OSDC Announces New Planning Quality Review Panel to Champion Design Excellence in the West End 

The OSDC is delighted to announce the establishment of its new Planning Quality Review Panel, comprising 23 leading experts from across the built environment sector.

The panel brings together a diverse range of specialists in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, environmental sustainability, inclusive design, culture, economic viability, and development delivery. It will play a key role in supporting OSDC’s planning function and championing high-quality, sustainable design across the Mayoral Development Area in the heart of London’s West End.

The panel will be co-chaired by Simon Henley and Paul Monaghan, two highly respected figures in architecture and design leadership.

Simon Henley is an architect and founding director of Henley Halebrown. His studio has been shortlisted twice for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize in 2018 for Chadwick Hall at the University of Roehampton, and again in 2022 for Hackney New Primary School and 333 Kingsland Road, the latter also winning the RIBA Neave Brown Award. Alongside his practice, Simon is an active contributor to design research and criticism, and the author of Redefining Brutalism and The Architecture of Parking.

Simon Henley said:
“This panel brings together an exceptional breadth of expertise and shared commitment to design quality. We have a real opportunity to shape a part of London that reflects the very best of contemporary thinking places that are sustainable, inclusive and rooted in their context. I am excited to work collaboratively to support ambitious, thoughtful development across the area.”

Paul Monaghan is founder of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), one of the UK’s largest and most successful architectural practices. Over the past three decades, he has led numerous landmark projects including the redevelopment of Television Centre, 334 Oxford Street (the former Debenhams Department Store), social housing in Barking, New Scotland Yard, and Burntwood School, which won the Stirling Prize in 2015. Paul has also served as a Trustee and Ambassador for The Design Council and most recently has been appointed as Town Architect for Croydon by the GLA.

Paul Monaghan said:
“Good design has the power to transform how people experience and connect with their city. This panel will provide constructive, expert guidance to help ensure that new development in the West End meets the highest standards delivering long-term value for communities while responding to the challenges of growth, sustainability and change.”

Five members of the panel will meet monthly to consider projects referred by the Development Corporation, and the service will be managed externally, by Frame Projects, to ensure its independence.

“The West End is one of the world’s great urban districts, and the quality of the places we create today will shape how future generations experience it. The Planning Quality Review Panel brings together leading experts in architecture, urban design, sustainability and development from across the world to provide independent challenge and advice as we deliver the transformation of Oxford Street and the wider area.

Our ambition is not simply to enable growth, but to ensure that growth is accompanied by design excellence, environmental responsibility and a strong sense of place. The Panel will play an important role in helping us achieve that ambition.” Nabeel Khan, OSDC Chief Executive

Full membership of the Oxford Street Planning Quality Review Panel is:

Alice Lester, Alice Lester Consultancy

Amber Fahey, LB Barking and Dagenham

Carrie Behar, Useful Simple Trust

Daniel Rea, Periscope

Deborah Saunt, DSDHA

Dinah Bornat, ZCD Architects

Eleanor Fawcett, 1851 Royal Commission Fellow

Gavin Henderson, Stanton Williams

Hari Phillips, Form Place

Jacqueline Stephen, Niall McLaughlin Architects

John McRae, ORMS

Jonathan Hagos, Freehaus

Jonny Wong, dMFK Architects

Joseph Zeal-Henry,  City of Boston

Neil Hubbard, Heatherwick Studio

Neil Porter, Gustafson Porter + Bowman

Paul Monaghan (co-chair), Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

Richard Smith, Jacobs

Rupesh Varsani, Berkeley Group

Simon Henley (co-chair), Henley Halebrown

Stephanie Edwards, Urban Symbiotics

Stuart Piercy, Piercy&Co

Takero Shimazaki, Takero Shimazaki

Tamsin Ace, East Bank

The Planning Quality Review Panel will provide independent, expert advice to help ensure new development across the OSDC area delivers exemplary design, supports thriving communities, and contributes positively to London’s built environment.

For more information on the new Oxford Street Planning Quality Review Panel, visit www.frame-projects.co.uk/oxford-street-planning-quality-review-panel