Since last year's revision of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) there has been a huge increase in developments being rejected for poor design.
A study by the University College London (UCL) has revealed that the Planning Inspectorate is now three times as likely to support local authority rejections of housing developments for poor design, compared to before changes to the NPPF.
In July 2021, the wording in the guidance was changed from "poorly designed" to "not well designed", when considering whether a scheme should be refused.
The study commented that "compared to historical trends, local authorities were succeeding at design appeals in fewer cases than the national average for all appeals of this class of development. Now they are running significantly ahead of the national average when the focus is on design."
However, the research is limited, and of the 32 design-related appeals examined, 26 were in London or the South East.
UCL planning and urban design professor Matthew Carmona said: "Most local planning authorities remain very fearful of going up against the major housebuilders on design issues. In the context of the difficulties that the government have been having with their planning reform agenda, the report also demonstrates an often unsung role of planning, namely the poor quality development that it stops getting built . . . The research reinforces the important regulatory role of planning that is worth celebrating."
