Our new design advice panel with the London Borough of Bexley

Design Council Cabe is pleased to announce that it has established the Bexley Design Advice Panel (BDAP) with the London Borough of Bexley. The panel’s objective is to support Bexley in achieving its aim of regenerating its built environment and enhancing the quality of life of its residents.

The panel will review development proposals and masterplans, as well as provide other design support services to the planning and development process, ensuring that design quality is at the heart of new developments in the borough and deliver the maximum possible benefit.

Design Council Cabe will manage BDAP on behalf of Bexley. It will consist of an interdisciplinary panel of 20 individuals chosen from Design Council Cabe’s network of 400 Built Environment Experts (BEEs). The panel will be chaired by Alison Brooks, founder of Alison Brooks Architects Ltd, with Angela Brady, Director of Brady Mallalieu Architects, and Wendy Shillam, founding partner of Shillam + Smith Architecture and Urbanism, acting as vice-chairs. Together they will work with expert panel members in areas spanning architecture, planning, urban design, regeneration, landscape architecture and public realm, community engagement and engineering. Collectively, the panel will provide design advice and support services to Bexley, developers and their design teams. 

The main work of the BDAP will be delivered through Design Review, an independent and impartial process of peer review for evaluating the quality of design of new buildings, masterplans, public spaces and infrastructure projects, which is recognised in the National Planning Policy Framework. 

Good design will be an essential element of this approach, making sure that the places we create are attractive, safe, accessible and stand the test of time.

Councillor Linda Bailey, London Borough of Bexley

Councillor Linda Bailey, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Growth at Bexley, said: “The London Borough of Bexley is committed to plan positively for growth so that we can maximise the benefit of new investment to local residents and businesses. Good design will be an essential element of this approach, making sure that the places we create are attractive, safe, accessible and stand the test of time. The council has worked very successfully with Design Council Cabe on a number of landmark projects in recent years, including our iconic new Crossrail station in Abbey Wood, and I very much welcome their involvement more broadly in driving up the standard of design in new developments across the borough.”

The design reviews carried out in the borough will look at proposals in early stages of the design process to assess the quality of a proposal through constructive and critical advice. 

Clare Devine, Executive Director of Architecture, Built Environment and Design, said: "The independent design review process will instil design quality in development and provide long-term, expert advice to effect transformational change to deliver a sustainable future for the area and the community. We are looking forward to starting work with the borough."

Cabe Design Review is an independent and impartial process for evaluating the quality of significant developments, urban extensions and major infrastructure projects across England. The process is managed to the high standard established in the 10 Principles of Design Review – co-authored by Design Council Cabe, Royal Town Planning Institute, Royal Institute of British Architects and the Landscape Institute.

The Design Review process will instil design quality in development and provide long-term, expert advice ... to deliver a sustainable future for the area and community.

Clare Devine, Design Council