Help us create a Design Code for Buckinghamshire

What do you like about where you live? What would you change?

As we review our planning guidelines, we’re asking you to let us know what you would change about where you live, with a ‘tag, type, snap’.

Buckinghamshire Council has been selected as one of 14 local authorities to participate in the national pilot to test the new National Model Design Code, receiving a £50,000 grant from the Government to develop a Design Code for Buckinghamshire.

A Design Code is a document that contains design rules for new developments, covering the design of streets, public spaces and buildings, as well as spaces created for water and nature. The Design Code for Buckinghamshire will set rules that developers need to follow.

Using a brand new, innovative web portal, bucks.place, you can tell us what you think – both good and bad – about where you live, and other local developments in the surrounding areas.

Using your smartphone or computer, you can tag your location, type your thoughts and snap a relevant photo to tell us your thoughts about homes, nature, infrastructure and more. You can also tell us about the problems and issues you may face living in Buckinghamshire, and what you would like to see in future.

Your involvement will help the Council to shape the future development of Buckinghamshire, ensuring that we are creating an exciting, accessible and thriving place for you to live.

We also need to begin thinking about what the home of 2050 will look like. It is likely that it will need to be designed completely differently to homes today, in response to changes in lifestyle and climate. This is why your feedback as part of this pilot is so important to us.

The Buckinghamshire Council Design Code will be used to help the Council to make better decisions about planning applications in future.

Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration, Gareth Williams, said: “This is a unique and exciting opportunity for residents to have their views heard regarding their local area. We are particularly keen to hear from younger residents about what kind of area they would like to live in in future, when they’re looking to buy their first home or start a family. I hope that residents will make the most of this opportunity by using the bucks.place portal and ‘tag, type, snap’-ing their views!”

If you would like to share your views on your local area using the bucks.place portal, please visit: bucks.place