London council sets up private panel to police planning

Barnet Council’s quality review panel is chaired by local architect Russell Curtis, founder-director of London-based practice RCKa.

Vice-chair Selina Mason, another local resident, is director of masterplanning and strategic design at Lendlease, focusing on urban regeneration masterplans.

The chair and vice-chair will work with a team of 26 other independent experts from across the planning and design sectors, tasked with ensuring new developments in the borough are built to high standards, with sustainable credentials.

This work is usually carried out by council planning officers; Barnet is effectively outsourcing it to local design grandees.

Barnet’s quality review panel will seek to ensure that design issues can be discussed at the early stages of the planning process.

Cllr Ross Houston, deputy council leader and cabinet member for homes & regeneration, said: “The team of experts will help to deliver our commitment to high-quality development that complements the existing townscapes of our borough. At the same time, we’re strengthening our planning policies to focus on building communities, not just homes, to ensure that developments integrate well with surrounding areas, and to align with our ambitious environmental goals.”

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