The purpose of the Design Review Panel is to advise the Council on the quality of design in respect of developments that meet the criteria for consideration by the Panel.

 

The views of the Panel will form the basis for negotiation, where necessary. This will be with the applicant and will comprise a material consideration which will be taken into account by the Planning Committee in reaching a decision on the application.

 

The Panel’s views will also be used, where appropriate, to defend the Council’s case on appeal.

The Panel consists of a pool of eight chartered architects appointed by the Royal Institute of British Architects, in consultation with the Council. There will usually be about four members of the Panel at each meeting.

The panel usually only considers applications which both:

 

 

In exceptional cases other types of application of local importance could be included for consideration.

Meetings of the Panel are provisionally arranged for the first Monday of every month, subject to there being items of business for discussion.

The applicant or agent will be notified by the case officer early in the application process if it is anticipated that the proposal falls within the remit of the Panel. At least two weeks before the allocated meeting the applicant or agent will be advised of the date, time and venue.

In respect of each application considered by the Panel, the applicant or agent will be invited to present his or her scheme to members of the Panel. They will be allowed five minutes for their presentations. Five minutes will then be allowed for questions followed by 15 minutes for discussion.

 

The applicant or agent will be asked to leave the room for the duration of the discussion. Any of the above times may be extended at the Chairperson’s discretion.