As revealed in the latest RIBA Practice Bulletin, this is a very interesting (honestly!) draft Section 106 Agreement for Councils where an architect with a reputation for good design has been employed to secure a planning approval but is not employed beyond planning, which invariably means there could be a reduction in design quality.
Download the pdf: S106 ProtectingDesignQuality
The S106 basically outlines payments to be made by the developer to the Council so that they can employ a relevant design professional (the original architect?) to oversee/comment on drawings/construction details as they are developed. One of the larger ‘powers’ of the agreement is that the development cannot be occupied/used until the appointed design advisor has confirmed that he/she is happy with the design quality.
Interesting to see whether this takes hold and how it is enforced…
Gavin Orton
Architect