning applicants to be fully aware of and to take into account in the design of their proposals. Additional guidance on design and sustainable development issues are provided in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Other Information
There is also a huge range of information produced by central government, the voluntary sector, environmental organisations, the development industry and so on that encourage the incorporation of sustainable development features into new developments. Perhaps the most influential of these over the next few years will be the existing and proposed changes to the Building Regulations, which will help to ensure that new homes are built according to the Code for Sustainable Homes.