Putting Our Experience on the Map: Independent Design Review Across England

A new home in Northumberland, flats in London, student accommodation in York, an urban extension outside Oxford, Oxford United’s proposed football stadium and a museum in Plymouth make for a fairly varied itinerary. They also give a flavour of the projects reviewed by The Design Review Panel (www.designreviewpanel.co.uk)

Explore our national project map

We are pleased to share our new Projects & Map page, bringing together years of independent design review in one place. It offers a straightforward way to explore where we have worked, the types of proposals we have reviewed and the design discussions behind them.

"Overview of The Design Review Panel’s extensive work across England, showcasing 412 projects reviewed in 9 regions and 124 local authority areas, with a focus on diverse infrastructure and community developments since 2013."

The map currently includes 412 project entries and 626 documented reviews, spanning all nine English regions and 124 local authority areas. Some projects have returned to the Panel several times as their designs developed. There are, of course, many more projects we have reviewed over the years, but not all can be shared publicly.

You can search for a project or place, filter by project type or local authority area, and follow links to available public planning records. You can also explore all 16 illustrated case studies for a closer look at individual projects and the Panel’s involvement.

A quick look for something nearby could easily become a rather longer tour.

From individual homes to new neighbourhoods

Take Water Eaton, on Oxford’s northern edge, where the Panel reviewed proposals for a neighbourhood of 700 homes, alongside a school, local centre and green space. The discussions considered its relationship with existing communities, movement routes and the landscape. The subsequent outline application is recorded under planning reference 23/01233/OUT.

Water Eaton (PR6a): illustrative masterplan, April 2023. © Savills (UK) Ltd, Urban Design Studio, for Bellway Homes Limited and Christ Church, Oxford.

In London, the Panel reviewed proposals for flats at Prospects House in Bromley, with the subsequent residential scheme recorded under planning reference 20/04296/FULL1. At Frederick House in York (19/00603/FULM), the context was student accommodation on a former employment site, with neighbouring homes and a retained Guard House.

Oxford United’s proposed stadium at The Triangle (planning reference 24/00539/F). Image source: AFL Architects, for Oxford United Football Club.

At The Box in Plymouth, the brief brought together museum collections, galleries and archives within historic civic buildings. The project’s planning references are 16/00393/FUL and 16/00394/LBC.

The Box, Plymouth. Architecture and lead design: Atkins. Image source: The Box Plymouth.

The range extends from an individual home at Thornbrough Quarry in Northumberland (23/01735/FUL) to Baldwins Gate in Staffordshire (21/01041/OUT), where the Panel reviewed proposals for up to 200 homes within community parkland in 2021. Alongside these are schools, workplaces, regeneration schemes, later living accommodation and leisure developments.

Thornbrough Quarry, Northumberland: proposed country house. Image courtesy of 33 Architecture; landscape design by Colour Landscape Architects.

Why experience matters in independent design review

That breadth matters when choosing a design review panel for your own project.

A proposal may be modest in size and still raise demanding questions about landscape, heritage or neighbouring buildings. A larger development may need careful discussion about how streets, public spaces and different uses work together. The experience and mix of disciplines around the table need to suit the proposal.

Working across different places and sectors brings a broad perspective to those conversations. Each review still begins with the particular site, the ambitions of the applicant and design team, and the needs of the people who will use the place.

Our role is to provide constructive feedback that helps the design develop, while offering local planning authorities and other decision-makers the reassurance of an independent, multidisciplinary professional opinion. Identifying and addressing design issues early can also help reduce planning risk, avoid unnecessary redesign and speed up the planning process for applicants and their teams.

The people behind the projects

Each project represents a substantial undertaking by its design team, drawing on an enormous amount of combined expertise, experience and commitment. For us, it is a privilege and a pleasure to have had the opportunity to contribute, in some small way, to these exemplary projects. We are grateful to the applicants, design teams and volunteer panellists who make those conversations possible.

Explore the project map. Start with somewhere you know, then try a project type you would not usually look at. You may find a few surprises along the way.

And if you have a proposal of your own, we would be pleased to discuss how the Panel could help. You can also compare our design review formats.