Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance

What the new draft means for developers in Norfolk and Suffolk

In January 2026, the government published a draft Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance for consultation. While it may read like another policy document to add to an already long list, this guidance is important. It signals how planning authorities are expected to assess design quality going forward and how refusal decisions will increasingly be justified.

For developers working in Norfolk and Suffolk, this matters more than most regions. Much of the housing pipeline is located in sensitive areas. Edge-of-settlement sites, rural villages, conservation areas, landscapes with strong local identity, and areas affected by flood risk and nutrient neutrality. In these contexts, design is not just about appearance. It is about how a scheme justifies its presence.

This article explains what the guidance is really saying, how it will be interpreted locally, and how developers can respond in a commercially sensible way.

What is the Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance?

The guidance sits alongside the National Planning Policy Framework and expands on the requirement that development proposals be well-designed.

It is structured around seven features of well-designed places:

• Liveability

• Climate

• Nature

• Movement

• Built form

• Public space

• Identity

These are not abstract ideals. The guidance is explicit that these features should be used in plan-making, decision-making, and appeal decisions. In simple terms, planning officers are being given a clearer framework for deciding whether to approve or reject schemes on design grounds. Design_and_placemaking_planning…

Importantly for developers, the guidance makes it clear that design is a process, not just an outcome. How a proposal has evolved, what options were tested, and how constraints were addressed all matter.

Why this matters in Norfolk and Suffolk

Norfolk and Suffolk are not high-density metropolitan counties.

They are characterised by:

• Market towns such as Holt, Fakenham, Diss and Framlingham

• Large areas of open countryside

• Strong village identities

• National Landscapes, heritage assets and coastal environments

• Infrastructure constraints

• Flood risk and water management challenges

In practice, this means many schemes rely on policy judgment rather than black-and-white compliance. The new guidance strengthens the hand of local authorities to scrutinise design quality in those areas of judgment.

However, it also gives developers a clearer path to approval when proposals are properly supported.

The seven features through a local lens

Liveability

Liveability is about how a place works day to day. The guidance emphasises mixed communities, access to services, and good relationships between buildings and spaces.

In Norfolk and Suffolk, this will often be tested on village and edge-of-settlement sites. Officers will expect to see how new development connects to existing facilities, footpaths, and social infrastructure rather than sitting as an isolated enclave.

For developers, this does not automatically mean providing shops or community buildings. It does mean showing that the layout, density, and mix of homes support a functioning community and do not undermine existing centres.

Climate

Climate is a major theme running through the guidance. Mitigation, adaptation and resilience are all required.

Locally, this has clear implications. Flood risk is a defining issue in large parts of Norfolk and Suffolk. Proposals that rely on minimum compliance flood strategies are likely to be challenged.

Layout, finished floor levels, SuDS design and long-term resilience will be scrutinised early.

Overheating is also increasingly relevant, even in traditionally cooler regions. Orientation, shading, planting and fabric performance are now design matters, not just technical ones.

Nature

Nature is not treated as a bolt-on.

The guidance expects green infrastructure, biodiversity and water management to be integral to layout and form.

This aligns directly with Biodiversity Net Gain requirements and local nature recovery strategies. In practice, this means:

• Retaining and enhancing existing landscape features

• Designing SuDS as visible, usable spaces

• Creating connected green networks rather than fragmented buffers

For Norfolk and Suffolk sites, where landscape character is often a reason for refusal, this is an opportunity. Schemes that show landscape-led design are more defensible.

Movement

Movement is framed around prioritising walking, cycling and public transport. In rural areas, this can feel disconnected from reality. However, the guidance does not expect urban transport solutions everywhere.

Instead, it asks whether the layout makes reasonable provision for safe movement and whether opportunities to improve connectivity have been taken.

For example:

• Linking into existing footpaths

• Creating safe walking routes within villages

• Designing streets as places rather than vehicle corridors

Highway objections remain a common reason for delay or refusal locally.

Early, joined-up thinking between layout and access strategy is essential.

Built form

Built form focuses on the three-dimensional structure of development. Density, massing, block structure and street definition all fall under this heading.

In Norfolk and Suffolk, built form is often where schemes fail. Not because they are contemporary, but because they misunderstand local patterns.

Officers will expect proposals to demonstrate an understanding of:

• Settlement grain

• Plot rhythm

• Roofscape and proportions

• How buildings define streets and spaces

  
  

This does not require pastiche. It requires a clear explanation of why a form is appropriate.

Public space

Public space includes streets, green spaces and shared areas.

The guidance places strong emphasis on safety, inclusivity and long-term management.

For developers, management is key. Poorly considered open space with unclear ownership and maintenance responsibilities will be questioned. In smaller schemes, the quality of shared space often matters more than quantity.

Identity

Identity is about distinctiveness and a sense of place. This is particularly relevant in villages and market towns.

The guidance expects proposals to respond to context and create places that feel rooted rather than generic. In Norfolk and Suffolk, this often means responding to landscape, settlement pattern and material language without copying historic forms.

Identity is where good design narratives make the biggest difference.

Design quality as a planning risk

One of the most important shifts in the guidance is the explicit link between design quality and refusal. Poorly designed schemes are not just discouraged. They are expected to be refused.

For developers, this reframes design as a planning risk issue. A weak design process can undermine an otherwise policy-compliant scheme. Conversely, a robust design process can carry weight where policy interpretation is finely balanced.

Appeal decisions increasingly reference design reasoning, not just outcomes. The guidance reinforces that trend.

Developer-friendly analysis: what this means in practice

1. Design needs to start earlier

Late-stage cosmetic changes will not address fundamental concerns. Layout, access, landscape and form need to be aligned from the outset. This reduces abortive work and planning risk.

2. Evidence matters more than opinion

Statements such as “the design respects local character” are no longer sufficient. Officers will look for evidence. Context analysis, options testing, and a clear rationale are critical.

3. Small sites are not exempt

The guidance applies to all scales of development. Small sites in villages are often judged more harshly because their impact is more visible. Design shortcuts are risky.

4. Design codes are coming

Local authorities are being encouraged to adopt design codes. Developers who understand emerging local expectations early will have a commercial advantage.

5. Good design supports viability

There is a misconception that better design always costs more. In reality, clear structure, efficient layouts and durable materials often improve buildability and long-term value.

A practical approach for Norfolk and Suffolk developers

To respond effectively to the guidance:

• Invest in early site analysis

• Align planning, highways, ecology and drainage thinking early

• Use design and access statements as strategic documents, not formalities

• Treat landscape as infrastructure, not mitigation

• Be clear about what the scheme is trying to achieve and why

This is not about gold-plating schemes. It is about reducing risk.

Final thoughts

The draft Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance is not a radical departure from existing principles. What it does is formalise expectations and provide planning authorities with clearer justification for their decisions.

For developers in Norfolk and Suffolk, this creates both risk and opportunity. Schemes that rely on minimum compliance are more exposed. Schemes that are well-structured, well-evidenced, and clearly thought through are more likely to succeed.

Design is no longer just about what a scheme looks like. It is about how convincingly it explains itself.