About the panel
The Design Review Panel (DRP) is made up of a group of independent professionals working in the built environment field. It advises us on design issues relating to new development schemes and proposals for public spaces, including major planning applications and pre-application development proposals.
Built environment experts are appointed by the council to sit on the Panel and this is reviewed and refreshed periodically. Anyone wishing to sit on the Panel outside of specific recruitment periods, should contact the council at regeneration@merton.gov.uk. Information about what the Panel does and how it operates can be found in the Terms of Reference section further down this page.
Panel meetings
Panel meetings are held virtually using Microsoft Teams. Some types of Panel meeting may lend themselves to in-person meetings and this will be considered on a case by case basis.
The Panel generally only reviews pre-application development proposals These are not held in public. When these proposals are submitted as a full planning application, the notes will become available for public viewing on Planning Explorer. When the Panel reviews proposals that are at the full planning application stage, the review will be recorded and subsequently posted on the council's YouTube channel for later public viewing.
Scheduled Panel meetings for the current year are shown below. Additionally alerts are also posted on the Design Review Panel meeting list. When nothing is shown, no meetings have yet taken place. Previous meetings can be viewed here.
The Merton Design Review Panel has currently moved away from pre-scheduled review meetings and will now hold reviews as and when suitable schemes are received by us at the pre-application stage. When meetings are scheduled, they will be posted on the webpage and alerts posted on ModernGov as usual. Browse meetings of the Design Review Panel.
2025 meetings
| Date | Agenda | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 26 February | Agenda 26 February 2025 | Notes 26 February 2025 |
| 21 January | Agenda 21 January 2025 | Notes 21 January 2025 |
2024 meetings
| Date | Agenda | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 17 April | Agenda 17 April 2024 | Notes 17 April 2024 |
| 20 February | Agenda 20 February 2024 | Notes 20 February 2024 |
Fees for reviews
In line with good practice and how other Panels operate, on 18 December 2023 our Cabinet resolved to charge applicants for reviews and to pay reviewers for their work. Reviewers will be paid £335 per meeting. Fees and payments will be reviewed each year to account for inflation. The table below sets out the different types of review and the fees for each.
Paying for a review
Applicants must pay for their review in advance of the review meeting. This must only be done following discussion with us, and on receipt of a formal invitation to review, which will state the correct fee to be paid.
The table below sets out the different types of review and the fees for each. Reviews must be paid for on-line using the buttons in the table.
Do not pay your fee until we have sent you a formal invitation.
Fees must be paid before the date of the meeting.
| Review | Full review (chair plus 5 reviewers) | Workshop / early review (Chair plus 3 reviewers) | Desktop review (Chair plus 1 reviewer) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Review | £3,354.00 (£670.80 VAT) £4,024.80 total | £2,236 (£447.20 VAT) £2,683.20 total | Not available
|
| Subsequent Review | £2,795 (£559.00 VAT) £3,354.00 total | Not available
| £1,118 (£223.60 VAT) £1,341.60 total |
Accountability
Good practice for how Design Review Panels operate is set out in Design Review, Principles and Practice (Design Council). Merton’s Panel operates in accordance with the guidance in this document, and with the guidance set out in the London Design Review Charter, to which it is a signatory.
Terms of Reference
The Terms of Reference for Merton’s Design Review Panel explains what the Panel is, what it aims to do and how it operates.
Code of conduct
In December 2023 Merton’s Cabinet approved a new Code of Conduct for all those involved in the Merton Design Review Panel. This includes applicants, reviewers, council staff and councillors as well as local groups, organisations and the press:
London Design Review Charter
We operate the Merton Design Review Panel in accordance with the London Design Review Charter and have signed up to the provisions of this document. Reference to this is also included in the Terms of reference. The signed Charter can be viewed and downloaded below:
London Design Review Charter (Merton)
Panel members page
Panel members review the plans and proposals as submitted by the applicants. These are uploaded electronically to this webpage for Panel members to view and assess in advance of the review meeting. This is a password protected webpage that only Panel members can access. Panel members can login using the link below: