DSE was commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to provide expert advice and Design Code review support to 12 local authorities. We have now published our final report, sharing the learning and recommendations from our evaluation of the programme.

 

About the programme

Between December 2024 and July 2025, Design South East (DSE) partnered with MHCLG to support 12 local authorities in developing 10 Design Codes through the MHCLG Pathfinders Programme. The programme aimed to strengthen local authority capacity to develop clear, robust and usable Design Codes in line with the National Model Design Code. DSE delivered two complementary strands of support:

  • Informal ‘critical friend’ advice, providing tailored 1-to-1 expert input aligned to each authority’s needs
  • Formal Design Code reviews, offering structured, multidisciplinary feedback on emerging draft Codes

In total, DSE delivered 26 expert advice sessions and 8 Design Code reviews across the cohort.

Key findings from programme delivery

Drawing on monitoring and evaluation undertaken, a number of common themes were observed across the Pathfinder cohort:

      1. Expert advice from an independent ‘critical friend’ is highly valuable throughout the Design Code development process, particularly when delivered through early, iterative engagement.
      2. Resourcing challenges and procurement delays are the most common cause of programme slippage for authority-led Design Codes. Additional challenges include budget limitations, access to in-house expertise, and achieving cross-departmental buy-in.
      3. Access to in-house (or independent) design expertise remains important even where consultants are appointed.
      4. Authority-wide codes risk being overly generic and lacking contextual relevance given the challenge of reflecting local character at this scale.
      5. Design Codes risk limited enforceability if adopted as Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs).

These findings reflect observations recorded through DSE’s monitoring and evaluation process during delivery of the programme, rather than measured outcomes following adoption or implementation of Design Codes.

Recommendations

The report sets out ten practical recommendations for producing successful Design Codes, covering:

  • project scoping and procurement;
  • evidence and analysis;
  • engagement and visioning;
  • language and terminology;
  • document structure and usability; and
  • testing, compliance, and flexibility.

Informed by valuable learnings around the Design Code development process, these recommendations provide a set of best-practice guidelines for councils and neighbourhood planning groups developing Design Codes beyond the Pathfinder programme.

 

>> Please contact Helen Quinn for more information about the report or if you would like to know more about Design Code support.

>> Download the report here