SERDP AND THE NPPF

South East Regional Design Panel

The Government published the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in March 2012. We are pleased to say that the NPPF recognises the role that high quality design plays in creating sustainable, high quality places and for the first time in national policy promotes local design review. The NPPF states: “Local planning authorities should have local design review arrangements in place to provide assessment and support to ensure high standards of design.”

The South East Regional Design Panel (SERDP), established by Kent Architecture Centre and SEEDA in 2002, is the longest running Regional Design Panel in England. Over the past 2 years we have developed a new model of Design Review based on long-term relationships with Local Planning Authorities across the South East. The reason is simple – Local Authorities were telling us that they valued SERDP but needed a more specific and continuous Design Review service, with more flexibility in the type and scale of schemes reviewed and in the formats of the Panel meetings. The model we developed with our Local Authority partners combines the independence and excellence of the South East Design Review Panel with the value of local knowledge.

This combination resulted in the development of the Regional Panel in Ashford and more recently the Regional Panel in Berkshire. These Panels operate as part of the South East Panel, offering Local Planning Authorities an expert, independent and effective Local Design service by the most experienced Panel members and management team in the South East – at no cost to the Authority.

As we move past our 400th review we look forward to working with Local Planning Authorities on the development of new Panel branches, in groups or independently, to provide access to high quality, independent Local Design Review right across the South East.

For full details on the role and operation of the South East Regional Design Review Panel, please contact Robert Offord – robert.offord@architecturecentre.org