Bedford Borough Council has partnered with Greater Cambridge Shared Planning to provide a Design Review Service in order to raise design quality of the area.
Bedford Borough Council has prepared a local plan that sets out how much growth there should be in the borough in coming years (housing, jobs and associated infrastructure), where and how it should take place. To help ensure that these aspirations are fulfilled, the Council is using an independent design review service to act as a ‘critical friend’, providing advice and design guidance to support the delivery of these ambitions.
The Bedford Design Review Panel
The Bedford Design Review Panel (Bedford DRP) is a sub-set of the Greater Cambridge Design Review Panel and uses the themes in the Cambridgeshire Quality Charter for Growth (Community, Character, Connectivity and Climate) as a framework to enable the delivery of high quality places, which are consistent with the ten characteristics of places in the National Model Design Guide.
The purpose of the Bedford DRP is not to duplicate or replace existing mechanisms for securing high quality design, but to provide independent expert design review, in line with Section 12 of the NPPF. This states that: “Local planning authorities should ensure that they have access to…design advice and review arrangements… These are of most benefit if used as early as possible in the evolution of schemes, and are particularly important for significant projects such as large scale housing and mixed use developments.” (Para. 138, NPPF, 2023).
By offering advice to applicants during the pre-application process and by commenting on planning applications, the Bedford DRP supports its planning officers and planning committee in securing high quality development.
Principles of design review
Design review is an independent and impartial evaluation process that should meet high standards to be respected and effective. In undertaking its advisory role, the Bedford DRP will adhere to the 10 principles of design review:
- independent
- expert
- multidisciplinary
- accountable
- transparent
- proportionate
- timely
- advisory
- objective
- accessible
It has been developed jointly by the RIBA, Landscape Institute, Design Council (formerly CABE) and RTPI developed.
Design review aims to provide a rounded assessment that considers the aesthetic, sustainability, and functionality of a project. For this reason, the DRP will assess schemes against the 4 ‘C’s set out in the Cambridgeshire Quality: Charter for Growth: Community, Connectivity, Climate and Character which are consistent with the ten characteristics of place in the National Model Design Guide, and in accordance with the adopted local plan policies.
Panel composition
The Bedford DRP brings together professional experts from a variety of fields. It is made up of over 20 members, including the chair. DRP members are chosen to provide a broad range of expertise with particular relevance to Bedford Borough, including architecture, town planning / urban design, landscape / ecology, heritage / townscape, sustainability / low carbon design, transport planning / engineering, disability access and development delivery.
Many of those appointed to the Bedford DRP have expertise and experience in more than one of these areas. The composition of each panel meeting is chosen as far as possible to suit the scheme being reviewed.
Panel remit
Generally, schemes are referred to the panel by planning officers at an early (pre-application) stage to identify and consider the key aspects of the proposed design. The independent advice given by the panel is likely to be most effective when given before a scheme becomes too fixed. Early engagement with the
Bedford DRP should reduce the risk of delay at application stage by ensuring that designs reach an acceptable standard. The planning authority may also request a review once an application is submitted for determination. The panel will consider significant development proposals in Bedford Borough. Significance may fall into the following categories. Significance related to size or use, for example:
- large buildings or groups of buildings
- infrastructure projects such as bridges or transport hubs
- large public realm proposals
- masterplans, design codes or design guidance Significance related to site, for example:
- proposals affecting sensitive views
- developments with a major impact on their context
- schemes involving significant public investment
- Projects may also be referred to the panel by the planning authority at its discretion, for example where it requires advice on:
- building typologies, for example single aspect dwellings
- environmental sustainability
- design for climate change adaptation and mitigation
- proposals likely to establish a precedent for future development
- developments out of the ordinary in their context
- schemes with significant impacts on the quality of everyday life
When a proposal is at a pre-application stage, the report is not made public and is only shared with the Council, the applicant and design team, and any other stakeholder bodies that the Council has consulted on the project.
If the proposal is reviewed at an application stage, the report will be a public document and published on the Council’s website. Where the final review of a scheme takes place at a pre-application stage, the report of this meeting may also be made public once an application is submitted.
Conflicts of interest
A conflict arises if there is any suggestion that a Panel Member, either as an individual or a member of a group or organisation, might have a financial, commercial or professional interest in a project, its client or its site.
Panel Members must check Panel meeting agendas and report any conflicts or perceived conflicts of interest to the Panel Managers as soon as they become aware. The Panel manager will then decide if it is a conflict. The Panel Members will not attend a review if the Panel Manager confirms there is a conflict, and the conflict will be recorded for future reference. If uncertain, the Panel Managers can discuss the conflict with the Panel Chair to reach an agreement. If any potential conflict is revealed during the meeting, the Panel Members must immediately report it to the Chair or Panel Managers.
In some circumstances an association may not be considered a conflict but in the interests of transparency the relationship will be recorded by the Panel Managers and mentioned by the Chair at the beginning of the review. This will also be noted in the advice letter. If an observer is invited to the meeting they will be asked to check for conflicts of interest before the review and must not attend if the Panel Managers confirms there is a conflict.
Freedom of information
As a public authority, Bedford Borough Council is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). All requests for information about Bedford Borough Council will be handled according to the provisions of the Act. Legal advice may be required on a case by case basis to establish whether any exemptions apply under the Act.
Types of design review
There are three types of review:
- Full Design Review with a site visit.
- Subsequent Design Review without a site visit.
- Desktop Chairs’ review.
Where possible, the same Panel Members will be used for subsequent reviews. Site visits will be grouped together and undertaken at the beginning of the meeting.
A full Design Review is for a first review of the scheme, ideally at pre-application stage. It includes a site visit and a review by the Chair and four or five Panel Members. It will be attended by the planning officer and other key stakeholders such as officers from the County Council and Historic England. Fee: £4,500 + VAT.
Subsequent Design Review is a design workshop is used for second and subsequent reviews. The format may also be useful for reviewing internal council policies and design guidance. Fee: £4,000 + VAT.
The Chair’s review will be used for a limited number of schemes with the agreement of Senior Officers within Bedford Borough Council. It provides a desktop review and advice on schemes that have already been to a Full Review and Subsequent Review at pre-application stage. Fee: £2,500 + VAT.
Format / process
For full design review, the typical agenda will include the following (approx. 3 hours in total):
- Site visit, 60 minutes (Panel Managers, Planning Officer, Panel Members and subject to agreement, the architect and developer from the design team).
- Panel briefing by Planning Officer, 15 minutes (panel and officers only).
- Chair introductions and notice of any conflict of interest, 5 minutes.
- Project team presentation, 30 minutes.
- Panel questions and clarifications, 10 minutes.
- Panel discussion with a summary from the chair, 60 minutes.
- For Subsequent Design Review, the typical agenda (approx. 2 hours in total):
- Panel briefing by Planning Officer, 15 minutes (panel and officers only)
- Chair introductions, 5 minutes.
- Project team presentation, 30 minutes.
- Panel questions and clarifications, 10 minutes.
- Panel discussion with a summary from the chair, 60 minutes.
The Chair’s review will usually last one hour and be conducted by the Chair plus one Panel Member. The design team is not present and only the planning officer presents.
Following the meeting, the Panel Chair will write a DRP report summarising the key points discussed at the Design Review and send it to the Panel Manager within seven days of the review. The Panel Manager will check this version of the DRP report for factual accuracy, ask the Chair for clarifications, if required, and issue the final review DRP report to the design team, planning officer and other panel members (who attended the meeting) within 10 working days of the review.
Meeting dates
Design Review Panel meeting will be in-person and held at the Bedford Borough Council office (Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street) unless otherwise agreed. One Design Review Panel meeting is provisionally arranged for every two months.
These may be used for either formal, intermediate or chair’s reviews as appropriate. Exceptionally, additional meetings may be required to accommodate
the number of schemes requiring a review and / or to meet key dates for specific schemes. The following months are currently set for the Bedford Design Review Panel meetings in 2025:
- date to be confirmed in January 2025
- date to be confirmed in March 2025
- date to be confirmed in May 2025
- date to be confirmed in July 2025
- date to be confirmed in September 2025
- date to be confirmed in November 2025
Panel members
The Design Review Panel brings together over 20 professionals, covering a range of disciplines and expertise. For each review, four or five panel members will be selected from the pool, according to the requirements of the project being reviewed. Click here to meet the Bedford DRP members.
Next steps
If you think your scheme would benefit from a Panel Review, you need to provide written evidence that the case officer supports the principle of development for any pre-application proposal and also that he / she agrees that the proposal is meeting the criteria (see Panel Remit above) to be considered for review. Then please click to fill in enquiry form.