Bexley Small Sites

Planning policy can appear to be disparate, set out in several different documents of varying ages and specificity. Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) are supporting documents to Local Plans and other policy documents, that tend to be more specific and easy to understand for local developers and designers, whilst also clarifying and enriching more general policies.

Due to our experience in planning policy and guidance, small sites, and project running, RCKa approached us to work with them to produce a series of design codes for Bexley Council, to shape the future of small sites development in the borough. The commission was to develop a series of design codes and guidance around the developments on small sites that would contribute to a wider SPD as part of the emerging new Local Plan.
London, as with most of the country, has a housing shortage and therefore needs a plan to address the shortfall. As part of GLA (Greater London Authority) Policy, each borough has a housing target to meet, of which a significant proportion is expected to come through the development of small sites. As part of this policy, a small site is described as any site smaller than 0.25 hectares, and councils are expected to write guidance to encourage and shape the development of these sites.

Bexley has a target of 3,050 homes to build over the next 10 years. This number clearly has the potential to have a significant impact on the existing urban environment, so our work focused on how to develop great quality homes that positively add to the existing environment.