The National Capital Design Review Panel (NCDRP) is a joint initiative by the ACT Government and the National Capital Authority (NCA) to provide a single city-wide design review panel process. The NCDRP also offers an efficient and consistent approach to delivering independent design advice for development proposals across Canberra. Visit Design Review for information about the process of design review.

Under the supervision of the ACT Government Architect and the NCA’s Chief Planner, the NCDRP provides design advice to decision makers, developers and their design teams. The NCDRP offers a structured process of design review, involving site inspections, independent review of a proposal, and the issuing of independent written advice to proponents and government.

The NCDRP supports decision-makers in delivering high quality, inspiring development and public spaces that meet the needs of the broader community and ensure integration with the surrounding environment. Through the process of peer-review by a panel of highly experienced design professionals, design review assists with achieving good design outcomes for development proposals.

The experience in other jurisdictions demonstrates that design review is most effective early in the design process, when there is still an opportunity to make efficient and cost-effective changes to achieve the best possible outcome for a development proposal. When proponents genuinely engage with the design review panel’s advice, design review will streamline the development assessment process by enabling issues to be identified at an early stage, thereby reducing the risks and costs that can be associated with the planning process.

Who is the panel?

The Chair

The NCDRP review of development proposals occurs under the supervision of the ACT Government Architect (GA) and, for proposals under the jurisdiction of the NCA, the NCA’s Chief Planner.

Where conflicts arise or the Chair is unavailable, a suitably qualified panel member will be identified to chair design review meetings.

The Panel

The panel is composed to achieve a balanced representation of skills and experience in professions including Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Planning, Urban Design and Civil Engineering. A minimum of three and a maximum of five panel members will attend each NCDRP session, with additional panel membership sought by the Chair, based on the scope of a project.

Where a specific skill set is required, additional panel members are called in on an as-needs basis. These may include advice from fields such as heritage, education, sustainability and environmental services, universal design, structural engineering and transport.

How does the design review benefit the ACT?

The intent of the NCDRP is to ensure that each development proposal is realising its full potential through independent peer review for the benefit of the ACT community. The panel will consider each project in terms of surrounding context and character, built form and scale, density, sustainability, landscape, amenity, safety, housing diversity and social interaction, and aesthetics. The NCDRP will provide constructive and independent design advice in consideration of project history, site context, design proposition, and the relevant planning framework.

The NCDRP process will provide key benefits to stakeholders that include:

  • Community – enhanced design quality of development proposals that result in increased amenity for occupants, neighbours and the broader community and provide further confidence in the development assessment process.
  • Developers – reduction in risk, time and potential costs by identifying issues early in the design process to gain a level of certainty with a proposal before investing in detail design and development application.
  • Design professionals – receiving early recommendations for change when it is most useful and more easily implemented. Design review is also an opportunity to gain support for innovative
    design intentions.
  • Government – ensuring that design quality is important by promoting independent expert advice for development proposals. Ultimately, design review panels help to enrich the design industry with fresh perspectives and advice arising from the professional examination of projects through
    peer review.