Following the success of the Essex Design Guide published last year, the Essex Planning Officers’ Association has now launched the Essex Quality Review Panel.
This peer group review will help to ensure that the development industry creates great and beautiful places for people to live in, work and enjoy across the county. The Quality Panel will assist with the delivery and promotion of high-quality new developments through the creation of good design, sustainability and improved quality.
The Panel will comprise of five to six members who will be drawn from around 40 people with a wide range of professional expertise including urban design, landscape architecture, architecture, transport, planning, regeneration, public art, environment and sustainability, ecology, heritage and conservation and public health. This breadth and depth in experience will be invaluable to ensuring the Panel is able to provide pragmatic and helpful advice.
The Panel will be managed by Place Services, a traded service of Essex County Council. Noel Farrer has been appointed as Essex Quality Panel Chair. Noel is the past President of the Landscape Institute and a Landscape Architect and Urban Designer with over 30 years’ experience and his own award-winning practice and brings a huge amount of passion and expertise to the role.
The Quality Panel is now operational for local authorities, housebuilders and developers to use, with the use of this Panel recommended for schemes which are at both the pre-application and planning application stages for strategic, major or complex developments and those on sensitive sites. Appointments can be booked online by the applicant or recommended by a local authority.
Graham Thomas (pictured above), Head of Planning at Essex County Council and Chairman of the Essex Planning Officers’ Association said: “Essex is currently home to 1.8 million people and is comprised of twelve districts and two unitary authorities, making it one of the most populous counties outside of London. More than 190,000 new homes are needed across Greater Essex by 2036. With a fast growing population, good quality design has never been so important. By Launching the Quality Review Panel we are demonstrating our commitment to putting quality at the forefront of growth and creating better places for people to live, work and enjoy.”
Panel Chair Noel Farrer commented: “The Essex Quality Review Panel is a fantastic opportunity for authorities and developers to take advantage of exceptional design skills advice, ensuring that future developments achieve the highest possible standards. The site visit and scrutiny of the scheme will reveal where it can be improved, ensure the highest quality and that the wider impacts are all fully understood.”
The Essex Quality Review Panel is part of an overall strategy to improve the quality of development in Essex and follows the relaunch of the award-winning Essex Design Guide recognised for ‘design excellence’.
For more information on the Essex Quality Panel visit: www.essexdesignguide.co.uk/qualitypanel
