RIBA slams Prince's Foundation design review bid

RIBA president Ruth Reed has launched a scathing attack on moves by the Prince of Wales’ architecture foundation to take on some of the design review work formerly carried out by Cabe.

Reed said the foundation would be “entirely inappropriate” for a role demanding “complete impartiality.” The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, which champions “new urbanist” principles of design, is controversial with architects who see it as propounding Prince Charles’ views on traditional architectural styles. Prince’s Foundation chief executive Hank Dittmar this week said the charity would be keen to see design reviews continue following the dismantling of Cabe, and was eager to be involved.

The news follows the government’s decision to cut funding for Cabe, which currently runs the design review process in which plans for significant buildings are examined by a panel of experts to ensure quality.

Reed said: “The Prince’s Foundation is entirely inappropriately placed for a role which demands complete impartiality when making decisions related to the future of the built environment.

“Good design must not be determined nor constrained by arbitrary stylistic preferences, or the notion of what buildings ‘should’ look like; good design is simply about delivering both the client and the public’s needs within budget, in a way that is appropriate to the building’s context. It has to take full consideration of the aesthetic, future use and technical ambitions and constraints of the client, site and brief.

“Design review is one of the most important aspects of Cabe’s role, and is a way of helping clients and local communities achieve better buildings. The integrity of the process must be maintained, and therefore it should continue to be delivered independently.”

She added that the RIBA was exploring with the government how to take on the design review service, as revealed by Building this week.

Reed’s comments follow an interview with Dittmar in which he said: “It is important that design quality not slip in the wake of this decision [to cut Cabe]. The Prince’s Foundation is investigating the feasibility of providing design review services for local authorities and developers with the help of our network of architects and other designers.

“Such a service could be provided on a fee for service basis and might introduce the element of competition and choice into the design review process. If other organizations similarly stepped into this niche, it might allow local authorities to choose services that best fit local needs, rather than having design quality and design style mediated by an organisation funded by central government.”

A spokesperson for Dittmar said there were no concrete plans being discussed, merely that dittmar had said it was an area worth exploring.