Two well-established design support charities have merged to form Design:Midlands which launches officially on 26 September 2019.  Design:Midlands offers design review services, planning support and design training across the East and West Midlands.  The merger brings together two charities, Opun and MADE who served the East and West Midlands regions respectively for many years. 

Design:Midlands Chief Executive Julie Tanner said: “We are delighted to have completed the merger of our two organisations.  Opun and MADE have had an enormous impact in their individual areas but we are excited to bring both together under the Design:Midlands umbrella in the form of a new charity bringing together the best specialist design expertise in the Midlands.”

Chair of Design:Midlands Gary Hunt, said: ‘The government has put a renewed emphasis on design and place making. Our role in providing independent scrutiny will help to navigate the best outcomes not only in recognising the climate emergency we now find ourselves in, but also in ensuring we leave a proper legacy for our Midlands communities.

Councils and developers across the West and East Midlands are encouraged to get in touch and engage with this new design supportcharity, and make use of the services it offers.’

Design:Midlands offers a bespoke range of services including design review, Building for Life site assessments, master planning, neighbourhood planning and design code support to help meet the needs of developers, design teams, local authorities and local communities.   The organisation also runs tailored training sessions on topics such as urban design, highways design, character appraisal, energy, health, landscape and green infrastructure.  Design:Midlands panels bring together leading experts in architecture, regeneration, viability, strategic design frameworks, transport, urban design, ecology, environmental planning and landscape architecture.