Planning Inspectorate backs new CABE guidance

Design at appeal offers practical guidance to anyone involved in design appeals, including how to present evidence and the importance of professional advice.

The Planning Inspectorate has backed new CABE guidance on dealing with design in planning appeals.

The guidance, Design at appeal, offers useful advice to all those who may be involved in appeals, providing guidance on how to deal with design at appeal stage, how to present evidence, the importance of advice from qualified practitioners, and the vital role well-structured design policies play.

Although appeals are a last resort, they are an important part of the planning process and have important knock-on effects for the way future applications are devised, negotiated and decided. Design at appeal therefore sets out to ensure that design is given proper consideration during appeals.

Another impetus for drawing up the advice was that CABE found that many of those involved in the planning system do not think that planning refusals based on design will be supported at appeal, despite the fact that the Planning Inspectorate is committed to good design and planning policy says 'Good design is indivisible from good planning'.

Katrine Sporle, chief executive of the Planning Inspectorate, said:

'CABE's new publication, Design at Appeal gives excellent advice. It captures both the importance of the wider design agenda and the key elements of an effective approach to presenting design considerations at planning application stage as well as to the inspector at appeal.'

Richard Simmons, chief executive of CABE, said:

'Design at appeal sets out to puncture the myth that design-based refusal will not be upheld at appeal. In fact, poorly designed schemes are regularly dismissed at appeal. We want to encourage local authorities to take heart from this and refuse planning permission when the design of a scheme isn't good enough.'