MADE.

From 5th October CABE and eight regional design review services, including MADE, have become ‘affiliated’.

Affiliation creates a national network of design review panels, providing all local planning authorities with access to independent practical design advice.

The network 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 capacity is increased, learning is shared, and a consistent service is provided to developers and planners across England.

The eight regional design review services that have affiliated to CABE are:

• South East (run by the Kent Architecture Centre)
• South West (run by Creating Excellence)
• North East (run by Ignite)
• North West (run by Places Matter!)
• West Midlands (run by MADE)
• East Midlands (run by Opun)
• East of England (run by Inspire East)and
• Yorkshire and Humber (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 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 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.

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. In the West Midlands only the MADE design review service will be affiliated to CABE, but MADE will continue to work with our partners in Urban Vision North Staffordshire design review to ensure a comprehensive service across our region.

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