The Community Review Panel

Southwark Council has established an Old Kent Road Community Review Panel.

Old Kent Road is undergoing a major transformation and this panel will comment on plans for development in the area.

The council wants to support and develop existing business and cultural communities and deliver growth in a way that benefits the 35,000 people who live in the area.

So it’s essential that the views of the community are heard and that local people have a say in decision-making.

What is the panel?

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The Community Review Panel is just one of the ways in which the council can better understand the needs of the local community.

The panel gives independent advice on planning in the regeneration area. It discusses important issues, including housing, transport, public and green spaces, and the environment. This helps to ensure all new developments are of the highest possible quality and meet the needs of people living and working in the area, both now and in future.

The panel meets once a month to discuss proposals. These discussions are subsequently written up as formal reports to feed into decisions made by the council.

All of the panel’s recommendations are taken seriously and will be a formal part of the planning process.

Who is on the panel?

NOTE: The panel is currently recruiting new members.

Find out more about joining the panel

The original panel, which is independent of Southwark Council, was recruited in June 2020 and comprised 12 members plus a Chair, Gurmeet Sian.

The members were chosen for their knowledge of the area and for representing a good cross-section of the local population, including their skills, age, ethnic origin etc. As a result, they reflect the demographics of the neighbourhood and, with younger members and members with young families included, they reflect the immediate future of Old Kent Road too.

All the panel members know the area well and all (bar one) live locally.

Although the Chair, Gurmeet is an experienced architect, the panel members themselves are not expected to have any specialist knowledge about planning or development.

How is the panel managed?

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Frame Projects recruited the panel and is responsible for managing the panel.

Frame Projects will ensure the panel is independent; properly briefed and able to effectively communicate its views to the council. Frame provides panel members with the support needed for their role, including free training sessions.

In most cases, the panel reviews developments at pre-application stage, before a planning application has been submitted. This ensures that the panel can provide feedback at an early stage in the preparation of a development proposal.

As with normal pre-application procedure, review advice given before an application is submitted remains confidential (seen only by the applicant, the council and any other stakeholder bodies that the council has involved in the project). This encourages applicants to share proposals openly and honestly with the Community Review Panel – and ensures that they receive the most useful advice.

Once a planning application has been submitted, the minutes of the panel meeting will be uploaded to this page.

More information and minutes

 

Download the Handbook

Download minutes from 24 August 2020

Download minutes from 26 October 2020

Download minutes from 23 November 2020

Download minutes from 7 December 2020

Download minutes from 22 February 2021

Download minutes from 22 March 2021

Download minutes from 26 April 2021

Download minutes from 7 June 2021

Download minutes from 21 June 2021

Download minutes from 7 September 2021

Download minutes from 13 December 2021

Download minutes from 21 March 2022

Download minutes from 16 May 2022

Download minutes from 4 July 2022

Download minutes from 7 November 2022

Download minutes from 12 December 2022

Download minutes from 30 January 2023

Download minutes from 20 February 2023

Download minutes from 20 March 2023

Download minutes from 24 April 2023

Download minutes from 22 May 2023

Download minutes from 19 June 2023: OKR13 Masterplan and Design Code

Download minutes from 10 July 2023

Download minutes from 16 October

If you have any questions about the panel or would like to be considered for membership in future, please call Frame Projects on 020 3971 6161 or email community@frame-projects.co.uk.

Future High Street Fund
The Community Review Panel helps the council to better understand the needs of the community.
231 Old Kent Road launch
Members have a diverse range of skills, experience and knowledge.
Members represent a good cross-section of the local population
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