On Thursday 10th March, myself and a panel of experts, including Sarah Allan, Head of Architecture, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Tara Gbolade, Co-Founder & Director, Gbolade Design Studio, Colin Wilson, Head of Regeneration Old Kent Road, London Borough of Southwark and Jane Manning, Director, Allies and Morrison, took part in an online discussion to explore what the NMDC’s mean for the changing faces of our cities, the challenges with implicating them and what the results are from the first tried and tested examples. 

Based on our experience from our design-led process producing the Hatcham and Ilderton Road Design Code, myself and Tara Gbolade, discussed the key lessons and elements to take forward as part of the NMDC pilot project programme and how defining character and identity of a place and translating it into design rules capable of enabling (and not restricting!) good development proves to be quite complex.

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Is a simple, elegant idea that has been at core of what we do for fifty years. Urban Design, master-planning and design codes will always require robust engagement to be meaningful and successful. The process requires an in-depth knowledge of the site - not only on its heritage, architecture and urban grain, but also, its communities and social networks. For Hatcham and Ilderton Road, this was done formally, through regular workshops with key stakeholders, developers and L.B. Southwark, to acquire their knowledge of the site after years of experience delivering the AAP and negotiation with several developments along the Old Kent Road; and informally, simply by being constantly on site, talking to people and conducting countless one-to-one interviews with the local community, to learn and deep dive into understanding the concerns and needs of local business & residents.

Though essential and enjoyable, this is often an underestimated element of the design process, demanding a lot of time and resources – especially when considering the fragmented nature of the site, dealing with multiple property lines, several stakeholders and interests instead of one single application boundary.

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Whilst the physical outcomes and the influence that Design Codes will have in preserving the character and identity of areas will have to be tested through time, one significant and immediate benefit of the design process has been accessibility. By adopting language that escapes jargon and technical graphics that avoid the abstraction of masterplans and planning drawings – aided by some large-scale models – the debate with residents and businesses can focus on the look and feel of proposals, enabling an honest discussion about design elements such as massing, heights, land uses, landscape, parking, servicing, and so many others. Rather than enforcing rules, Design Codes can enable a healthy and constructive communication tool between multiple stakeholders. 

From high-level to ground-level, proposals were supported by clear ‘user perspective’ collages and diagrams – instead of the commonly confusing and technical plans – all collated in a short document of 20-pages with a clear narrative. As a result, the clear visual presentation encouraged a greater level of engagement during the public exhibition and proposals became more tangible and specific for a wide variety of people. 

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