Agenda item

As part of the second witness session of the Major review, the Committee was addressed by Dale and Jane Venn, Hillingdon-based architectural consultants, and Mr Satish Vekaria, Design Manager in the Council's in-house Major Construction Projects team.

Dale Venn and Jane Venn raised the following points:

·         In their contribution they would try to be the voice of the applicant/customer in the planning process.

·         Named contacts for Planning Officers and direct contact information would be a preferable system to negotiate planning applications.

·         Planning conditions were often seen as excessive or onerous, and too rigid rather than guidance.

·         Though the overall process was good, it was seen as slow.

·         The applicant perception was that Central Government wanted to encourage development, and local government wished to slow or prevent it.

·         As a care of duty, inspections were made post-development.

In response to a Member question, Dale and Jane Venn reported that they did not perceive there was variation in how applications were treated within the Borough depending on their location.

The Council's Design Manager informed the Committee that he managed a small design team within the Council which undertook projects with a budget between £1,000 and £3 million. The team managed projects from design to conclusion, and also conduct follow-up with users.

During the discussion, designs and images for a community resource centre (located in Queen's Walk) were circulated and the following points were raised:

·         After a building was completed, a client survey was undertaken regarding building and design quality, service, the delivery timescale and whether or not the building was meeting the needs of users.

·         When designing and building Queen's Walk Community Centre, ongoing communication and close work with the Planning and Highways departments was critical.

·         Upon completion, users of the building did not initially find all of the spaces suitable, in this case due to limited input from carers and families during development. To address this, the design team try to involve as many stakeholders and users of a building from an early stage, and at different points in the process.

·         The design team make an effort to stay in contact with users of completed projects. Especially in the first 12 months they try to catch any defects in the building, however some users periodically return to the design team for advice on how changing usage could be accommodated.

·         Reference was made to the very close working which took place with planning officers and in particular the discussions which took place on materials. This close liaison was vital to ensure details were correct. A Member referred to the excellence of the site but that some users had expressed concerns at the lack of gardens. The Council's Design Manager said he would have another look at this.

The Committee thanked the witnesses for attending.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the information provided be noted and be taken into consideration as part of the review.

2.    That officers be asked to provide a summary of the evidence of the review, together with suggested recommendations for Members to discuss.