We are excited to announce that Sandwell Council has started work on developing a Design Code. A Design Code is a planning document that includes a set of design requirements for the physical development of an area. It will include a review and replacement of our existing Residential Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document. National Government requires all local authorities to establish design codes, and Sandwell is looking to develop a best practice borough-wide example.
The Council has appointed an experienced team led by Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners and is currently engaging with local community groups to understand their priorities for design, local character, and new development in the borough.
We want local people to help steer what the Design Code says and want to encourage as many people as possible from across the borough to input and feed into the process from the outset.
What is a Design Code?
A Design Code is a set of simple, concise, design requirements for new development in an area, The government’s National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that all local planning authorities must prepare them.
The Design Code will establish a set of rules which all new development in the borough must adhere to through the planning process. It will help raise the quality of development across the borough as a whole and help ensure design proposals are directly informed by the character of distinct areas. Some examples of the aspects that design codes can cover include parameters for building height, parking provision and green or open space amenity.
Stage 1 – Understanding local character and priorities – June-August
We are keen to know what you like about the character of your local area and what local issues that you think should be addressed by the Design Code.
In addition to meeting with local community groups across the borough, we will also be available at the following events to discuss the project and your thoughts:
Friday 11 July 2025 – 9am-1pm at West Bromwich High Street market
Saturday 12 July 2025 – 12pm-5pm at SHAPE Youth Festival, Sandwell Valley Country Park
Once we have completed the early analysis on local character and key issues we will be posting this here on this website, and will open an online survey for everyone to input their thoughts and comments.
At the end of Stage 1 we will post a summary of the community feedback and an outline of the next steps.
Further stages
Stage 2 will focus on establishing a vision for the design of new developments in the borough and scoping out the themes the Design Code will cover. We will be engaging with local stakeholders through the Autumn and Winter to steer and test the emerging work. After this, Stage 3 will involve drafting the codes in detail followed by wide public consultation on the draft Design Code.
Community Design Panel
Are you interested in shaping the character of your local area? Would you relish the opportunity to help craft the rules for future development?
We are looking to set up a Community Design Panel that will meet four or five times during the Design Code project to steer, test and review the emerging content. We need this Panel to be as representative as possible to ensure the Code is meaningfully and locally informed. Throughout Stage 1 we will be identifying local representatives to sit on this new Panel.
If you have thoughts or suggestions, you can send them through at any point to the Design Code project email address: Design_Code@sandwell.gov.uk