Gloucestershire Design Panel aims to make Gloucestershire visually stunning

With support from GFirst LEP, a group of leading local design professionals have formed an independent multi-disciplinary panel to make a positive contribution to the design principles of large and significant building developments across Gloucestershire.

With support from GFirst LEP, a group of leading local design professionals have formed an independent multi-disciplinary panel to make a positive contribution to the design principles of large and significant building developments across Gloucestershire.

Operating as a free and independent body to review planning schemes and make recommendations to developers, the panel operates a free service to critically evaluate large and significant proposals that have been referred by planning committees and authorities.  Providing impartial advice, developers can draw on the skills and expertise of the panel that represent a broad cross section of design professionals practising throughout the county.

In support of the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework that places high quality design within its core principles, the Gloucestershire Design Panel was set up by Paul Fong, Managing Director of Hunter Page in Cheltenham. Paul is an active member of GFirst LEP’s Construction and Infrastructure sector group and is one of over 500 Ambassadors that are working on a voluntary basis to make a difference to the local economy of Gloucestershire.

As an independent local review panel to secure high quality attributes to new building developments, the panel has already secured notable success with a number of recent building proposals that have been influenced in their design that include the new BMW and mini dealership in Cheltenham, the new Gloucester College campus in the Forest of Dean and the Three Ashes Care home in Newent.

David Owen, Chief Executive, GFirst LEP said: “I’m delighted that the Gloucestershire Design Panel has been set up to offer free and impartial advice for large and significant schemes.  This service is hugely important to ensure we have a positive impact on the future of building developments to safeguard that they incorporate high quality design principles and they are aesthetically pleasing to the local community.

With significant economic growth targets for the county, we envisage a number of significant and large developments to follow and it’s important that these are developed sympathetically to ensure that the county continues to be visually stunning with a quality of working life recognised as the best in Europe.”

For more information about the Gloucestershire Design Panel and how it operates, please visit www.glosdesignpanel.co.uk.