United Kingdom · guide · 12 October 2026
Secured by Design conditions on UK planning decision notices
Residential and mixed-use schemes often receive conditions referencing Secured by Design, designing out crime liaison, or natural surveillance. Applicants read those clauses to programme layout and product submissions before occupation — literacy only.
Where Secured by Design wording appears
- Numbered conditions — binding on the sealed notice schedule.
- Residential and mixed-use — cross-read boundary and fencing conditions.
- Refuse and servicing — may link to refuse bin storage conditions when blind spots are cited.
- Highways and visibility — may overlap highways access conditions on sight lines.
Common condition phrases
| Printed wording | Plain-English reading |
|---|---|
| Details in accordance with Secured by Design | Design submission — often prior to occupation |
| Designing out crime / DOC liaison | Process gate — read submission addressee |
| Natural surveillance / overlooked parking | Layout performance standard |
| Doors and windows to stated security standard | Product specification — read cited standard |
| Landscaping shall not create hiding places | Ongoing maintenance theme |
Timing and visibility splays
Secured by Design approval may be prior to first occupation while highway visibility works sit under separate triggers — read informatives vs numbered conditions.
Parking and loading conditions may fix layout that crime prevention officers reviewed — read parking and loading conditions alongside SBD lines.
See informatives vs numbered conditions, parking and loading conditions, and landscaping and tree protection conditions.
Fire safety and building safety crossover
Fire escape routes and Secured by Design layouts must be read together — programme fire safety building safety conditions before fixing final door hardware submissions.
Construction management plan conditions may govern temporary security fencing during build — read construction management plan conditions separately.
Cross-read fire safety building safety conditions and construction management plan conditions.
Worked example
A housing scheme notice might state:
- Condition 11 (prior to occupation): “No dwelling shall be occupied until details of the layout, landscaping and building elements have been submitted to and approved having regard to Secured by Design principles.”
- Condition 24 (ongoing): “Landscaping shall be maintained so as not to create areas of concealment.”
Developers programme DOC or SBD submissions against Condition 11; managing agents track Condition 24 after handover.
Common misreadings
- Officer report crime narrative treated as approval. Cite numbered conditions only.
- Indicative elevational security assumed approved without details condition. Read submission triggers.
- CCTV licence conflated with planning SBD discharge. Separate workstreams.
- Boundary fence height assumed to satisfy SBD without details submission. Read boundary conditions.
Working checklist
- Highlight every condition mentioning Secured by Design, DOC, crime prevention, or natural surveillance.
- Mark prior-to-occupation vs ongoing triggers on programme.
- Cross-reference approved plan sheets for parking and pedestrian routes.
- Confirm refuse and servicing layouts do not create blind spots cited in conditions.
- Pair with which conditions need discharge applications before instructing consultants.
DecisionBrief mirrors sealed notice wording in sourced PDFs; it does not design security layouts or submit DOC applications for you.
Ecology and lighting interactions
Ecology conditions may constrain hedge height that crime prevention officers wanted for surveillance — programme ecology wildlife survey conditions separately.
External lighting conditions may be required to improve natural surveillance — read external lighting or related amenity conditions when cited on the same scheme.
See ecology wildlife survey conditions and air quality monitoring conditions on mixed-use sites.
Outline permissions and reserved matters
Outline approvals may reserve layout details that later Secured by Design submissions must satisfy — read outline vs full reserved matters conditions before fixing marketing layouts.
Approved plans conditions may fix block orientation that DOC officers reviewed at outline — cross-read approved plans conditions on phased schemes.
See outline vs full reserved matters conditions and approved plans conditions.
Portal copies vs sealed PDFs
Planning portal condition lists sometimes truncate long SBD clauses — always programme discharges from the sealed PDF attachment.
DecisionBrief orders sourced readings from the notice reference you provide; it does not infer conditions missing from your upload.
See where to find the sealed notice and decision notice vs officer report.
Daylight and layout performance
Daylight and sunlight conditions on urban schemes may constrain building massing that crime prevention officers reviewed for surveillance — read daylight sunlight conditions when layout submissions serve both agendas.
Design and access statements discuss security narratively — still programme numbered SBD conditions from the sealed notice rather than the D&A alone.
See daylight and sunlight conditions and design and access conditions.
Questions
Are Secured by Design details usually approved by condition?
Often yes — layout, landscaping, doors, windows or parking design may require submission against Secured by Design or similar crime-prevention standards before first occupation.
Do Secured by Design conditions overlap with boundary or lighting conditions?
Yes on many residential schemes. Security lines may sit beside boundary fencing and external lighting conditions — read each numbered clause separately.
Will DecisionBrief specify Secured by Design products?
No. DecisionBrief reads sealed decision notices into sourced PDFs. Security design is for your architect or security consultant.
Can one condition cover both SBD layout and CCTV?
Sometimes one condition cites both; sometimes separate conditions address surveillance and physical security — read triggers separately.
Are crime prevention standards always named in the condition?
Not always. Wording may refer to designing out crime principles or liaison with designing out crime officers — read the exact phrase on the sealed notice.
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