Borough to recruit 20-member team to assess merits of £5bn development pipeline

Croydon council is to create a squad of architecture, conservation and urban design experts to conduct place reviews on major regeneration projects proposed for the borough.

The Place Review Panel, expected to number around 20 industry professionals, will help assess the design merits of the more than £5bn worth of high-profile development proposals currently in the pipeline for Croydon as part of the pre-application process.

Planning committee chair Paul Scott said the panel was expected to further enhance the council’s reputation for efficiently progressing planning applications and ensure new places are designed and delivered to the highest standards.

“The council has recently seen the delivery of several new high-quality built environment schemes and this review panel will take us a step closer to our goal, as well as hopefully speeding up approvals and therefore saving time and expense for developers,” he said.

The council said expressions of interest could be made in advance by registering on the London Tenders Portal.