RIBA urges parliament to prioritise design quality in planning reform bill

The RIBA is lobbying for an amendment it drafted to the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which seeks to embed design quality within strategic planning. The amendment has been tabled in the House of Lords by Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Thornhill and will be debated when parliament returns from summer recess.

The bill is intended to accelerate the delivery of housing and infrastructure and introduces new Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs) to guide local plans, set infrastructure priorities and identify key sites for development. RIBA’s proposed change would require each SDS to include a design vision, developed with input from local communities and stakeholders, setting out what future development should be like.

Departing RIBA president Muyiwa Oki said: “We are vocal advocates of a strategic approach to planning policy as a crucial way to ensure sustainable growth while meeting housing and infrastructure needs. However, high-quality design must be prioritised in new development from the outset. Good design can create a wide range of improvements – from health and wellbeing to productivity.

“But without the requirement for a design vision in the Bill, there is no guarantee that this will be delivered. We are grateful to Baroness Thornhill for tabling our amendment and look forward to working with parliamentarians and our partners across the sector to embed design quality in legislation.”

The amendment has secured support from the Design Council, the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT), NLA and peers across parties.

Eddie Weir, president of CIAT, said high-quality design is “fundamental to creating places that people love” and argued that embedding design visions within SDSs would give communities greater scope to influence development at an early stage.

Edward Hobson, director of place and infrastructure at the Design Council, said a design vision is “fundamental to delivering innovative, sustainable places and resilient communities”. NLA chief executive Nick McKeogh added that the London Plan already places emphasis on design vision and could act as a model for the government’s reforms.