Lewisham Design Review Panel

Apply to be on the Lewisham Design Review Panel

We are seeking experienced built-environment professionals to join our Design Review Panel and play an important role in the delivery of high-quality design across Lewisham.

Established over a decade ago, the Lewisham Design Review Panel has reviewed more than 150 projects, including many large-scale developments and design planning policy documents. The Council highly values the panel’s expert advice and design review plays a crucial role in the pre-application process for large and complex schemes seeking planning permission.

By joining our panel of 25-30 professionals with expertise spanning across architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and conservation and heritage, you will have the opportunity to influence some of London’s most high-profile development projects.

Lewisham is an exciting inner-London borough with a rich and varied character and one of the most ethnically diverse and youngest populations in London. With a huge demand to deliver high quality housing, retail, community, transport and public realm projects to accommodate growth in the borough, we have several major projects in progress that are due to be delivered in the coming years.

We are proud to have many award-winning schemes in the Borough that have benefited from the advice of our Design Review Panel. Recent examples include:

• Lewisham Gateway (winner of best borough led project at London Planning Awards)
• Surrey Canal Triangle (nominated for two awards at World Architecture Festival)
• Lewisham Exchange (nominated at Offsite Awards and Building Awards)
• 1 Creekside (winner of best new place to live at London Planning Awards)
• Deptford Market Yard (winner of London Planning Award and Planning Awards).

Who should apply?

We are looking for experienced practitioners including architects, urban designers, landscape architects and conservation and heritage specialists with expertise in one or more of the following types of design and development:

• Masterplanning
• Large-scale residential development of 100 units +
• Residential development of 40-99 units +
• Mixed-use employment and residential schemes
• Affordable housing schemes
• Purpose Built Student Accommodation and Large-Scale Purpose Built Shared-Living accommodation
• Sustainable design including large-scale retrofit
• School, community and/or cultural buildings
• Large-scale retail schemes

Candidates should have at least five years of experience of working as a built-environment professional and preferably be at associate level or above.

The Council aims to have a panel that best reflects the diversity and inclusivity of the borough and welcomes applications from everyone, in particular LGBTQA+ individuals, people from Black, Asian, and Multi-Ethnic backgrounds, candidates with disabilities, individuals from other protected characteristic groups and female professionals.

Panel Fees

• Panel members are paid £500 per day of reviews / £250 per half day of reviews.
• Panel chairs are paid £700 per day of reviews / £350 per half day of reviews and £100 per hour to produce the Lewisham Design Review Panel reports.

How to submit your application

Please use the link below to visit our website and download an application form: https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/planning/conservation/design-review-panel

Please submit the application form and requested documents via email to urbandesign@lewisham.gov.uk.

The deadline for applications is on 11:59pm, 2 December 2024.

Additional information

The Lewisham Design Review Panel is an independent body to the Council and panel members are not directly employed by the Council. A daily fee is offered to panel members to compensate them for participation in design review sessions.

There is likely to be one Design Review Panel session per month. For each design review usually 4-5 panel members are selected from the wider pool of panel members to review a scheme based on their relevant design experience to the projects being reviewed.

Panel Members are expected to be available to attend Design Review days up to 6 times per year.

Further information about the Lewisham Design Review Panel is provided in the Lewisham Design Review Panel Terms of Reference which is available to download from our website: https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/planning/conservation/design-review-panel

If you have any questions or would like to have an informal chat about applying to the Design Review Panel, please contact urbandesign@lewisham.gov.uk.