The Council will at all times seek to achieve excellence in design outcomes.
Development proposals should demonstrate the Six Qualities of Successful Places as defined in National Planning Framework 4, by meeting the following principles where relevant to the proposal:
1. Distinctive
1.1. Ensure that the siting, layout, scale, massing, materials and design enhance the quality of the place and contribute to the creation of a structure of buildings, spaces and streets that is coherent, attractive, and with a sense of identity.
1.2. Reflect the characteristics of the site and its context, safeguarding and enhancing features that contribute to the heritage, character, local distinctiveness and amenity, including the natural and built environment, vistas, landscape and streetscape.
1.3. When new landscaping and green infrastructure are delivered as part of a proposal, ensure that they integrate with and expand any existing green infrastructure in a cohesive manner, maximising the extent to which green infrastructure elements are connected to one another and to the wider green and blue network. Further guidance on 'Green and Blue Infrastructure' requirements is set out within Design Supplementary Guidance.
2. Safe and pleasant
2.1. Consider place before vehicle movement, by designing streets to create a positive sense of place which is then supported by an appropriate movement pattern, as opposed to assuming place to be subservient to vehicle movement.
2.2. Create a safe and secure environment by providing good lighting and adequate natural surveillance with overlooking and active frontages in all streets and public spaces.
2.3. Promote active, healthy and inclusive lifestyles and choices by meeting, and where possible surpassing, the requirements for accessible, high-quality public realm and multi-functional open space in accordance with Policy OS1 and Schedule 1.
3. Connected
3.1. Have permeable layouts, maximising the integration of any proposed street patterns with existing surrounding networks and providing access points for future expansion where this could be expected.
3.2. Respect, integrate and expand the existing network of paths and rights of way, providing appropriate linkages to transport, neighbouring developments and green networks in accordance with the requirements of relevant consultees.
4. Healthy
4.1. Be easy to navigate, by providing a hierarchy of streets and/or responding adequately to the existing one, with distinctive characters according to their importance (high street, mixed-use street, residential street, mews, lane). Where appropriate, developments should also incorporate paths, edges, nodes, districts and landmarks in order to create legible places and spaces.
4.2. Streets and public spaces should be adequately enclosed by buildings fronting them, and active frontages2 should provide a higher degree of activity the higher the importance of the street. Public space design should encourage activity and social interaction.
4.3. Be designed to encourage the use of active travel networks and sustainable, integrated transport. Development should be designed in accordance with a street user hierarchy that prioritises pedestrians first, then cyclists, then public transport users, and motor vehicles last. The layout of streets, the design of the public realm, and the overall quality of the user experience should not only allow walking and cycling and provide access to public transport, but actively encourage the shift towards modes of transport that are higher in the street user hierarchy.
5. Adaptable
5.1. Be designed to be inclusive and adaptable, maximising accessibility regardless of age and/or ability.
5.2. Facilitate future incremental changes of use, lifestyle and demography, by providing, where appropriate, a mix of building densities, tenures and typologies, where diverse compatible uses can be integrated.
5.3. Integrate parking by a variety of means to provide flexibility and lessen visual impact.
6. Sustainable
6.1. Seek a balance between the natural environment and manmade environment, and utilise on-site resources to maximise conservation and amenity.
6.2. Maximise the efficiency of the use of land by adopting a compact form of development, designing spaces to be legible and maximising their functionality in a manner which is appropriate to context of the development/proposal.
6.3. Support climate change mitigation by promoting the efficient use of energy and natural resources and the minimisation of greenhouse gas emissions, by: choice and sourcing of materials, reduction of waste, recycling of materials and incorporating space to separate materials at source. Developments should incorporate low or zero carbon technologies, encourage integration into neighbourhood and district heating networks and utilise sustainable construction methods. Developments should maximise environmental benefits, by taking advantage of solar gains, sheltering from prevailing winds or utilising building typologies with less surface-to-volume ratios or similar mechanisms. Developments shall minimise greenhouse gas emissions, as far as is reasonably achievable, in order to meet national emissions reduction targets.
6.4. Be designed to incorporate resilience and climate change adaptation.
Planning permission may be refused and refusal be defended at appeal or local review solely on design grounds.
Planning supplementary guidance
Design Supplementary Guidance expands on the content and requirements of Policy DES1 and should be referred to by applicants, where relevant to proposals.
All applicants should ensure that developments consider, integrate and reflect the requirements and principles set out within all relevant and applicable supplementary guidance.
Developments will be required to meet the requirements set out within any masterplan/design brief which has been prepared for the site.
Development proposals will also be required to meet the provisions of any relevant Scottish Government policy statements which are material considerations in the assessment of all planning applications.