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.

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