Bournemouth residents and housing developers will receive clearer guidance on planning matters to protect the town’s character and maintain the standards of residential development in Bournemouth.

The Council has begun consultation with members of the public and developers to ask their views on two new documents providing planning guidance for both householders and housing developers.

The first document, Residential Extensions and Alterations: A Design Guide for Householders aims to provide residents with essential information when planning to build extensions and make alterations to their properties.

The second, Residential Development: Design Guide is aimed more towards developers and those involved in the process of residential development to provide a clear explanation of what is good design and how to achieve it.

Councillor John Beesley, Chair of the Planning Board said: “Planning design is extremely important and these documents will aim to give clear guidance for all stages of the design process providing an excellent tool for both developers and residents as well as the Council who will refer to it in assessing planning applications.”

Consultation will take place until 11 July 2008 and once completed a report will then go to the Planning Board and then Cabinet for final approval.

Notes

The key aims of the Residential Development Design Guide are:

• Support contemporary and sustainable approaches to development that respond to local distinctiveness
• Identify Bournemouth’s character types, the design issues and broad design principles for these areas
• Encourage locally distinctive design and promote best practice in layout and built form

The key aim of the Residential Extensions and Alterations: A Design for Householders are:

• To provide advice to householders, architects and builders who are planning to extend or alter individual properties

Both design guides were subject to public consultation from December 2007 to February 2008. The guides were fully revised and a further consultation period was recommended.