Designing homes is more than individual buildings, but also about how they relate to one another to form new or enhance existing communities. The layout of all residential areas should contribute towards the creation of pleasant, characterful and safe environments that fosters a sense of community.

All new proposals should sit harmoniously in their context and make a positive contribution, responding to the history, landscape and built formForm is the three-dimensional shape and modelling of buildings and the spaces they define. Buildings and spaces can take many forms, depending upon their: size and shape in plan; height; bulk – their volume; massing – how bulk is shaped into a form; building lines – the alignment of building frontages along a street; and relationship to the plot boundary – and whether they share party walls or not. In the case of spaces, their form is influenced by the buildings around them. More of their surroundings. Proposals for residential sites should seek to challenge the norm and avoid historic issues caused by developments which are reliant or based on the needs of cars.

A well-formed development is multifaceted. It must consider key elements of urban design, architecture and landscape design to achieve a positive outcome for the place and its community. This Chapter sets out Code and Guidance for designers when shaping their proposals for all housing sites and focuses on key issues of layout, scale, massing and density.