The Design Council has appointed us to help launch an important initiative – a programme of support to enable local authorities nationwide to develop ‘design codes’ for their areas. Design codes will help councils to create attractive, sustainable places where people are proud to live, work and invest.
The Design Council is the UK’s national strategic advisor for design. An independent, not-for-profit organisation incorporated by Royal Charter, it champions the ability of design to make life better for all.
The organisation is supporting the Government’s ‘Pathfinder Programme’ to help 25 councils and other local planning groups to pioneer the development of design codes to shape their areas, foster community involvement and accelerate planning decisions. When rolled out nationwide, design codes will play an important part in supporting the new Government’s drive to deliver homes and economic growth.
The Design Council has developed supporting resources based on the programme to help councils to develop the most effective design codes. These are free to download from its website and are being supplemented by a series of seminars next month.
We have been appointed, following a competitive tender, to develop a launch strategy and deliver the communications aspects of this initiative.
Our role is to explain the importance of design codes and to encourage local authorities to take up the support The Design Council is offering.
To achieve this, we’ve developed messages to appeal to local authority planners and a strategy for disseminating information about the initiative. And we’re now delivering a media relations campaign to launch the resources and seminars, alongside a stakeholder relations programme targeting relevant industry bodies.
Edward Hobson, Director of Partnerships at The Design Council, said:
“Design codes are a critical tool to achieve the new Government’s pledge to create 1.5 million high-quality, well-designed, sustainable homes and places. They will increase the quality of proposals bought forward to planning, help local authorities meet their housing targets and foster vibrant, healthy communities.”
Nikki van Grimbergen, Programme Manager at The Design Council, added:
“Our new resources have an important role to play in making design coding as easy, effective and relatable as possible. We needed an experienced communications agency to help us launch them and spread the word, and we appointed TK Associates because of their experience of working with local authorities. The team are doing an excellent job in delivering our communications programme and making sure planners throughout the country are aware of the ways we can support them.”
You can see more on our work in the local government sector here.
Photo: Aerial view of Barking & Dagenham, one of the local authority areas on the Pathfinder Programme
