<p><span>Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has launched a building design guide at the Conservative party conference today (September 30), which he says will replace “existing vague and outdated guidance”. </span><span></span></p> <p><span>The new design guide, Jenrick said at the conference in Manchester, would bring in a national standard that local authorities should follow, while giving them the option of designing their own guides that reflect local needs. </span><span></span></p> <p><span>“Where possible emphasis will be placed on tree-lined streets and green infrastructure, in line with the government’s broader environmental focus,” he added.</span><span></span></p> <p><span>The guide would also carry weight, being counted as a material consideration in planning applications and appeals, Jenrick continued. Ministers will therefore release a Written Ministerial Statement to set out the guide’s purpose and update the National Planning Policy Framework “at the first opportunity”.</span><span></span></p> <p><span>Jenrick explained that the guide was part of the government’s “broader commitment” to localism, offering local residents a greater say in the design of homes delivered in their area, “allowing them to take the key characteristics provided at a national level as a foundation and apply them in the most locally appropriate way”. </span><span></span></p> <p><span>The housing secretary stated:<b> </b>“The government is committed to building the homes this country …