 An RIBA south west award wining building at Exeter University in Devon; The Forum. This building benefited from design review during the design and pre-planning stage |  Design Review Panel training session carried out in Taunton and the Somerset County Cricket Ground in November 2018. The event was extremely well attended by local authority representatives, house builders and design team members |  Photograph of Exeter Quay taken by Architect and Design Review Panel Manager Jonathan Braddick. The Design Review Panel holds regular design review panel sessions at Exeter City Council |  Design Review Panel training event 2018. Jonathan Tricker, Highways Engineer, Urban Designer & Director at Phil Jones Associates, gave a talk entitled: ‘Highway Design in Placemaking’ |  The design review Panel was engaged by Willmott Dixon during the pre-application design stage of the project to help them prepare a design that would be acceptable to the local authority |  Photograph from a 2018 design review panel site visit carried out in Dorset in 2018. A full sit down design review panel was subsequently held in the Poole Borough Council Offices |  External visualization for a NPPF paragraph 55 (now 79) house that was presented to the design review panel. This project has subsequently gone on to achieve planning permission and is now built on site |  Design Review Panel training session carried out in Exeter, Devon in December 2017. The event was extremely well attended by local authority representatives, house builders and design team members |  A small but sensitive project in Exeter Quay; The Rockfish Restaurant has been designed by Grainge Architects who engaged with The Design Review Panel during the design & pre -application planning stage |
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 Pegasus Life secured planning permission through public inquiry for a Sarah Wigglesworth Architects scheme for a C2 assisted living community at The Knowle, Sidmouth, Devon. The Design Review Panel (www.designreviewpanel.co.uk) were instructed by East Devon District Council (EDDC) to provide multidisciplinary, expert, independent and impartial guidance and feedback to the local authority, applicant and design team during the pre-application design stage. |  Photograph of Plymouth Hoe, Devon. The Design Review Panel holds regular design review panel sessions at Plymouth City Council |  Design Review Panel training session carried out in Exeter, Devon. The event was extremely well attended and incorporated a mock design review panel session and design workshop. |
We offer both in-person and online south west design review panel sessions & these should be booked using our online booking system below.
Site visits can be carried out in-person or online using 360 degree virtual photographic tours (click here to see an example).
Sessions are split into 'major' and 'minor' project types:-
Minor Projects = 1 to 5 residential dwellings
Major Project = 5 or more residential dwellings and non-residential projects
South west design review panel session booking requests are required to be made a minimum of 14 days in advance and booking requests are only confirmed subject to receipt of cleared funds payment. Once you have completed the booking request form you will receive a VAT invoice with payment details.
Information to be reviewed by the Panel is to be provided to The Design Review Panel using the blue 'Upload Files' button above, no later than 7 days in advance of the booked session date.
Supporting Design Excellence with The South West Design Review Panel: Your Trusted Design Review Panel Provider
Introduction to The South West Design Review Panel:
Welcome to The South West Design Review Panel (not to be confused with Design West), your trusted provider in advancing design excellence and innovation across the south west region. As an independent and impartial design review panel, we are committed to enhancing the quality of built environments and fostering sustainable communities through our expert review and insightful suggestions.
Who We Are:
At The South West Design Review Panel (not to be confused with Design West) is a trading style of The Design Review Panel, we assemble a team of seasoned professionals with diverse backgrounds in architecture, urban planning, landscape design, ecology, conservation / heritage, highways and sustainability. Our collective expertise empowers us to deliver comprehensive and tailored design reviews that meet the unique requirements of each project.
The Mission of The South West Design Review Panel:
At The South West Design Review Panel (not to be confused with Design West), our mission is simple: to advocate for design excellence and promote the development of vibrant, inclusive, and resilient spaces that enhance the well-being of all. Through our meticulous review process, we aim to ignite creativity, facilitate collaboration, and uphold best practices in design and development.
What We Offer:
Independent Evaluation: As an independent review panel, we offer impartial evaluations of design proposals, ensuring transparency and integrity throughout the review process.
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Expert Guidance: Our team of expert volunteers deliver constructive feedback and actionable recommendations to optimize design solutions, tackle challenges, and unleash the full potential of every project.
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Strategic Insights: Leveraging our deep understanding of local contexts, regulatory frameworks, and emerging trends, we provide strategic insights and informed perspectives to facilitate informed decision-making and drive positive transformations.
Why Use The South West Design Review Panel:
Selecting The South West Design Review Panel (not to be confused with Design West) means choosing independence, impartiality, excellence, integrity, and innovation. With our steadfast dedication to quality and our passion for design, we are committed to helping you realize your vision and deliver projects that make a lasting impact on the built environment. Unlike most other design reveiw panels we do not have any ongoing contractual links with local authorities or developers and therefore this avoids commercial conflicts of interest as all parties can rest assured that The Design Review Panel has no financial / commercial motive to promote a particular approach or opinion.
Get in Touch with The South West Design Review Panel:
Are you ready to elevate your design ambitions? Reach out to The South West Design Review Panel today to discover more about our services, arrange a design review panel session, or explore collaboration opportunities. Let's join forces to craft spaces that inspire, engage, and enrich the communities we serve. To contact us email contact@designreviewpanel.co.uk or telephone 01395 265768.
Conclusion:
At The South West Design Review Panel, we firmly believe in the transformative power of great design. Join us as we embark on our mission to establish the south west region as a beacon of design excellence and innovation. Together, we can shape a built environment that embodies our values, aspirations, and collective vision for a brighter future.
Local authorities suppporting the design review panel process across the south west of England ...
The Design Review Panel provides its independent and impartial south west design review panel services directly to applicants, design teams and local authorities across the entire south west, including: Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset (BANES), Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Bristol, North Somerset, Plymouth, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Torbay.
Applicants may book a South West Design Review Panel session directly with The Design Review Panel (aka The South West Design Review Panel) for projects located anywhere in the south west of England, and the Panel's feedback is a material consideration in the planning process, as per the National Planning Policy Framework. The design review panel process is actively used by local authorities across the south west region as part of their pre application process.
The South West Design Review Panel is a trading style of The Design Review Panel (and should not be confused with Design West, which is a separate company).
Unlike other design review panels, such as Design West, so as to demonstrably retain independence and impartiality The Design Review Panel does not enter into contractual framework agreements with any local authorities. This is because it is felt this could be seen to compromise the independence and impartiality of a design review panel by creating an inappropriate commercial relationship.
Local authorities actively engaged in the design review panel process across the south west include those listed below:-
Testimonial
"Swindon's ambitious growth and regeneration plans are generating a buzz around the town. To capitalise on the attention our town is receiving it is vital that Swindon Borough Council works proactively with developers. Our Planning Committee has given unanimous approval to the setting up of the Swindon Design Review Panel as a vehicle to foster collaboration with developers. The Panel will offer practical advice to developers to help improve schemes coming forward. In so doing, I expect the Panel to add significant value to the development process in Swindon." - David Dewart - Planning Manager, Swindon Borough Council - 2016
If you are an applicant or local authority and you wish to also engage to work with The Design Review Panel please email contact@designreviewpanel.co.uk or telephone 01395 265768