Memorandum by the Design Commission for
Wales (CAB 23)
I write this submission in my capacity as chief
executive officer of the recently established Design Commission
for Wales, an organisation with a similar role in Wales to that
of CABE in England.
1. The contribution to enhanced quality
in the built environment made by CABE has been enormous. Greater
awareness of the issues and direct public benefits, as well as
improved practice in the public and private sectors, design and
construction industries are significantly strengthened as a result
of CABE's presence.
2. The Design Commission for Wales has been
assisted in its early years by the team at CABE from the Executive
and Board all the way along the team. I have personally spent
time alongside CABE directors and teams, willing to share the
experiences and lessons of their first five years. Consistency,
continuity and constant evaluation lie at the heart of the organisation
and are reflected in its structure and operations at strategic
and programme levels. Observing this structure has helped the
Commission consider its own structure and the means by which it
may operate as it grows and we have much to thank CABE for in
this process.
CABE's advice, through its Design Review Service,
has provided clients, design teams and development professionals
with consistent and authoritative comment, contributing to more
improved schemes and driving practice standards upwards. Increasingly,
the review is for many professionals viewed seriously and forms
part of the preparation for, or development of an application
for planning permission.
My team and I have observed a Design Review
meeting. Peter Stewart's team and the review panel welcomed us
earlier this year and we witnessed an impeccable process. The
evident expertise of the panel and their discipline was exemplary
as each deployed their skills toward constructive enquiry and
debate.
3. The consistency of language used and
the solid research base from which CABE works means that its publications
are immensely valuable to the architectural, urban design and
development sectors. The Design Commission for Wales has benefited
by being given access to these publications and to team members
willing to help us make the case in Wales at a time when we have
the greatest opportunity. The CABE website also provides a huge
resource and is an exemplar in terms of openness and access to
information; is easily accessible and is a resource to which we
often point practitioners and policy makers alike.
4. Perhaps CABE's most important role lies
in its ability to significantly reduce the gap in provision for
design education and the development of professional skills in
the built environment field. CABE has prioritised these issues
and put both on the public agenda by being bold enough to admit
that there is a problem, raise awareness and call for greater
debate. The skills deficit in the built environment field is cavernous
and must be addressed.
5. At a European level (and in broader international
terms) the UK remains behind in the field of urban design and
built environment expertise and this is reflected in the still
poor quality of many developments, public buildings and spaces.
Where there is evidence of improvement there is also the hand
of CABE whether present in the work done through Enabling
or simply the research, identification and celebration of best
practice such as the Building for Life project.
There are many "bodies" assigned national
or international roles and many that are charged by government
with a variety of tasks. There are few that can demonstrate the
quality and consistency embodied in CABE. The scale of the task
falling at the feet of CABE and indeed of the Commission here
in Wales is vast. The Design Commission for Wales fully supports
CABE's role and its continuance as a key agent in the drive for
sustainable development in all its forms and improved quality
in the built environment.
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