Design Review is an independent and impartial evaluation process in which a panel of multi-disciplinary experts on the built environment assess the design of a proposal. The process is in place to improve the quality of buildings and places and is widely recognised as having a positive impact. The importance of Design Review is specifically referenced in both the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the London Plan.
Brent Quality Review Panel
Established in 2022, the Brent Quality Review Panel (QRP) supports the council by offering independent and expert advice on:
- Major schemes and strategically important built environment projects;
- Other schemes regarded as sensitive in terms of design, context, public interest or local impact;
- Infrastructure, landscape and open space projects;
- Council-led policies, strategies and supplementary planning guidance.
The panel is managed externally by Frame Projects and operates in close collaboration with our Placemaking and Development Management teams. It is the successor to the Brent Design Advice Panel (BDAP), which was managed by the Design Council from 2017 to 2022.
Schemes are presented to the panel by recommendation only and selected based on whether they meet certain criteria. For further information, please refer to the Terms of Reference.
London Quality Review Charter
To ensure design review in Brent is delivered in a consistent manner to other local authorities in London, the council has signed the London Quality Review Charter.
Panel Co-Chairs
Tom Greenall
A Director at DSDHA, Tom Greenall is also a Part 3 examiner at the University of Westminster and a visiting tutor at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam. He was awarded the 2016 Fellowship in the Built Environment by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and, since 2011, has taught in the School of Architecture at the Royal College of Art. Tom is chair of the Wandsworth Design Review Panel and a member of the Ealing Design Review Panel.
Kaye Stout
As a partner at Pollard Thomas Edwards, Kaye Stout leads one of the practice’s design studios. Her approach is closely integrated with the practice’s ethos, combining commercial acumen, design quality and social commitment. She has led on projects ranging from large-scale masterplans to commercial or residential led developments, and has delivered a series of successful and award-winning projects. Kaye is also a member of the Camden Design Review Panel.