The Panel will be tasked with testing the "fundamental design principles" of planning proposals, both at the pre-application stage and as part of the planning application process itself. It will support the LLDC, which will take on planning powers for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the surrounding area from October.
The Panel's first projects will be to review the upcoming application for Chobham Manor, the first Olympic neighbourhood to be developed, along with a range of building and public realm projects within the Park and surrounding communities.
The Legacy Corporation’s Planning Decisions Team will take over from the Olympic Delivery Authority Planning Decisions Team. It will operate as an independent arm of the London Legacy Development Corporation and will consider major new developments for the Park and the surrounding area. The 16 member Panel will be chaired by Peter Studdert, an adviser to English Heritage and the Design Council CABE.
“We want new developments on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to be of the same design standard as our world class venues," said Daniel Moylan, chairman of the LLDC. “The Quality Review Panel will help achieve that by providing valuable independent oversight to help ensure that high-quality sustainable design is embedded in everything we do.”
The panel has been made up of professionals working in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, environmental sustainability, inclusive design, civil engineering, economic viability, and development delivery.
An independent agency has been selected to manage the review process of the Panel, to safeguard the "impartiality and transparency" of its advice, the LLDC said. Its composition and size will be reviewed regularly, to ensure it offers the required expertise and experience.
“I am delighted to have been appointed Chair of the Quality Review Panel for the London Legacy Development Corporation," said Studdert. "Everyone has high aspirations for the quality of the new neighbourhoods and public facilities that will be the lasting legacy of the London Olympics, and I am looking forward to playing my part in turning these aspirations into reality.”
