The purpose of the group is to provide an expert knowledge resource to support the RIBA’s policies, actions and guidance on planning issues. 

Chair: Ruth Reed

Members:  David Ashe, Peter Burley, Elspeth Clements, Ian Davies, Clare Fielding, Ian Hunter, Andrew Matheson, Kathryn Moore, Alfred Munkenbeck, Hugh Petter, Patrick Redmond, Ben van Bruggen

Staff contact: Alex Tait

Protecting Design Quality

The reputation of well-known or good quality architects is in some cases an important factor in securing a planning consent. In such cases, however, it is common that once a consent is gained, the services of the design architect are dispensed with, and others are engaged for the technical drawings and site inspections, degrading the original design in the process.

This is of concern to both local authorities and the architects engaged only for the original design and to counter this tendency this legally robust Model Drafting for a Section 106 Agreement prepared by Planning Group members Robert Adam of Robert Adam Architects and Matthew White of Herbert Smith LLP, can be offered to local authorities generally and by architects when preparing applications.

Note on Garden Land amendment to PPS3

Some members have been asking how the new government guidance on Garden Land should be interpreted in the light of varying interpretations that have been suggested. A definitive interpretation will only be possible in the light of future appeal decisions and, no doubt, judgements in the courts.

This will take time, however, at a recent meeting of the Planning Group it was decided that it would be helpful to produce some advice in the short term. The following advice is considered by the RIBA to be reliable, and has been agreed in principle with the RTPI's Head of Policy & Practice. The RTPI is working on more detailed advice for planning practitioners.

Guidance on preparing planning applications issued by the RIBA to members as a means of assisting the planning process.

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