Forward planning

The local planning authority plays a central role in setting the design agenda for all waste facilities. It sets the tone for design policy and requirements at a local level, demanding good design in new proposals through the planning system. Opportunities for embedding design principles in the vision for a local area begin with the early stages of the plan making process. Local authorities should be encouraged to strive for design excellence.

The development plan system provides the essential framework for guiding and controlling new waste facility development. It also helps local authorities achieve better standards of design for new waste buildings. The development plan documents allow scope for providing input at various levels so that design considerations are an integral part of the plan preparation and decision making process. The core strategy and site policies should set the agenda while the role of a supplementary planning document on design could be to describe the detailed route plan. When these documents start to make specific recommendations, for example on the allocation of sites, it is important that design considerations feed into this process.

Specific design guidance within supplementary planning documents may relate to waste management facilities or a particular site or it can be more generic. This can provide an effective means for communicating local planning authority expectations and requirements to prospective developers.