CABE and eight regional design review panels announce affiliation to create national design review network

CABE and eight regional design review panels have announced their affiliation. This will create a national network of design review panels, providing all local planning authorities with access to independent practical design advice. The network (including CABE) will collectively review more than 800 schemes a year.

Affiliation means that there is an agreement defining shared values, a shared service, and a joint commitment to high standards in design review. It will ensure that the panels work more closely together, learning is shared, and a consistent service is provided to developers and planners across England.

The eight regional design review panels that have affiliated to CABE are: the South East design review panel (run by the Kent Architecture Centre); the South West design review panel (run by Creating Excellence); the North East design review panel (run by Ignite); the North West design review panel (run by Places Matter!); the West Midlands design review panel (run by MADE); the East Midlands design review panel (run by Opun); the East of England design review panel (run by Inspire East); and the Yorkshire and Humber design review panel (run by Integreat Yorkshire).

Richard Simmons, CABE chief executive, comments: 'Design review panels have proved themselves to be a great success story in England. Just look at the Falmer Academy in Brighton, for example, where the comments made by the South East regional design panel have resulted in a really imaginative planning application. Affiliation is recognition of the high quality service provided by regional panels and it will ensure that more schemes benefit from the best possible design advice.'

CABE has supported regional design review panels since 2005 and this affiliation formalises the relationship. It commits each organisation to observe ten key principles of design review, including a focus on outcomes for the people using a building or place and the public at large affected by it, as well as sharing the learning from design review on a regular basis.

Peter Clegg, Chair of the South West design review panel, comments: 'We are delighted that we are now affiliated with CABE. The new network will allow us all to share information on a regular basis and decide in partnership which panel should review what schemes. We are independent from CABE and take a regional perspective but share the same remit in that we use design review to improve the quality of the built environment.'

Affiliation will also contribute to the government’s commitment, as set out in World Class Places (the government’s strategy for improving quality of place) to strengthen advisory support on design quality for local authorities, the public sector and developers. The strategy, published in May, sets out to ensure that regional support for quality of place, including design review, is strengthened.

The affiliation only applies to design review and not to other services on offer from any of the organisations.