Policy information sourced from the Islington Development Management Policies

DM2.1 Design

All forms of development are required to be of high quality, incorporate inclusive design principles and make a positive contribution to the local character and distinctiveness of an area, based upon an understanding and evaluation of its defining characteristics. Permission will be refused for development of poor design that fails to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area and the way it functions. Further details on design requirements in Islington are set out in the Islington Urban Design Guide, Streetbook, Inclusive Landscape Design and other Supplementary Planning Documents. This policy applies to all new developments including alterations and extensions to existing buildings.

For a development proposal to be acceptable it is required to:

  • be sustainable, durable and adaptable;
  • be safe and inclusive;
  • efficiently use the site and/or building;
  • improve the quality, clarity and sense of spaces around or between buildings;
  • enhance legibility and have clear distinction between public and private spaces;
  • improve movement through areas, and repair fragmented urban form;
  • respect and respond positively to existing buildings, the streetscape and the wider context, including local architectural language and character, surrounding heritage assets, and locally distinctive patterns of development and landscape;
  • reinforce and complement local distinctiveness and create a positive sense of place;
  • sustain and reinforce a variety and mix of uses;
  • provide a good level of amenity including consideration of noise and the impact of disturbance, hours of operation, vibration, pollution, fumes between and within developments, overshadowing, overlooking, privacy, direct sunlight and daylight, over-dominance, sense of enclosure and outlook;
  • not unduly prejudice the satisfactory development or operation of adjoining land and/or the development of the surrounding area as a whole;
  • consider landscape design holistically as part of the whole development. Landscape design should be set out in a landscape plan at an appropriate level of detail to the scale of development and address the considerations outlined in Appendix 12 of this document; and
  • not result in an unacceptable adverse impact on views of local landmarks.

Development proposals are required to demonstrate, through the use of detailed, clear and accurate drawings and a written statement (Design and Access Statements where appropriate) how they have successfully addressed the elements of the site and its surroundings listed below. Greater onus for demonstrating this will be placed on major developments, and smaller developments on sites in prominent or sensitive locations:

  • historic context, such as distinctive local built form, significance and character of any heritage assets, scale and details that contribute to its character as a place;
  • urban form, such as building lines, frontages, plot sizes and patterns, building heights, storey heights and massing;
  • architectural and design quality and detailing, such as colour, type, source and texture of detailing and materials used;
  • movement and spatial patterns, such as definition, scale, use, detailing and surface treatment of routes and spaces;
  • natural features, such as topography, trees, boundary treatments, planting and biodiversity;
  • visual context, such as location and scale of landmarks, strategic and local and other site specific views, skylines and silhouettes, and scale and form of townscape setpieces or urban compositions;
  • an understanding of the significance of heritage assets that may be affected; and
  • safety in design, such as access, materials and site management strategies.

The only locations in Islington where tall buildings may be suitable are set out in the Finsbury Local Plan (Area Action Plan for Bunhill and Clerkenwell). Any proposal for tall buildings must meet other design policies and have regard for the criteria set out in English Heritage/CABE’s Guidance on tall buildings (2007).

For more information please see the Islington Development Management Policies