DesignPLACE Review

The DesignPLACE review panel provides impartial advice and feedback on how proposals for development could be improved.

Design Surgeries are now available for non-major and small major schemes. See below for more information.

DesignPLACE review involves a panel of independent specialists with different design expertise covering:

  • Planning;
  • Landscaping;
  • Architecture;
  • Culture and conservation; and
  • Engineering and environment.

The panel provides impartial advice and feedback on how proposals for development could be improved.

Design South East (d:se) provides the DesignPLACE reviews for Brighton & Hove. It is an integral part of National Planning Policy Framework and the Farrell Review of Architecture and the Built Environment.

What kind of developments will be reviewed?

We’re offering the DesignPLACE service to all pre-application submissions for all schemes in the city.

Major schemes can apply for panel review and non-majors for review as part of a design surgery. Depending on the size and complexity, smaller major schemes may also be able to apply for design surgery.

A major application or scheme is defined in the The Town and Country Planning  (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 as:

  • 10 or more units of residential accommodation;
  • new commercial development of 1,000 square metres or more;
  • change of use of 1,000 square metres or more;
  • site area exceeding 0.5 hectares where it is not known how many dwellings are to be created;
  • development site area is 1 hectare or more.

How does it work?

It is not mandatory for developers to take their designs to a DesignPLACE review, but we expect that prospective developersi n the city, in particular for major schemes, will choose to do so.

Applicants of schemes seeking pre-application advice from the council will be contacted by the case officer and encouraged to submit their designs to be reviewed.

Should agreement be reached, Design South East will contact the applicant to identify an appropriate date for convening the DesignPLACE panel.

The DesignPLACE panel

  • is composed of at least five experts appointed by Design South East and varies with different experts sitting on the panel at different times;
  • meets monthly but also on a request basis; and
  • will not make decisions on planning applications, but its advice will be taken into account by the council’s planning committee when it is considering applications.

The DesignPLACE surgery

  • is composed of at least two experts appointed by Design South East and varies with different experts sitting on the panel at different times;
  • meets monthly but also on a request basis; and
  • will not make decisions on planning applications, but its advice will be taken into account by the council’s planning committee when it is considering applications.

Advantages of the DesignPLACE service

We anticipate that getting independent advice early in the planning process will help to reduce developers’ costs in the long run, by helping to avoid costly delays and changes later in the process.

For planning applicants, the review process provides an opportunity to save time and money by getting specialist advice in various areas of expertise at one go, and design issues resolved early.

For our planning team, it will help to reduce time spent by staff giving design-related advice and give them more time to concentrate on other work.

Cost of the DesignPLACE review service

Applicants pay to take their designs to the panel and flexibility of the applicant with regards to the date of the panel.

Costs for major schemes ary from £5,733.60 for a half-day panel for regular schemes to £9,127.20 for a whole day panel for highly complex schemes.

Costs for non-major schemes and major schemes vary. Please contact designplace@brighton-hove.gov.uk for more details.

Applicants need to have a live pre-application submission in place at least three weeks prior the panel date. This is so the Local Planning Authority can allocate an officer to review the your scheme prior to the panel date itself. For more information please visit Pre-application planning advice service.

Further information

Design South East is the region’s leading source of built environment design support with 20 years of experience working with local authorities.

For further information on the service please send an email to designplace@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call 01273 292352.