Nottingham City Council, in partnership with Nottingham Regeneration Limited, has published a Nottingham Urban Design Guide to promote high standards of sustainable urban design and architecture in the city centre.

Launched on Thursday November 6, the design guide analyses the city centre and the characteristics that make it work and make it unique. These are developed into a series of design rules to guide development which will create a competitive and civilised city centre with access for all.

Based on the City Centre Masterplan published in 2005, the guide develops the vision within the Masterplan into rules to shape the way development takes place in the city centre. The guide also complements the Streetscape Design Manual which specifies street design and materials.

The guide is targeted at developers, landowners and their advisors and will provide some detailed advice as to the type of development that is likely to be acceptable. It will also be relevant to many others who have an interest in the city centre and its unique historic character.

The guide can be viewed at www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/planning.

All views on the guide are welcome and can be emailed through to ccdgresponses@nottinghamcity.gov.uk. The consultation period will finish on Friday December 12 with the guide being launched in March 2009.

Cllr Alan Clark, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Regeneration at Nottingham City Council, said: “The design guide offers more certainty and clarity to developers investing in the city, giving clear guidance concerning the quality and type of development expected in Nottingham. The guide identifies the important views and vistas that should be considered in respect of the skyline and where taller buildings maybe acceptable in the city centre.

The masterplan expressed the vision for the city centre and this design guide explains more of the detail of how the vision will be achieved. It shows how the city centre can expand and change, provide better links into the surrounding neighbourhoods and still retain its unique historic character.”