Gradwell makes plans with Government department

Gradwell Corporate Design has created a 152-page book, Making Plans, for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The book is launched as the department announced amendments to its housing and planning policy.

It is expected to be used by every local authority in the country for at least the next 18 months, according to a spokesman for the department.

‘It’s unlikely the new arrangements [announced last week] could come into effect before early 2004. Until then this book brings best practice together and the design is likely to act as a template for any revisions,’ he says.

The main design challenge was presenting a dry and complex subject in a clear, user friendly way, says Gradwell Corporate Design director Geoff Gradwell.

The consultancy worked on the project, worth a five-figure design fee, as part of a consortium including planning consultant Baker Associates and environmental consultant BDOR. The consortium was appointed following a tendering process.

The book, which has taken two years to develop, had already been delayed following the then Transport Secretary Stephen Byers’ resignation and the shift of responsibility for Local Regions to the ODPM.