We recently made contact with a previous DIA member, John Crowther. He was Chairman of Cornwall region some time ago. An interesting project he's involved in is the use of Design at Restronguet Point. It's great to see Design playing an important, considered role so we have provided an extract from their website and a link below.
"Better by design, good design brings order out of chaos." The design community hailed the publication of PPS1, the government's overarching Planning Policy Statement, as a victory for the cause of design quality. Launched in February 2005 by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott the at the Delivering Sustainable Communities summit in Manchester, the new policy makes it clear that good design is now integral to the delivery of the planning process.
The document elevates good design on two fronts: as being indivisible from good planning and as a critical element in the delivery of sustainable development. The RIBA also applauded the emphasis placed on the need for future design policies to encourage innovation and originality. CABE, the government’s design champion, was similarly satisfied, stating that PPS1 had shifted the design test dramatically. Whereas the old PPG1 told planners to refuse bad design, the new PPS1 tells them to accept only good design. CABE declared that “Now mediocre is not enough.”
The central message of PPS1 is the primary directive to regional and local planning authorities to promote sustainable communities as required by the new Planning Act 2004 and reflected in the document's title Delivering Sustainable Development.
See their website at:
http://www.restronguetpoint.co.uk/VillageDesignStatement/generalDesignConsiderations