Birmingham Design Guide

The Birmingham Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)

The Design Guide was adopted on 6 September 2022. It provides guidance on the design of all development across Birmingham. The Guide comprises 6 documents:

• The Design Principles Document – contains design principles development must align with.
• 5 City Manuals – provides further guidance on how to align with the design principles.
  1. Birmingham ID City Manual
  2. Streets and Spaces City Manual
  3. Landscape and Green Infrastructure City Manual
  4. Healthy Living and Working City Manual
  5. Efficient and Future-Ready City Manual

The desktop published version of the Design Guide can be viewed via the Cabinet Agenda (item 11).

Explanatory Note: Clarification of BDG City-Note LW3, para. 1.13, 3rd Bullet Point - “To be properly interpreted as meaning 5 m setback per storey for residential development, or 5 m setback per 3 m in height for non-residential development."

Birmingham Design Guide SPD adoption statement

Download the adoption statement for the SPD

Consultation statement

The consultation statement provides a summary of the engagement undertaken in producing the SPD and how the issues raised have been addressed in the adopted version.

Download the consultation statement for the SPD

Supporting documents

The following supporting documents informed the production of the SPD:

• Strategic Environmental Assessment Screening
• Equalities Impact Assessment

Page last updated: 3 June 2025