The Local Plan Committee are scheduled to meet to discuss the Derbyshire Dales Local Plan, including the settlement hierarchy, a district-wide design code, and housing numbers. The committee will also look at the minutes of the previous meeting, public participation, interests, and questions.

Housing Numbers

The Chair and Vice Chair have requested that the committee consider recommendations regarding the application of the New Standard Methodology for assessing housing need in the district. The report pack states that it is recommended that the Leader of the Council writes to the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to:

• express concern about the unintended consequences of applying the New Standard Method to the Derbyshire Dales District, which has increased the assessed housing need from 217 to 573 new dwellings per annum. The report pack notes that over 30% of the housing stock, around 50% of the land area and almost 30% of the District population being within the Peak District National Park; with the protected landscape status of the Park meaning that the capacity for new housing building is very severely limited, to between 50 and 70 dwellings per annum - between 9 and 12% of the District requirement
• urge the Minister to issue a clarification to the National Planning Policy Framework¹ such that local authorities in similar situations to the Derbyshire Dales are able to agree a modified housing need figure based on Proportionality Principles applied to the New Standard Method; such agreement to be reached on a collaborative basis with the relevant National Park Authority through the statutory Duty to Cooperate
• invite the Leader of High Peak Borough Council, the Chair of the Peak District National Park Authority, John Whitby MP, Jon Pearce MP and Mayor Claire Ward to endorse the council's representations to the Minister of State.

Derbyshire Dales Design Code and Policy PD1

The report pack advises that the government is placing more importance on the quality of design and appearance of new development, and the report sets out how this increased emphasis on design is being addressed as part of the review of the Derbyshire Dales Local Plan. The report pack states that the Derbyshire Dales District Wide Design Code will provide a set of 'design principles' that will inform pre-application discussions, influence future master planning of development sites and provide criteria against which relevant planning applications will be assessed. The report pack states that, once adopted as part of the revised Derbyshire Dales Local Plan, the Design Code will form part of the Development Plan carrying full weight in the decision-making process. To ensure that the Design Code can be given sufficient weight in the decision-making process, it is intended to include the Design Code as an appendix to the revised Local Plan, directly linked and referenced within Policy PD1 – Design and Place Making. The report pack states that the committee will be asked to approve the revised wording to Local Plan Policy PD1 and the District Wide Design Code, and that they form part of the revised Derbyshire Dales Local Plan.

The report pack notes that the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes it clear that creating high quality buildings and places is fundamental to what the planning and development process should achieve. It also notes that the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 requires local planning authorities to produce Design Codes for their area.

The report pack states that the purpose of a Design Code is to provide clarity of design expectations early in the development process and to ensure that good design is considered at all spatial scales, from major development proposals to individual plots. It is intended that Design Codes should be used by anybody proposing new development, to provide an understanding of the key characteristics of built form in the area and guidance on what form new development should take and what is likely to be deemed acceptable.

The report pack states that Lathams Architecture were commissioned to prepare a District Wide Design Code for Derbyshire Dales as part of the review of the Derbyshire Dales Local Plan. The report pack notes that the final version of the Derbyshire Dales Design Code seeks to address the design aspirations established in the NPPF and provide a clear set of 'design rules' against which future planning proposals will be assessed, and will provide greater certainty for both applicants and communities in respect of the District Councils expectations for design and the creation of high-quality places.

The report pack states that the purpose of the Design Code is to supplement and reinforce aspects of national and local policy which are focused on enhancing the quality of the built environment. In particular, the Code aims to protect the unique natural and historic character of the Derbyshire Dales from inappropriately located and poorly designed buildings, spaces and highways, whilst encouraging new development to be of the highest possible quality. The Design Code provides a set of illustrated design requirements that provide specific, detailed parameters for the future physical development of the district.

The structure of the Code is founded upon that set out in the National Model Design Code, an introduction which contains the Vision for the plan area followed by a general profile of the Derbyshire Dales. This is followed by the Coding Plan which provides a detailed analysis of all settlements within the Derbyshire Dales planning authority area. This explains the physical characteristics of the 'place,' including geology, topography, landscape character, morphology, settlement character and materials etc for all market towns and villages in the existing adopted Settlement Hierarchy.

The report pack states that the Code is based on the Ten Characteristics of Well-Designed Places as set out in the National Design Guide (2021), providing explanatory guidance and illustrations for each principle within the Code. The ten characteristics covered by the Code include the following:

• Context
• Identity
• Built Form
• Movement
• Nature
• Public Spaces
• Uses
• Homes and Buildings
• Resources
• Lifespan

The report pack states that to assist with the implementation of the Code, a 'Code Checklist' is provided which summarises the Code by theme and by individual design requirements or policies. The checklist explains how Code requirements should be presented to the District Council as Local Planning Authority to demonstrate compliance. It is envisaged that this will be required through the Local Validation Checklist and generally provided through descriptive text within appropriate Design and Access Statements or illustrative materials which collectively will explain design intent and the concept of schemes submitted to the District Council for consideration either as part of planning applications or through pre application discussions.

The report pack notes that the District Wide Design Code is currently at 'Final Draft' stage and its contents has been reviewed by Officers. At the current time it is considered that there are a number of areas within the Design Code that require further clarification and possibly amendment to improve its structure, and to ensure consistency with proposed revisions to planning policies within the emerging Local Plan. Such improvements include for instance:

• Ensuring the 'Checklist' is front and centre to the Code to ensure it is easily interpreted and implemented.
• Ensuring the 'Vision' is purely design led.
• Updating illustrations, maps and images.
• Clarification on the application of highway design guidance.
• Reviewing those areas that go beyond current policy e.g. Nationally Described Space Standards and distance of development to public transport as these are a matter for policy.
• And providing further guidance on how schemes should be appraised in terms of context, local vernacular and connecting the settlement character appraisal more closely to design requirements.

The report pack states that officers will continue to liaise with Lathams Architects to address these issues and any others which emerge over the course of the ongoing Local Plan review, to ensure that they are reflected in the final version of the Design Code.

The report pack notes that Policy PD1 Design and Place Making in the adopted Derbyshire Dales Local Plan sets out the main principles that the District Council will consider in relation to the design and appearance of new development. The content and structure of policy PD1 has been revised to reflect the increased emphasis on design established through national planning policy and also to ensure correlation with the principles established in the District Wide Design Guide.

The report pack states that particular attention has been paid to the Design Code in the revised wording, and as required by the NPPF it now includes a Design Vision. The proposed Design Vision is set out below, and seeks to ensure that both the design quality expected by the Code along with the benefits that good design can bring to achieving a sense of place and in the creation of successful places are included;

New development within the Derbyshire Dales will be well designed and respond positively to context to create well designed, socially integrated, high quality successful places, where people enjoy living and working. Innovation, sustainable design and the efficient use of land will be encouraged where proposals can demonstrate an enhancement to local character and identity sense of place will be delivered.

The report pack states that the proposed revisions to Policy PD1 seek to give weight to the Design Code by expecting developments to reflect the requirement of the Code (criterion a). Other changes to Policy PD1 also seek to ensure that development;

• Is designed to be both accessible and adaptable in line with requirements to be included in revised policy HC11 that seek to require new development to be built to higher building regulations standards for accessibility and adaptability (criterion b)
• enhances the setting of settlements as well as landscape character (criterion d)
• creates a 'positive' rather than 'satisfactory' relationship with adjacent development with high standards of amenity for existing and future users (criterion f); and
• maximises opportunities for play and interaction in their design whilst designing out crime and creating safe living environments (criterion i)

The report pack states that it is considered that these changes, along with the inclusion of the Design Code as part of the Local Plan, make clear the council's commitment to good design, set out clearly the District Councils expectation in relation to design and enable design to be at the heart of decision making by the District Council.

The report pack states that, as the Local Plan preparation progresses, it may be necessary to make further changes to the Design Code and Policy PD1, for instance to ensure consistency across the Plan and reflect on the emergence of any updates to the remainder of the evidence base, and that should further changes prove necessary these will be presented to a future meeting of this committee for consideration.

Settlement Hierarchy

The report pack sets out the outcomes of work that has been undertaken to review and update information relating to the assessment of the relative sustainability; roles and functions settlements across the plan area. The report pack recommends that the Local Plan Committee note the finding of the updated settlement hierarchy assessment and that the contents of the assessment are to be used to be inform the strategic development framework of the revised Derbyshire Dales Local Plan.

The report pack includes a document called Local Plan Committee 8th October 2025 Settlement Hierarchy which contains a summary of the Settlement Hierarchy. The report pack also includes three appendices: Appendix 1A - Settlement Hierarchy 2025 FINAL DRAFTopt1-100, Appendix 1B - Settlement Hierarchy 2025 FINAL DRAFTopt101-123 and Appendix 1C - Settlement Hierarchy 2025 FINAL DRAFTopt124-190.

Other agenda items

The report pack also includes the agenda for the meeting, and the minutes of the previous meeting held on 17 September 2025. The agenda also allows for public participation, declarations of interest, and questions from members.