New design code guidance to boost health and wellbeing in new housing and communities

Published by the Quality of Life Foundation, Tibbalds, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), TRUUD and Henley Business School, the guidance offers practical recommendations for tackling local health and wellbeing priorities. It is aimed at those involved in commissioning, approving, and delivering new housing, as well as broader placemaking and development.

Speaking about the need for this guidance, Matthew Morgan, co-founder and director at the Quality of Life Foundation said: “The government has set a target of 1.5 million new homes, alongside updates to the NPPF and further planning reforms to accelerate delivery. It is essential that the quality of life of future residents is at the heart of this process, with design quality, health, and wellbeing embedded from the outset. Design codes are a powerful tool to help achieve this.

"Local authorities are increasingly recognising the critical role of planning and design in shaping healthier, more equitable communities. And design codes can help developers understand what is acceptable in a place, leading to faster planning decisions and better-designed places. By prioritising elements such as walkability, green infrastructure and inclusivity, design codes can help ease pressure on public health services and ensure communities are resilient to both climate and health challenges.

"This guidance gives local authorities, developers, planners and public health professionals practical ways to turn policy into action. By embedding these principles early, we can create places that not only meet housing targets but actively support healthier, longer lives for all."

The guidance is designed for a wide range of stakeholders involved in the design coding process, including:

• Public health professionals, who can provide vital data on local health determinants and ensure health priorities are identified early.

• Local planning authorities, who can play a central role in requiring, specifying and embedding health into design codes and engaging communities in shaping their neighbourhoods.

• Urban designers and planners, who are responsible for creating codes and ensuring they are practical and deliver real health outcomes.

• Developers and investors, who have a responsibility to create and implement design codes that support healthy living and reflect community needs.

• Local politicians, who can champion health-focused placemaking to address inequalities.

• Residents, whose lived experiences are essential in shaping codes that reflect real local challenges and opportunities.

Core sections of the report build on current government guidance, so include: Movement; Context and Identity; Nature; Built form; Public space; Use; Homes and Buildings; Lifespan and Resources. The report also includes designing at scale as well as guidance on implementation and a checklist.

Cross-sector collaboration is a key component of the guidance. In addition to a section on involving the community, it stresses the importance of aligning planning, public health, highways, and community engagement teams to ensure design codes reflect local needs.

Report author Tibbalds is a masterplanning, planning and urban design practice specialising in design codes. It is the masterplanner for later phases of Northstowe in Cambridgeshire, one of NHS England’s Healthy New Towns, which is referenced in the guidance.

Katja Stille, Director at Tibbalds said: “Given the renewed focus on addressing the country’s housing shortage at speed, it is crucial that these new homes are places people want to live and that they meet high standards for design quality, including health and wellbeing factors.

“We have designed this new guidance as a clear, workable resource for everyone involved. It brings together experience from across the country and is focussed on practical steps for delivery. If all new plans for housing and placemaking use it as a baseline, there is potential for a real step change in health outcomes for communities across the country.”

Julia Thrift, Director of Healthier Placemaking at the TCPA said: "The places where people live have a profound influence over their health, so it is vital that homes and neighbourhoods are designed to be healthy. The TCPA welcomes this very practical and timely guide to creating design codes for health and wellbeing."

The guidance is available to download from the Quality of Life Foundation website from Monday 10 March and has been supported by Urban Design Learning.

On 25 March 2025, the Quality of Life Foundation is running a free webinar for local authorities and other professionals on putting this report into use – registration details are here.