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Design review is when an independent panel of experts gives advice on the design and quality of development proposals. It usually takes place at an early stage, often before a planning application is submitted.
Design review provides an objective view and can help improve proposals, leading to better outcomes for places and communities.
Dover District Design and Place Panel
The Dover District Design and Place Panel was formed in 2023. It is made up of 20 experienced built environment practitioners with a range of expertise in design and development. This includes architects, landscape architects, transport planners, master-planners, viability consultants and heritage professionals.
The panel provides independent, professional advice on significant development proposals to support well-designed buildings, spaces and places in the district.
It is made up of experts from Design South East’s (opens in new tab) wider network, including members with strong local connections. Design South East is a not-for-profit organisation with experience delivering design review across Kent. The organisation manages the panel.
More on design review
Design review can be used for large and small-scale developments, so long as the projects are significant enough to warrant the investment needed for a review.
The Dover Design and Place Panel will assess schemes that will have a significant impact on the built environment, including:
schemes of 100+ homes
schemes of 10,000 sqm+ commercial/non-residential
regeneration schemes within Dover and Deal town centres
complex and/or sensitive schemes, such as those within a prominent or historic town centre location
sites allocated for development in the Local Plan, where policy PM1 requires a design review is undertaken
SAP1 - Whitfield Urban Expansion - to inform the masterplan and design codes
SAP3 - Dover waterfront
HRS1 - Dover Western Heights
SAP6 - Dover mid town
SAP7 - Bench Street, Dover
SAP12 - car park rear of Charlton Shopping Centre, High Crafford Street, Dover (DOV028)
SAP24 - land to the south of Aylesham
SAP28 - land between Eythorne and Elvington
HRS2 – former Snowdown colliery, Aylesham
where planning permission is sought for a new isolated home within the countryside under paragraph 84 e) of the National Planning Policy Framework (where a case is made that the design is of exceptional quality, in that it is truly outstanding and would significantly enhance its immediate setting)
schemes will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account any effect on viability.
Use design review at an early stage, before you submit a planning application. This helps improve proposals and avoid unnecessary costs and delays.
Early design review adds value to your scheme. It provides useful feedback and is unlikely to increase overall costs.
For larger schemes with a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA), a design review will be included as part of the process.
Design South East will lead, organise and advise you on the process.
Panels are typically made up of five panel members, though this can vary depending on the size of the scheme.
On the day of the design review, the session will start with a site visit (or virtual site-visit).
Reviews can be held at the council offices, online or at another agreed venue.
The panel will listen to a presentation of the development proposal by you or your design team.
The remainder of the session involves discussion and feedback is then given by the panel.
After the session, the panel produces a report of its recommendations for you and council officers.
The Dover District Design and Place Panel is not a decision-making body, but has an advisory and transparent role.
It will provide impartial advice, with feedback and recommendations becoming a material planning consideration on submission of a planning application. The panel's comments can carry weight within the assessment and decision-making of planning applications.
The cost of the review is to be met by the developer, who will pay a fee directly to Design South East. The cost will vary, but is typically within the region of £4,000 to £8,000, depending on the size of the scheme.
There is an option of a standard size review panel of five, or a smaller review panel of two or three members at a reduced cost.
Design South East and DDC will put together the panel based on the expertise and availability of panel members that will suit the context, constraints and challenges of the proposal.
Contact the case officer who is dealing with your pre-application enquiry and Design South East.
There are a number of tools and processes that can support and secure sustainable and high quality design and placemaking through the planning process:
Building for a healthy life
Major residential developments should follow the principles set out in Building for a Healthy Life. This is in line with best practice recommendations, including the National Planning Policy Framework.
Sport England has published an Active Design guide. Major residential developments should have regard to the 10 active design principles set out in the guide.
All applications should incorporate the principles of designing out crime and/or Secured by Design. Kent Police is consulted on a range of applications, including all major applications at planning stage. We encourage discussion of proposals with Kent Police before an application is submitted.
Masterplanning and design codes
We support and encourage the use of masterplans for large strategic sites and other large developments. We currently have masterplans for Whitfield, Aylesham and the Western Heights, which have been adopted as Supplementary Planning Documents.
Design codes may need to be produced for strategic and other large developments. For large sites, the local community should be involved in their production.
Community involvement
For larger developments, we encourage the use of design workshops and/or workshops to allow collaboration with local communities and residents in design development.
We set up this panel as we are committed to securing high quality design and placemaking through the planning process. This is in line with best practice guidance, with design review recommended in the National Planning Policy Framework as a tool for supporting and achieving high quality development.
The Dover District Local Plan to 2040 reflects national policy and promotes the use of design review in policy PM1.
Design review is listed as a monitoring indicator in the Local Plan. The number of planning applications referred to design review will be monitored using this indicator.
