Tibbalds’ Urban Design Guidance for the Boroughs of Oldham and Rochdale has now been published and is being used by all those involved in driving forward the regeneration of the area.

The Urban Design Guidance takes the form of three separate publications:

• The Urban Design Guide (Design Principles);

• The Residential Design Guide; and

• The Public Realm Design Guide.

These have formally been adopted as Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) by each of the two Councils.

You can find copies of the guidance on the Oldham Council website at:

http://www.oldham.gov.uk/living/planbuildmatters/planning-lds/ldf-urban-design-adopted-spd.htm

They are accompanied by a fourth publication ‘Design and Process: A Guide to Good Practice’, not formally part of the SPD, which aims to promote best practice and clearly sets out the Council’s expectations.

The guidance was prepared through joint working on behalf of Oldham Council, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and the Oldham and Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder.

“This guide is a great example of how Councils and their partner agencies can work together to ensure that through quality design we can protect and improve our towns and villages... The design guidance provides us with a vital took to help developer and investors deliver what our local communities want and it will allow Planning Officers and Planning Committees to judge applications against the principles set out in this guidance.”

- Councillor Hobhouse, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council.