Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission – Final Report Published

Living with Beauty - A key influence on the future of design in the country?

The commission was an independent body that advised government on how to promote and increase the use of high-quality design for new build homes and neighbourhoods. It published its final report in the early 2020. Final Report available here.  The report has been used an input into the ‘Planning for the Future White’ paper.  It will also inform the ‘National Model Design Code’ due for publication autumn 2020.

The commission had 3 primary aims:

1. To promote better design and style of homes, villages, towns and high streets, to reflect what communities want, building on the knowledge and tradition of what they know works for their area.
2. To explore how new settlements can be developed with greater community consent.
3. To make the planning system work in support of better design and style, not against it.

Commissioners

• Co-chair: Sir Roger Scruton*
• Co-chair: Nicholas Boys Smith
• Mary Parsons
• Gail Mayhew
• Adrian Penfold OBE

*Sir Roger passed away on Sunday 12 January 2020 following a period of illness.

Specialist advisers

• Stephen Stone, Executive Chairman of Crest Nicholson
• Sunand Prasad, Senior Partner and co-founder of Penoyre & Prasad and past President of the Royal Institute of British Architects
• Ben Bolgar, Senior Director of Prince’s Foundation
• Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE, Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
• Peter Studdert, Chair of Quality Review Panels for the London Legacy Development Corporation and the London Borough of Haringey
• Paul Monaghan, Director of AHMM and Design Council Trustee
• Yolande Barnes, Professor of Real Estate at University College London
• Euan Mills, Head of Digital Planning at Connected Places Catapult
• Andrew Cameron, Director of Andrew Cameron & Associates