London, UK
Design review panel members
at The London Borough of Merton Council
The London Borough of Merton Council is hiring design review panel members to join its team in London.
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 [email protected]. Information about what the Panel does and how it operates can be found in the Terms of Reference section further down this page.
Join our Design Review Panel
We are seeking experienced built-environment professionals to join Merton’s design review panel. To find out more, please click on the link below.
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.
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:
Log in to the panel members’ page
Do you want to help shape the way new buildings in Merton look? If you have a background in a range of disciplines relating to the design of buildings and places, why not consider joining our design review panel. We are currently seeking experienced built-environment professionals to join our Design Review Panel and play an important role in the delivery of high-quality design across Merton.
Merton has had a Panel since 2007 and has a good and long track record of improving design in the borough. During this time the Panel has undertaken over 300 reviews on over 200 sites during 18 years of operation. Over 100 of the reviews have advanced to completed buildings, with others on-site, totalling over 3,000 new homes built benefitting from design
review.
This is the first full refresh of our Panel membership and is part of a full update of how our panel works, including payment for Members work. Now is a great time to join our Panel.
To apply please visit the Merton DRP website at Design Review Panel | Merton Council using the ‘apply for job’ button below.
Closing date is 9 June 2025.
This position is only available to applicants based in the United Kingdom