1. Executive summary to the consultation statement
This report summarises the consultation and engagement undertaken in relation to the Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) Part 2 prepared by the London Borough of Bexley.
The Design Guide SPD Part 2 comprises four documents - Area Types, Building Alterations and Extensions, Small Sites and the Technical Handbook - and has been prepared by the Council to support the 2023 adoption of the Bexley Local Plan.
The Design Guide SPD Part 1 - Design Principles was adopted in January 2025 and provides overarching design guidance across all new development in Bexley.
The Design Guide SPD Part 2 builds upon this guidance, providing more detailed and specific guidance on common and emerging types of development across the borough. As with the Design Principles, the Design Guide SPD Part 2 sets out how the policies in the Bexley Local Plan and London Plan should be applied.
The guidance has been prepared to ensure development is coordinated and reinforces and respects the local distinctiveness of Bexley, whilst discouraging generic development that fails to respond to its context.
This new SPD is intended to aid the planning process and is anticipated to be primarily used by people in local communities and their representatives when assessing and commenting on proposals; applicants and their design teams in the preparation of planning applications; and decision makers when determining planning applications.
The production of the Design Guide SPD Part 2 has been informed by a local evidence base and shaped through engagement with stakeholders and the statutory consultation process. The statutory consultation period took place over a six week period between March and April 2026.
This report summarises the engagement methods used during development of the guidance and subsequent consultation, including those consulted and the key findings and takeaways from the consultation process.
The consultation was developed in compliance with the Council's Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) (2019).
The consultation aimed to provide an opportunity for internal and external stakeholders to comment on the design opportunities and issues that the Design Guide SPD Part 2 should address, and the effectiveness of the guidance as drafted.
The objectives which framed the consultation and engagement process are:
- to establish a deeper understanding of the key local design issues and opportunities that the Design Guide SPD Part 2 aims to address
- to seek internal and external stakeholder views on the proposed objectives, themes and topics of the Design Guide SPD Part 2
- reach a broad and diverse audience through a variety of engagement methods and encourage comprehensive comments and feedback
- ensure that those who might be directly affected by the guidance are informed and have their opinions heard, recorded and considered, meeting the requirements of the Council's Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)
- identify successful aspects of the consultation strategy and where lessons could be learned and how to implement these for future engagement and consultation
The consultation process was designed to enable broad and inclusive engagement. The following details the various consultation and engagement methods used throughout both production of the design guidance and the statutory consultation period that followed.
Pre-public consultation
In the first instance, Officers determined the appropriate scope, objectives and proposed contents of the documents forming the Design Guide SPD Part 2. This was undertaken by gathering a local evidence base which included referencing recent planning applications and utilising documents such as the Urban Morphology Study and Bexley Local Character Study prepared as part of the Local Plan process.
In addition, in-person and online meetings and workshops with Officers across the Place directorate including Development Management, Environmental Services, Planning Policy and Transport and Development were used to discuss and test ideas for relevance according to each consultees service area and specialism. During these sessions, drafting Officers gained invaluable insights on design opportunities and issues frequently arising in planning applications across the borough that ought to be addressed by the Design Guide SPD Part 2.
All Officers consulted during guidance development were periodically issued with draft versions and provided opportunities to comment on the content, with this feeding into the final content of the draft documents published for public consultation.
Prior to the statutory consultation period, Senior Officers were briefed on the proposed content of the Design Guide SPD Part 2.
Members of the Bexley Design Review Panel (DRP) were engaged to workshop topics for inclusion in the Design Guide SPD Part 2 – Area Types guidance document. Both in-person and online workshops were designed to test the proposed content, using the design expertise and specific knowledge of the panel members to further evolve the content, particularly regarding the level of detail provided by the guidance. Following drafting of the guidance, the DRP members reviewed a draft version of the Area Types guidance, providing their comments on the effectiveness of the content. This feedback was used to inform further development of the guidance during the editing phase.
Themes brought by Members during an earlier workshop with the Placemaking team at the outset of planning for the Design Guide SPD informed aspects of the content in the Design Guide SPD Part 2. All Members were invited to a briefing on the contents of the Design Guide SPD Part 2 prior to the statutory consultation period, with several attending.
The statutory public consultation period
Given the number of documents being consulted on, the consultation period was extended from the statutory four weeks to six, running from 02 March to 12 April 2026.
For the duration, copies of the Design Guide SPD Part 2 and relevant supporting documents, including the Consultation Statement found in Appendix A, were made available in all 13 borough libraries, with a set of documents available in the Civic Offices' Contact Centre. The Consultation Statement outlines the Council's process in engaging stakeholders prior to the public consultation period.
In the run up to, and during the public consultation period, the following methods were used to engage people.
Letter and email outreach
When the statutory consultation period began, letters and emails were delivered to over 1000 individuals, businesses, applicants and agents on the Bexley Strategic Planning database. These informed the database of the public consultation and encouraged people to review the draft Design Guide SPD Part 2 and provide comments prior to the public consultation closing.
Online presence
The Council's citizen engagement platform, Ask Bexley, was used to host a feedback survey for the duration of the public consultation. A dedicated landing page for the draft Design Guide SPD Part 2 was set up containing an explanation of the Design Guide SPD, PDF files of the draft SPDs and associated documents and a survey. The survey sought views on the clarity and effectiveness of the draft content and accessibility of each of the documents.
Social media
The Council's Communications Team announced the public consultation process via press release on the Council website. This included information on the objectives of the Design Guide SPD Part 2 and dates the consultation would be open, and drop-in events hosted across the borough. The same team publicised the consultation period, Ask Bexley survey and related in-person events via social media including LinkedIn, X and Facebook. The Bexley Business & Employment (BBE) team also shared details of the public consultation on their social media channels.
Drop-in events
Three in-person drop-in events were hosted at Erith, Sidcup and Bexleyheath libraries on 10th, 11th and 19th March respectively. These locations were chosen to ensure equal presence across the north, centre and south of the borough.
Posters advertising the public consultation and drop-in events were provided to, and displayed in, all borough libraries. The posters also provided a QR code to the Ask Bexley survey.
The drop-in sessions were designed to provide opportunities for face-to-face engagement between Officers from Strategic Planning and Development Management and the wider public. Attendance was generally low and primarily attended by local residents.
During these events, four A1 boards were displayed, setting out the content of each draft Design Guide SPD Part 2 document and explaining how each achieves the Design Guide SPD objectives to be more Bexley, promote good design and provide clarity. Copies of each document were made available to read, alongside paper copies of the same online survey available for completion.
Post-public consultation
A final draft of the Design Guide SPD Part 2 has been prepared for adoption and has been informed by the comments received during public consultation. Further details of the comments received are found in the Statutory Consultation Responses section of this document.
The following summarises the representations and comments received during the statutory consultation period.
10 people completed the Ask Bexley online survey and seven representations were received by email, including responses from statutory consultees at Natural England, National Highways, the Environment Agency, TfL and Port of London Authority.
Each representation and comment was logged and reviewed by the Council. The following summary has been split by mode of response and then further into each document, with the relevant colour coding used to clearly identify this with the section/code referenced in the comments provided.
Some comments were received that did not pertain to any one chapter and, as a result, did not warrant changes to the proposed guidance.
Responses received by email are as follows.
Area Types
Common Considerations — under the Flood Risk sub-heading, the Environment Agency (EA) suggested that Bexley Local Plan Policy DP32 Flood risk management be noted alongside Policy DP33 Sustainable drainage systems, an update that was made to provide further context to the Sites Adjacent to Watercourses chapter.
Tall Buildings and Building Heights — TfL suggested expanding the recommendation for the early appointment of landscape expertise when undertaking the Design Appraisal. Updates have been made to provide clarity that the Council expects that all relevant specialisms be appointed early in the design process — including landscape, ecology and arboricultural specialisms. The guidance still goes on to emphasise these specialisms, to ensure a landscape-forward approach to development from the outset.
Historic England noted that the guidance stated that Listed Building Consent is required for locally listed buildings. This was amended to provide accurate information on this requirement only for listed buildings.
Public Realm, Town and Neighbourhood Centres — comments were only received from TfL on this section. It was suggested that further information on Active Travel Zones (ATZs) be provided. No changes were made to the document regarding ATZs as it was considered these are addressed in detail in the Design Guide SPD Part 2 – Technical Handbook.
Concerns were raised with the use of language around new development 'encouraging' active travel, rather than proactively 'enabling' it and potentially impacting the quality of schemes as a result. The wording was updated to reflect this and signposting to further guidance prepared by the government and TfL was included.
TfL suggested that the guidance could more strongly emphasise the importance of integrating active travel means with the public transport network. The guidance has been updated to ensure this is clear.
It was suggested that the guidance would benefit from more detail on footpaths, specifically in these being maintained free of clutter and being an appropriate width and clearance to accommodate a range of pedestrians. Further guidance has been added to reflect this as well as signposting to government guidance on tactile paving and asserting that colourful crossings are unlikely to be supported due to their negative impact on some groups.
Industrial Land Development — the PLA strongly recommended the inclusion of policy context surrounding the agent of change principle set out in the NPPF, given the need to consider this in the context of co-location proposals. The policy context section of A 11 was updated to include reference to the NPPF and relevant policy from the Bexley Local Plan. The Environment Agency proposed including reference to much of Bexley's Strategic Industrial Land being located adjacent to the Thames Tidal Flood Defences, ensuring awareness of the constraints this may place upon development, which was incorporated into the text.
Sites Adjacent to Watercourses — the PLA was supportive of the guidance. Minor changes were made to ensure the PLA were noted as stakeholders to discuss appropriate locations for habitat enhancements along flood defences and to signpost to the PLA's Drowning Prevention Strategy to ensure appropriate suicide prevention measures are put in place. TfL noted that the chapter would benefit from additional guidance on climate resilient planting, which has been drafted and incorporated as appropriate.
The EA was supportive of the guidance, in particular reference to the requirements of the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan, Riverside Strategy Approach, ecological enhancement, flood risk and adequate setback and assessment of the Thames tidal flood defences. The comments received suggested some amendments be made, principally the change of chapter title from 'Sites Adjacent to Waterways' to 'Sites Adjacent to Watercourses' to ensure the guidance is clearly applicable to all watercourses, including those that are not navigable. Further changes were made throughout the chapter to further strengthen the guidance on the EA's recommendation.
Building Alterations and Extensions
Overarching Guidance — one representation suggested providing further explanation on reconciling opposing aims of orientation to heat homes in winter and cool homes in summer. Examples have been added, and signposting to detailed guidance from the Good Homes Alliance has been included.
A comment received welcomed the inclusion of guidance regarding demolition and construction works not impacting protected species and being undertaken outside of nesting season. It was suggested that this could be strengthened by stating that bird nest sites are legally protected and scaffolding should be avoided during nesting season to avoid blocking access to sites.
Ground and Upper Level — comments received on this chapter were supportive of the guidance included in this section. In some instances, minor amendments were made to add further context, for example re-emphasising that it is an offence for water runoff onto a footway or other highway, and that this should take place within a householder's own property. One comment noted the potential confusion caused with regards to the 45° rule regarding rear extensions. The guidance has been reviewed and a minor update made to ensure clarity and alignment with wording in the Design Guide SPD Part 1 – Design Principles.
The EA suggested referencing the flood map for planning and signposting to the Government guidance on preparing a flood risk assessment for all alterations and extensions proposed within areas of fluvial flood risk, which was included within the document's introduction, which was deemed the most appropriate location.
Roof Level — few comments were received on this chapter, and a minor change was made to clarify the Council's preference for rooflights to be uniform in size and appearance, rather than proportion.
Conversions and Upgrades — one comment suggested that further details be provided on planning submission requirements when undertaking retrofit works. Where applicable, further details have been provided. However, as retrofit often does not require planning permission, the guidance focuses on what retrofit options are available to residents, as opposed to what evidence is required upon submitting an application, as this can be discussed on a case-by-case basis with the Development Management team through the pre-application process. The EA noted the importance of stating that no sleeping accommodation within houses converted to flats and HMOs be located below the modelled breach floor level, which has been included in sections B 12 and B 13.
Non-residential Alterations and Extensions — the minor comments received suggested improving the clarity of some wording used and, in one instance, on the relevant policy context regarding town and neighbourhood centres and small parades. These changes were made to ensure clarity of the guidance.
Glossary — one representation requested the inclusion of 'self-contained' within the glossary, which is a term referenced multiple times in the guidance. This minor amendment was made to improve the clarity of the guidance.
Small Sites
Street-facing Sites — TfL suggested that S 04 of the guidance include images of developments where parking has been successfully designed into front setbacks. A relevant precedent has been incorporated to complement the guidance.
Off-Street Sites — no comments were received specific to this chapter.
Technical Handbook
Waste Management — no comments were received specific to this chapter.
Highways and Transport — National Highways was supportive of this chapter, in particular the inclusion of guidance regarding the thresholds, scope, and survey methodology for Transport Statements and Assessments. Following comments from TfL, the clarity and detail of some wording has been updated to strengthen the guidance. Signposts to additional TfL guidance and PAS standards have also been incorporated to support the guidance.
Ecology and Biodiversity — no comments were received specific to this chapter.
Flood Risk and Drainage — no comments were received specific to this chapter.
Play Provision — no comments were received specific to this chapter.