Developments in Conservation Policy: The Evolving Role of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

The quality of urban design, particularly in the historic urban environment, has been recognized as a key issue in achieving the much-publicized urban renaissance. To redress the apparent loss of quality that has occurred over the last 30 years, the government has sponsored a number of initiatives that promote design through influence rather than by control. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) was established in 2000 as a ‘design watchdog’, and has been afforded the opportunity to make comment on a kaleidoscopic array of private- and public-sector design issues. Yet, in the short time since its introduction, CABE has evolved rapidly and has begun to present a more pervasive agenda that goes beyond mere guidance. This is problematic, and indicates the potential introduction of a series of non-regulated requirements that need to be addressed by developers in their design solutions.