Design guide

Background

North Norfolk District Council was one of the first councils in the country to adopt its own design guide. Since then, it has helped shape all forms of built development across the district.

In its original form, the guide sought to reverse the architectural trends of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. This period saw numerous developments unrelated to the district's architectural traditions and which contributed little to local identity. Over time, however, the guide has been updated to reflect the new and emerging themes of the time and now sees a more positive focus on securing high-quality design and development, which makes a positive contribution to our district.

The adopted design guide

The current design guide is a supplementary planning document forming part of North Norfolk's current local plan. Its overarching aims are to:  

• provide further guidance and background information on North Norfolk core strategy policies, in particular, Policy EN4 Design and EN6 Sustainable Construction and Energy efficiency
• offer advice and support to anyone involved or interested in the design or alteration of the built environment in North Norfolk to raise the quality of design in the district

It is divided into several chapters and offers general guidance on various subjects, from residential developments to listed buildings and conversions to shopfronts and advertisements. If, however, more detailed advice is sought on specific projects, it is recommended that use be made of the Council's pre-application service.

The future

The Council embarked on a review of the design guide a few years ago to create a new interactive online resource. Soon after, an initial draft was produced; however, the Government released a new national design guide that changed the design context within the country. Therefore, with this guidance now referred to in the National Planning Policy Framework, and with the Council's adopted design guide still considered fit for purpose, work on a new iteration of our guide is not being taken forward at this time. This notwithstanding, the Council remains committed to securing the best possible design solution for all development sites.