Design Guides

Melville Dunbar was the team leader and co-author of one of the most widely respected and well-used design guides - the Essex Design Guide. Since it was introduced, design guides have become extensively employed by local planning authorities to inspire innovative design and raise the standard of development proposals.

The practice has prepared numerous design guides on subjects ranging from agricultural buildings to the physical planning standards for new housing and the design of residential roads, parking and services.


Projects

Cork County Council, Planning Guidance and Standards Series No. 2 MAKING PLACES: A design guide for residential estate development
A Design Guide for Residential Areas, Essex County Council
The Broads, Authority Broads Design Guidance - Agricultural buildings
The aim of the guide is to encourage farmers situated in the Broads area to consider carefully the location and landscaping of new farm buildings.

The guide highlighted the need to not only ensure that new farm buildings were well-designed in themselves but also to respect other buildings if they formed part of a group as well as the overall character of Broadland.

Help is also offered with regard to reducing the visual impact of new large scale structures in the landscape by, for example, using different coloured materials for the various main components i.e. roofs, walls and gables and creating symmetry in the provision of openings in buildings.

East Anglia Tourist Board, Towards a Design Guide for Coastal Static Caravan Parks
Isle of Man Government, Planning Circular 3/91 Guide to the Design of Residential Development in the Countryside
A Design Guide for Residential Areas - Highway Standards
Manx - A Guide to the Design of Residential Roads, Footpaths, Parking and Services