Review types and fees - Oxford Design Review Panel

Fees

A fee is charged to cover the costs of operating the design review service:

• Design Workshop (half day): £7,500 + VAT
• Design Review (half day):  £7,500 + VAT
• Design Workshop/ review (full day): £9,500 + VAT
• Desktop review: £5,500 +VAT

Cancellation terms apply if a booked scheme is cancelled less than 14 days before the agreed review date.

Design Workshop

Following a presentation by the applicant, there will be an interactive discussion with the Panel on a scheme’s early stage design strategies. Workshops help to establish design priorities early in the process, ensuring that good design is considered from the start to help maximise the scheme’s potential. They may also help to avoid time being spent on significant design amendments later on. Workshops usually involve 4 or 5 panel members (including one Chair) and include a roundtable discussion on design.

Full Design Review

This is a detailed evaluation of the design quality of a scheme. Reviews help to resolve complex design issues, as well as providing an opportunity to discuss detailed design options, such as materiality, detailing and elevation treatments. Impartial, expert advice is given from a range of professional fields, often offering technical design support that may not be available within the design team. Design reviews can help to identify the appropriate stage at which to make a formal planning application, as well as helping to reduce risk in the planning application process. Reviews usually involve 4 or 5 panel members (including one Chair).

Desktop Review

This is a small-scale design review, where the design quality of a scheme is assessed. In most cases it is used at the planning application stage when a project has been reviewed before. Information from previous reviews is made available. Desktop reviews provide reassurance on the design principles and approach and help to acknowledge good design in development proposals. Desktop reviews involve three panel members (including one chair) Cnd a Panel advisor only.

Representatives of the architect/applicant and the local planning authority do not normally attend. Review letters can be appended to design and access statements to show the milestones of scheme progression at the planning application stage.

Standard process for reviews

The standard process of reviews is as follows:

1. Prior to the review, the applicant completes a referral form and attends a briefing with the Panel Manager
2. It is the responsibility of the developer or architect of a proposal to provide a written scheme description (project submission form) of the project to be reviewed
3. The first review of a scheme will be preceded by a site visit. Subsequent reviews will not include a site visit. Online reviews will require a virtual tour of the site
4. The scheme is presented by the applicant team, and this is followed by a panel discussion. Key stakeholders may also be invited to share their views
5. Following the review, a Design Advisor will compose a report summarising the discussion. This will be issued within 10 working days of the review