B3.3.2 Corner articulation

Proposed developments must identify and appropriately respond to prominent and important corners, particularly those located on key movement corridors, site entrances (such as gateways) or edges, adjacent to open space, or at the intersections of key pedestrian and cycle routes. These corners contribute significantly to wayfinding, urban character, and the overall legibility of a site, and their treatment must be considered from the earliest stages of the design process. Blank gable walls or minimal openings, such as small WC windows, will not be accepted in these prominent locations.

Development proposals must ensure that dual-aspect plots are located on important corners along key movement corridors. These plots are essential for providing natural surveillance, enhancing safety, and creating active, visually engaging frontages on both adjoining streets or public spaces. This approach helps to eliminate blank or inactive elevations at key junctions, strengthening the character, legibility, and overall quality of the public realm.

Methods for marking important corners and creating focal plots must include one or more of the following, where contextually appropriate:

• increasing the height of the corner building by up to two storeys, where this responds positively to the surrounding context, neighbouring uses, and local character

• introducing feature buildings with distinctive architectural forms, detailing, or materials to create visual interest and identity

• creating a hard or soft landscaped space that reinforces the prominence of the corner through thoughtful design and planting

• designing buildings that actively turn the corner, addressing both street frontages to enhance enclosure and continuity

• incorporating active ground floor uses (for example shops, cafés) to animate the street and strengthen the corner within the public realm

Blank gable walls must not face onto the street or public realm. In these locations, gable walls must instead incorporate appropriate architectural detailing to avoid undermining the visual quality of the development and to ensure an engaging and attractive street scene.

Suitable treatments may include brick panels or banding designs, clear definition of base and top elements to break down the overall massing, material variation, fenestration, brickwork patterning, or integrated landscaping features. Such detailing helps create a more human-scale edge, adds variety and character, and supports wayfinding.