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Environment 

Design guide

The South Oxfordshire Design Guide 2008 is a manual of important design principles and practical advice for making a successful planning application.
Anyone considering carrying out new development in South Oxfordshire should read the guide.

Compliance with the guide will help speed up the planning process by reducing the chance of objections due to poor design.  The guide is a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and, as such, is a material consideration in all planning decisions which involved building work.  It carries considerable weight in decision-making, having been subject to scrutiny and amended through the public consultation process.  Proposals that do not follow the design guide will need to be justified in a supporting statement.

You can download the document from the link below 
Because the guide is a large document, we have broken it down into the following sections:

  • Section 1 Introduction
  • Section 2 Responding to the setting
  • Section 3 (A) Establishing the structure
  • Section 3 (B) Establishing the structure
  • Section 4 Sustainable development
  • Section 5 Building design
  • Section 6 Householder advice
  • Section 7 Building conversion
  • Appendices, Glossary, Index & Image Credits
  • COMPLETE DESIGN GUIDE(large file 8951 kb)

    Hard copies of the guide are available from the Council – follow the link on the right for further information.

    Sustainability Appraisal

    Our Sustainability Appraisal report accompanies the Design Guide.  This looks at the Guide in terms of the environmental, economical and social impacts that the Guide will have. The document can be viewed by clicking on the link to the right of the page.

    Trees and Development

    We have also prepared guidance on how to incorporate trees in development areas called ‘Trees and Development – Best Practice Guidance’  The consultation for this Guidance has also closed.  The documents can be viewed by clicking on the Forestry Trees and Development document to the right of the page. For enquiries relating to this field please contact the Forestry and Countryside service on 01491 823770 or via e-mail as above.

    Recent review of the design guide

    We recently reviewed the South Oxfordshire Design Guide as part of our work on the Local Development Framework. You can view the work we did and the results of our public consulation here: Design Guide Review