Design Vision for Folkestone & Hythe District
The council is asking residents for their views on the design of new development, to help shape the vision for a new Design Code for Folkestone & Hythe District.
A design code is a planning document that sets out specific design requirements for new development. For example:
- the layout, including street pattern
- how landscaping should be approached, including the importance of streets being tree-lined
- the height of buildings and façade materials
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) recommends that design codes be produced for local areas as one of a suite of tools to ensure design quality in new developments.
The council, along with other neighbouring councils in East Kent, has been awarded government funding through the Planning Skills Delivery Fund for the first stage of preparing a design code – developing a vision.
We are working with experts BPTW, Design South East and Create Streets to deliver the project.
Your feedback is a chance to positively influence the design of future development in the district and will help shape the overall vision of a future design code.
Have your say
Give us your views by completing our questionnaire by midnight on Sunday 9 November 2025.
Alternatively, you can email your comments to planning.policy@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk or write to Planning Policy Team, Civic Centre, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone, CT20 2QY.
Paper copies of the questionnaire are available on request. If you need a paper copy, please email planning.policy@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk.
Folkestone & Hythe Design Code Community Panel
About the Project
It is a recommendation of the National Planning Policy Framework (2024) to prepare design codes which set out design requirements for an area. Folkestone & Hythe District Council is preparing an authority-wide design code to positively shape future development in the area. To be a success, the Design Code will need to reflect local character and design preferences, providing a framework for creating high-quality design in the area.
This webpage will provide updates on the design code work and give you an opportunity to submit your ideas and feedback at key stages of the project.
What is a design code?
A Design Code is a set of simple, concise, illustrated design requirements that are visual and numerical, wherever possible, which provide specific, detailed parameters for the design of new development.
The Folkestone & Hythe Design Code will be used to determine whether planning applications are acceptable in design terms, and will support the Local Plan making process. It will set specific local requirements in order to improve design quality of new development, for example:
- the layout of new development, including street pattern
- how landscaping should be approached including the importance of streets being tree-lined
- the factors to be considered when determining whether façades of buildings are of sufficiently high quality
- the environmental performance of places and buildings
- that developments should clearly take account of local vernacular and heritage, architecture and materials.
Figure 1: 10 characteristics that make a well-designed place, National Design Guide, DLUHC, 2020
How is a design code developed?
The National Model Design Code was published in 2021 and makes up part of the national Planning Practice Guidance. It specifies the process which the Council will be following in the development of its Design Code, including three key stages:
Stage 1: Analysis
1A Scoping; 1B Baseline Analysis
Stage 2: Vision
2A Design Vision; 2B Coding Plan
Stage 3: Code
3A Guidance for Area Types; 3B General Guidance
Local communities are involved at each stage of the process in order for Design Codes to be prepared taking into consideration what good design means locally.
Further information
For more information on Design Codes, please consult:
There will be several public engagement opportunities both in-person and online. The first opportunity will launch in July 2025 looking for local knowledge of what makes each of the towns and villages of the Folkestone & Hythe District unique - is it the buildings, immediate or surrounding landscape or something more intangible such as the people and the sense community? Subsequent phases of engagement will continue into Winter 2025, and will look at Area Types (zones) and the design vision for each, and at the emerging design code with opportunities for feedback.
To hear about other opportunities to get involved, and to hear news about future Design Code consultations, please subscribe to our Planning Policy database below:
Timeline
The timeline below illustrates the key project stages and points at which you can be involved.
Engagement Stage 1
Collecting views and ideas of Folkestone & Hythe District residents and other stakeholders on the design issues affecting the area via surveys and workshops, including what people do and don’t like about new development.
Stage 2B – Engagement Stage 2 on the Design Vision and Coding Plan
Developing an overarching Design Vision, preparing a plan that maps out the Area Types and setting a design objective for each.
We plan to offer an opportunity to be involved in the ongoing design coding process beyond the scope of this project and to engage the Community Panel in the consultation on the final draft of the design code ahead of adoption.
The Team
An external design consultant Design South East with colleagues from the lead consultant on this design coding project, BPTW, will assist officers with this work, in collaboration with the local community and elected councillors.
FAQs
Why are you developing a design code?
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) expects local planning authorities to develop local design codes or guides which set out clear design parameters to help local authorities and communities decide what good quality design looks like in their area. The design code aims to provide greater certainty for communities, raise design standards for new development and support the local authority in determining planning applications.
What will the design code cover?
The design code will cover a range of topics from large scale issues (for example, connectivity of new development, orientation, scale and massing), through to small scale issues (for example built form, public spaces, landscape and the finer details of new homes and buildings).
How can I get involved?
There will be several public engagement opportunities both in-person and online. The first opportunity will launch in July 2025 looking for local knowledge of what makes each of the towns and villages of the Folkestone & Hythe District unique - is it the buildings, immediate or surrounding landscape or something more intangible such as the people and the sense community? Subsequent phases of engagement will continue into Winter 2025, and will look at Area Types (zones) and the design vision for each, and at the emerging design code with opportunities for feedback.
The best way to get involved is join our new ‘Community Panel’ (create link)
How long will the process take?
This phase of design code work is currently scheduled to be completed in December 2025. If you wish to be kept informed when the draft design code Vision is available for consultation or the final design code is launched, please provide your details in the 'Latest news and updates' section below.
What areas will the design code cover?
The design code will be an area-wide design code, covering the entire district of Folkestone & Hythe and its settlement areas.
Latest News and Updates
We’re asking you to ‘save the dates’ for our in-person Folkestone & Hythe District Council Design Code workshops on the morning of Sunday 28 September 2025 (10.00 to 12.00) and Saturday 29 November 2025 (14.00 to 16.00). Please visit the ‘How to get involved’ section above for the details about how to apply.
Updates on the Design Code work, including opportunities to get involved in consultations on the Code, will be distributed alongside our wider Planning Policy work.
Contact
Email planning.policy@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk
Tel: 01303 853000