## **Urban Design Group** 

## **Annual Report and Accounts 2021** 

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## **Urban Design Group: Annual Report 2021** 

## **Report of the Trustees for the year ending 28 February 2021** 

**Address:** 70 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6EJ 

## **Charity Number:** 326123 

**Trustees as at 28 Feb 2021:** Arnold Linden   Marion Roberts   Janet Tibbalds   Marcus Wilshere 

## _Statement of trustees’ responsibilities:_ 

Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity’s financial activities during the year and of its incoming resources and resources expended during that year. In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to: 

- Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently 

- Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent 

- State whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed 

- Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the activities of the charity will continue 

- Confirm that they have paid due regard to the Charity Commission guidelines on public benefit. 

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011 and the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities 2005. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 

## **Constitution** 

The Urban Design Group is governed by a Constitution (see Annex B) and run by an Executive Committee appointed by election at the annual general meeting.  The operation of the Urban Design Group is the responsibility of the Executive Committee. 

Executive Committee 2020-2021 

Coopted subsequently: 

as appointed at the AGM via Zoom 20120 

Katja Stille (Chair) Raj Rooprai Scott Elliott Valentina Giordano Paul Reynolds Barry Sellers Adams Graeme Moor (Hon Secretary) Kenji Shermer Patricia Aelbrecht Hannah Smart Christopher Martin Alan Stones Colin Munsie Graham Smith (Treasurer) Louise Thomas Meenakshi Andrew Dakin Leo Hammond (Past Chair) Bhagat Brian Quinn Husam AlWaer Philip Black Colin Pullan Amanda Reynolds Patrons Alan Baxter Dickon Robinson Lindsey Whitelaw John Worthington 

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## **Performance & Achievements** 

## **The COVID 19 Pandemic** 

The year 2020-2021 has been the first year of the pandemic. 

Thanks to huge efforts of the membership, Executive Committee, Editorial Board, and staff , the UDG increased its output substantially during the lockdown, maintaining the publication of the journal, switching to zoom meetings and events, with greatly increased frequency.  The results have been positive, and we have been delighted to see people from around globe, not only attend events, but participate in them. 

Urban Update extended its trawl of international research to include research on SARS Coronavirus II.  And we have been reminded that infectious disease has been a dominant factor in the design of towns and cities over past millennia, with the relatively disease-free 20[th] century being an exception. 

In addition, to support membership UDG 

- Offered free job advertisements to all registered practices during the lockdowns. 

- Provided a membership payment holiday to any members in financial difficulty. 

- A survey of practices on how they were coping with the first lockdown, including arrangements for staff, use of government grants, furloughs. 

## **Membership** 

|**Membership**|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Category|Mar-<br>2021|Mar-<br>2020|Mar-<br>2019|Aug-<br>2017|May<br>2015|Jun-<br>2013|Jun-<br>2011|Jun-<br>2009|
|Standard Individual(UK)|539|523|548|582|633|647|714|826|
|Standard Individual<br> (International)|72|66|66|80|81|81|79|88|
|RecognisedPractitioner|173|154|122|112|104|88|63|9|
|Concession(UK)|160|139|153|155|158|175|192|153|
|Practice (UK)|138|138|128|118|120|128|135|167|
|Practice (International)|2|2|2|4|5|6|7|11|
|Local Authority|42|42|33|25|25|36|36|46|
|University|12|12|11|16|19|15|14|12|
|Library (UK)|29|31|34|41|42|44|41|41|
|Library (International)|31|35|43|46|42|42|39|41|
|Sub-total|1198|1142|1140|1179|1229|1262|1320|1394|
||||||||||
|Newsletteronly|1909|1451|1380|1131|926|675|476|212|
|Totals|3107|2593|2520|2310|2155|1937|1796|1606|



## **Urban Design Journal** 

_Urban Design_ is directed and managed by the UDG Editorial Board.  The membership of the Editorial Board for 2020-21 comprised: 

Sebastian Loew (editor) Richard Crappsley Jane Manning Louise Thomas (editor) Amanda Gregor Chris Martin Tim Hagyard Malcolm Moor Matthew Carmona Joe Holyoak Geoff Noble Richard Cole Daniela Lucchese Judith Ryser 

Over the past year a number of high-quality contributions were received on a variety of topics, occasionally fairly controversial. The Editorial Board always welcomes these and encourages members to make contact if there is an issue that they would like to share with others. The Editorial Board has also received letters responding to previous articles and would welcome more of these. 

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The issues of urban design published were: 


_155 – Reflections on Urban Design – with papers by members of the Editorial Board_ 


_157 – Research in Practice Topic Editor, Juliana Martins_ 


_156 – Child Friendly City Topic editor, Adrian Voce_ 


_158 – Design for an ageing population Topic Editor, Richard Crappsley_ 

## **Website** 

The UDG’s website was completely rebuilt to enable compatibility with smartphones, laptops and desktops, and launched in September 2020. It now incorporates the Urban Design Directory which had formerly been a stand-alone website, a listing of Recognised Practitioners in Urban Design, with a facility for them to add biographical details, an events archive, and many more features. 


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## **Email Newsletter – Urban Update** 

The UDG’s email newsletter _Urban Update_ continues to be a valuable resource for urban designers. It is received directly by over 3,000 individuals and provides a concise monitoring service of the government websites, as well as news of research in a wide range of areas that add richness to urban design including psychology, sociology, public health, technology and economics. 

## **Urban Design Directory** 


The 2021/22 print edition of the Urban Design Directory was mailed to housebuilders, developers, local authorities and UDG members in January 2021. 

The Directory has been progressively revised so that it addresses urban design decision makers and clients. 

Running to 72 pages it featured not only extensive listings of urban design practices, but also articles aiming to create greater awareness of best practice in urban design, including “What is Urban Design?”, Strategic Urban Design, Street Design Standards, Circular Economies, Inclusive Public Spaces. 

Edited by Louise Thomas 

## **Other publications** 

## **Street Improvement Manual** 


A 78 page manual was produced during the lockdown by a group of volunteers meeting remotely to provide local authorities with information on changes to street design in response to the COVID 19 Pandemic, including a summary of the statutory guidance, low traffic neighbourhoods, designs for safer junctions for cyclists, street crossing designs, and options for streetspace reallocation for a range of historic street widths. 

People involved were: Colin Davis, Brian Deegan, David Harrison, Saskia Huizinga, Robert Huxford, David McKenna, Graham Smith, Peter Heath, Ralph Hitchman, Scott Elliott Adams, Elise Lim, Lucy Marstrand, Christopher Martin, David Moores, Stephen O’Malley, Christopher Procter, Anna Rose. 

## **UDG Briefing sheets:** 

Street Design Standards: Current and Withdrawn Practice 


To address the findings of an earlier survey on Street Design Standards which concluded that as few as 20 percent of highway authorities had revised their street design standards to reflect Manual for Streets, a briefing sheet summarising current government guidance and industry best practice was produced by members of the Urban Design Group including Graham Smith and Robert Huxford, working in conjunction with the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Public Realm Information and Advice Network, and the Trees and Design Action Group. 

Many hundreds of copies of the briefing sheet have been downloaded 

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Planning for the Future - Produced to support the UDG’s consultation events on The Planning White Paper 2020 the White Paper. Gear Change – A bold vision for On the Government’s policy to promote walking and walking and cycling cycling. 

Produced to support the UDG’s consultation events on the White Paper. 

Home Comforts – the UDG supported the Place Alliance national survey of 2,500 households (representing 7,200 people) aimed at understanding how well or how poorly the design of our homes and their immediate neighbourhood supported us during the period of corona virus lockdown. 

## **Responses to consultations** 

Detailed responses were made to Government on 

- Planning White Paper 

- National Model Design Code 

## **The National Urban Design Awards** 

STUDENT AWARD 

_Winner_ 

A Sustainable Vision for Wandle Valley - Consuelo Morales, Bartlett School of Planning, UCL 

_Finalists_ 

Poplar Connect - Paco Pui Chong Chan, Cecilia Hiu Ying Lam, Man Pok Leung and Ka Hei Kristin Leung, The Bartlett School of Planning, UCL 

Minha Cassa, Nosso Bairro -Johannah Fening, Oxford Brookes University 

Transforming Together - Omri Ben Chetrit, The Bartlett School of Planning, UCL 

## BOOK AWARD 

## _Winner_ 

Climax City - David Rudlin and Shruti Hemani, RIBA Publishing 

## _Finalists_ 

Building in Arcadia – Ruth Reed, RIBA Publishing 

Urban Lighting for People – Navaz Davoudian **,** RIBA Publishing Walkable City Rules - Jeff Speck **,** Island Press 

NOTE: Book Award and Student only as we were in the process of reviewing. The event for Students was cancelled due to Covid 

On basis of a review of the first ten years of the Awards a working group was set up to establish a new structure / awards programme 

## **National Conference on Urban Design** 

Plans to hold Conference 2020 in Sheffield were shelved due to Covid. All events went online 

In July we held a one day Conference: Towns and Cities for Children 

In September in partnership with Academy of Urbanism we held a two day online symposium: The Fifteen Minute City 

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## **Events** 

The UDG has continued to develop and expand its programme of events, where possible, working in partnership with other organisations. Due to Covid the events programme was moved online via Zoom, reaching a wider audience, involving more speakers and increasing the number of events. Many of the events responded specifically to the remarkable challenges being faced because of the pandemic through a weekly ideasSPACE session, a more informal type of event, which ran from March through to July 2020. There were also a number of events held around the Planning White Paper and National Model Design Code. 

- The Multi-Level City 

- Towns, Cities and Urban Design after the COVID 19 Pandemic 

- Future High Streets 

- ideasSPACE: Retail + Workplace 

- ideasSPACE: Housing, Public Realm + Parks 

- ideasSPACE: Streets, Movement + Transport 

- ideasSPACE: Perfect Planning 

- Does England need a National Design Quality Unit? 

- ideasSPACE: Regeneration Stories – Barreiro, Portugal 

- ideasSPACE: Streets for Towns and Cities: an update and how to guide 

- ideasSPACE: Biodiversity, Habitats +Parks 

- ideasSPACE: Diversity + Inclusion in Urban Design 

- ideasSPACE: Quality Homes + Density 

- ideasSPACE: Design Values vs The Value of Design 

- Conference: Towns and Cities for Children 

- ideasSPACE: Making Better Places to Live through Co-Design 

- Building for a Healthy Live – launch 

- ideasSPACE: Decarbonising Transport 

- ideasSPACE: Regeneration Stories – Glasgow 

- Street Improvement part 1 

- The Fifteen Minute City 

- The Planning White Paper: Strategic Issues 

- The Planning White Paper: Digital Futures 

- The Planning White Paper: Design Codes + Guidance 

- The Planning White Paper: Delivering Quality Urban Design for Cities, Towns, Streets and Spaces 

- Understanding Roadside Air Quality and its Impact on Health 

- The Great Urban Quiz and other Festivities 

- Film Night – Workplace: The Connected Space Documentary 

- Blue Monday Great Urban Quiz 

- Urban Effects of Lockdown: a UDG Coalition Conversation 

- Trees, People and the Built Environment 

- Walking in London with London Living Streets 

- Future facing approaches to parking: a UDG Coalition Conversation 

- • National Model Design Code – UDG Workshop 

## **UrbanNous- Video on Demand** 

Thanks are due to Fergus Carnegie who continues his largely voluntary work. He has recorded and packaged the UDG zoom events making them available to a global audience through the Urbannous website and youtube channel. They are also embedded on the UDG website events archive pages and shared on the UDG youtube channel. 

This is a great resource and a tremendously valuable archive of the huge number of presentations given at the UDG over recent years. 

In September ideasSPACE was relaunched as a collaboration between UDG, Urban Nous and Urban Movement as a series of interviews with: 

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- Councillor Waseem Zaffar, Birmingham City Council 

- Lily Bernheimer, Spaceworks 

- Sherry Dobbin, Futurecity 

- Sarah Hickey, Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity 

- Carolyn Steel, leading think / author on Food +Cities 

- Lord Michael Bates, Walking Champion 

- Professor Iain Borden, Architecture + Urban Cutlure 

- Nicholas Boys Smith 

- Maria Vassilakou, Urban Planning in Vienna 

- Frances Holliss, Workhome Project 

- • James Delaney, Block by Block 

## **UDG Regions** 

A major conference on the National Design Guidance was organised by Laura Alvarez in Nottingham on 25 February, attended by around 150 people. 

|**Solent**|Peter Frankum|
|---|---|
|**East Midlands**|Laura Alvarez|
|**North East**|Adrian Clarke and Georgia Giannopoulou|
|**Scotland**|Husam al Waer|
|**Yorkshire**|Rob Thompson|



## **Urban Design Study Tours** 

Due to Covid no in person events, walks or tours were held. 

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## **Financial Review** 

## **Reserves policy** 

The definition of ‘reserve’ is: ‘Income which becomes available to the Charity and is to be expended at the Trustees’ discretion in furtherance of the Charity’s objectives, but which is not yet spent, committed or designated’. This definition therefore excludes restricted funds and sums already invested in fixed assets. 

The trustees have reviewed the reserves of the charity and, in view of the current financial situation, are of the opinion that they should fall no lower than a minimum of £50,000. This will provide sufficient funds to enable the charity to meet outstanding obligations. 

Approved by the Trustees on 6 December 2021 and signed on their behalf 

Janet Tibbalds 

Marcus Wilshere 

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## **Annex A: Summar of Accounts y** 

||**2021**|**2020**|**2019**|**2018**|**2017**|**2016**|**2015**|**2014**|**2013**|**2012**|**2011**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||Totals|Totals|Totals|Totals|Totals|Totals|Totals|Totals|Totals|Totals|
|**INCOMING**<br>**RESOURCES**||||||||||||
|Subscriptions|98,320|113,911|108,816|96,075|113,410|100,072|114,461|76,781|75,656|77,400|78,784|
|Publications and<br>Awards|31,864|7,225|46,755|8,842|10,291|40,939|6,099|13,354|32,856|11,324|31,648|
|Conference Fees and<br>Sponsorship||23,916|21,026|18,975|17,163|20,213|14,246|-|-|-|-|
|London Events|331|3,488|3,010|2,456|1,040|1,912||||||
|Study Tours & Job Ads|2750|23,557|46,758|41,170|45,599|||||||
|Donation from Urban<br>Design Services Ltd||||||26,102|13,963|9,824|4,731|11,038|4,849|
|UDSL Contribution to<br>Office Costs||||||-|-|-|-|5,000|5,000|
|Activities to Generate<br>Funds||||||||||||
|Interest Received|86|85|85|32|315|338|373|920|1,003|740|549|
|Inland Revenue:  Gift<br>Aid||||||(3,600)|4,216|3,992|4,120|5,192|4,314|
|Miscellaneous Income|750||5,638|703||-|458|335|580|468|581|
|**TOTAL INCOMING**<br>**RESOURCES**|140,293|172,182|232,088|168,253|187,818|185,976|153,816|105,206|118,946|111,162|125,725|
|||||||||||||
|**RESOURCES**<br>**EXPENDED**||||||||||||
|Charitable Expenditure||||||||||||
|Publications & Awards|41,717|42,425|63,953|36,584|38,193|57,846|24,110|30,933|49,676|29,587|51,789|
|Conference Expenditure|621|15,183|9,836|12,774|18,273|18,295|16,201|||||
|General|117,582|107,472|104,980|90,280|78,886|72,019|65,538|79,431|86,312|76,098|77,351|
|Study Tours<br>Expenditure|||15,300|22,284|25,296|||||||
|Development<br>Expenditure|||||||-|-|5,000|2,500|2,500|
|Governance costs<br>(accountancy)|1,630|1,740|1,680|2,753|2100|1,200|1,200|1,140|1,116|1,080|1,560|
|||||||||||||
|**TOTAL RESOURCES**<br>**EXPENDED**|161,550|166,820|195,749|164,675|162,748|149,360|107,049|111,504|142,104|109,265|133,200|
|**NET INCOME**<br>**/ (EXPENDITURE)**<br>**FOR THE YEAR**|(21,257)|5,362|36,339|3,578|25,070|36,616|46,767|(6,298|(23,158)|1,897|(7,475)|
|||||||||||||
|**FUND BALANCES**<br>**BROUGHT FORWARD**|247,699|242,337|205,998|202,420|177,350|140,734|93,967|100,265|123,423|121,526|128,801|
|**FUND BALANCES**<br>**CARRIED FORWARD**|226,442|247,699|242,337|205,998|202,420|177,350|140,734|93,967|100,265|123,423|121,326|
|||||||||||||
|**CURRENT ASSETS**|268,244|276,382|257,188|218,879|220,890|182,418|188,044|125,359|139,458|126,212|143,167|
|**CURRENT LIABILITIES**|41,803|28,684|14,852|12,881|18,471|5,069|47,271|31,393|39,194|2,790|21,842|
|**TOTAL NET ASSETS**|226,442|247,699|242,337|205,998|202,420|177,350|140,733|93,967|100,265|123,423|121,326|



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## **Annex B: Constitution** 

(As amended at AGM June 2010) 

   - case extend beyond the amount of their respective annual subscriptions 

1. NAME The name shall be the URBAN DESIGN GROUP. 

      - xi. To do all such other things as are necessary for the attainment of the said purposes. 

      3. MEMBERSHIP 

2. OBJECTS 

   - The Group is established for the public benefit for the following purposes: 

   - To promote high standards of performance and inter-professional cooperation in planning, urban design and architecture, landscape design and all other aspects of the built environment. 

   - To educate the relevant professions and the public in matters relating to Urban Design 

In furtherance of the said purposes but not otherwise the Group through its Executive Committee shall have the following powers:- 

- i. To promote research into subjects directly connected with the objects of the Group and to publish the results of any such research. 

- ii. To act as a co-ordinating body and to cooperate with related professional bodies and any voluntary organisations, charities and persons having aims similar to those of the Group. 

- iii. To publish papers reports and other literature. 

- iv. To make surveys and prepare maps and plans and collect information in relation to any place, erection or building. 

- v. To hold meetings, lectures and exhibitions. vi. To educate public and professional opinion and to give advice and information. 

- vii. To raise funds and to invite and receive contributions from any person or persons whatsoever by way of subscription, donation or otherwise; provided that the Group shall not undertake any permanent trading activities in raising funds for its primary purpose. 

- viii. To acquire, by purchase, gift or otherwise, property whether subject to any special trust or not. 

- ix. To sell, let mortgage, dispose of or turn to account all or any of the property or funds of the group as shall be necessary. 

- x. To borrow or raise money for the purposes of the Group on such items and on such security as the Executive Committee shall think fit, but so that the liability of the individual members of the Group shall in no 

   - Membership shall be open to all who are interested in actively furthering the purposes of the Group.  No member shall have power to vote at any meeting of the Group if his or her subscription is in arrears at the time.  Corporate members shall be such groups, associations, educational institutions or businesses as are interested in furthering the purposes of the Group.  A corporate member shall appoint a representative to vote on its behalf at all meetings but, before such a representative exercises his or her right to vote, the corporate member shall give particulars in writing to the Honorary Secretary of such a representative.  Membership will run for a 12 month period from the beginning of the month of joining. 

4. SUBSCRIPTIONS The subscriptions shall be the amount determined by the Executive Committee subject to notification to the membership one month in advance of any change. Membership shall lapse if the subscription is unpaid three months after it is due. 

5. MEETINGS 

   - The Annual General Meeting shall be held in or about May of each year to receive the Executive Committee’s report and audited accounts and to elect Officers and members of the Committee. The Committee shall decide when ordinary meetings of the Group shall be held. Special General Meetings of the Group shall be held at the written request of fifteen or more members whose subscriptions are fully paid up. Twenty members personally present shall constitute a quorum of the Group.  The Committee shall give at least 7 days’ notice to members of all Meetings of the Group. 

6. OFFICERS 

   - The officers shall consist of a Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer. Nominations for the election of Officers shall be made in writing to the Honorary Secretary at least 14 days before the Annual General Meeting. Such nominations shall be supported by a 

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seconder and the consent of the proposed nominee must first have been obtained. The elections of officers shall be completed prior to the election of future committee members.  Nominees for election as officers or Committee members shall declare at the Annual General Meeting at which their election is to be considered any financial or professional interest known or likely to be of concern to the Group. 

7. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the management and administration of the Group. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers and not less than 6 and not more than 10 other members.  The Committee shall have power to co-opt further members (who shall attend in an advisory and non-voting capacity). In the event of an equality in the votes cast, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.  Nominations for election to the Executive Committee shall be made in writing to the Honorary Secretary at least 14 days before the Annual General Meeting.  They must be supported by a seconder and the consent of the proposed nominee must first have been obtained.  If the nominations exceed the number of vacancies, a ballot shall take place in such a manner as shall be determined.  Members of the Executive Committee shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the Group, and outgoing members may be re-elected.  The Executive Committee shall meet not less than 4 times a year at intervals of not more than 3 months and the Honorary Secretary shall give all members not less than seven days notice of each meeting.  The quorum shall, as near as may be, comprise one third of members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall have the power to fill up to three casual vacancies occurring among the member of the Executive Committee between General Meetings. The Executive Committee shall appoint a vice chair(s) to assist the Chair in managing the running of the Group and to deputise at meetings. The vice chair (or one of the vice chairs) will usually be the previous Chair. 

8. SUB-COMMITTEES The Executive Committee may constitute such committees from time to time as shall be considered necessary for such purposes as shall be thought fit.  The Chairman of each sub-committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and all 

actions and proceedings of each subcommittee shall be reported to and be confirmed by the Executive Committee as soon as possible.  Members of the Executive Committee may be members of any subcommittee and membership of a subcommittee shall be no bar to appointment to membership of the Executive Committee.  Sub-Committees shall be subordinate to and may be regulated or dissolved by the Executive Committee. 

9. DECLARATION OF INTEREST It shall be the duty of every Officer or member of the Executive Committee or Sub-Committee who is in any way directly or indirectly interested financially or professionally in any item discussed at any Committee meeting at which he or she is present to declare such interest and he or she shall not discuss such items (except by invitation of the Chairman) or vote thereon. 

10. EXPENSES OF ADMINISTRATION AND APPLICATION OF FUNDS The Executive Committee shall, out of the funds of the Group, pay all proper expenses of administration and management of the Group. After payment of the administration and management expenses and the setting aside of reserve of such sums as may be deemed expedient, the remaining funds of the Group shall be applied by the Executive Committee in furtherance of the purposes of the Group. 

11. INVESTMENT All monies at any time belonging to the Group and not required for immediate application for its purposes shall be invested by the Executive Committee in or upon such investments, securities or property as it may think fit, subject nevertheless to such authority approval or consent by the Charity Commissioners as may for the time being be required by law or by the special trusts affecting any property in the hands of the Executive Committee. 

12. TRUSTEES 

Any freehold and leasehold property acquired by the Group shall and, if the Executive Committee so directs, any other property belonging to the Group may be vested in trustees who shall deal with such property as the Executive Committee may from time to time direct.  Any trustees shall be at least three in number or a trust corporation.  The power of appointment of 

11 



new trustees shall be vested in the Executive Committee. The Trustees will be responsible for overseeing the finances of the UDG so that it remains financially solvent and able to meet any normal liability. That role will include giving approval to the annual accounts and budget. A trustee need not be a member of the Group but no person whose membership lapses by virtue of the clause 4 thereof shall thereafter be qualified to act as a trustee unless and until reappointment as such by the Executive Committee. The Honorary Secretary shall from time to time notify the trustees in writing of any amendment hereto and the trustees shall not be bound by any such amendments in their duties as trustees unless such notice has been given.  The Group shall be bound to indemnify the trustees in their duties (including the proper charge of a trustee being a trust corporation) and liability under such indemnity shall be a proper administrative expense. 

address of that member last notified by the Secretary. 

16. WINDING UP 

The Group may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of members voting at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting of the Group confirmed by a simple majority of members voting at a further Special General Meeting held not less than 14 days after the previous meeting.  If a motion for the dissolution of the Group is to be proposed at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting this motion shall be referred to specifically when notice of the meeting is given.  In the event of the dissolution of the Group the available funds of the Group shall be transferred to such one or more charitable institutions having objects similar or reasonably similar to those herein before declared as shall be chosen by the Executive committee and approved by the Meeting of the Group at which the decision to dissolve the Group is confirmed. 

## 13. BOARD OF PATRONS 

A Board of Patrons shall be elected by the Executive Committee.  The board will comprise not less than six Patrons and will meet at least once a year with the Executive Committee.  Patrons will be persons of note who have shown interest in or have contributed to the pursuit of excellence in urban quality.  Patrons will provide much of the public face of the UDG.  The Board will have no legal responsibilities, merely fulfilling an advisory and guiding function.  Patrons will be elected for a three year period and can be re-elected. 

## 17. ACCOUNTANT 

An accountant will be appointed annually to carry out an independent examination of the accounts, to be reported to the AGM. 

## 14. AMENDMENTS 

The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of members present at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting of the Group, provided that 28 days notice of the proposed amendment has been given to all members and provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise any amendment the effect of which would cause the Group at any time to cease to be a charity in law. 

## 15. NOTICES 

Any notice required to be given by these rules shall be deemed to be duly given if left at or sent by prepaid post addressed to the 

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## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF URBAN DESIGN GROUP** 

## **Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Urban Design Group** 

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of Urban Design Group (the Group) for the year ended 28 February 2021. 

## **Responsibilities and basis of report** 

As the charity trustees of the Group you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). 

I report in respect of my examination of the Group’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. 

## **Independent examiner's statement** 

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 

- (1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the Group as required by section 130 of the Act; or 

- (2) the accounts do not accord with those records; or 

- (3)    the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of the accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. 

I confirm that there are no matters to which your attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

Andrew Thurburn Andrew  Thurburn & Co. Chartered Accountants 38 Tamworth Road Croydon Surrey CR0 1XU 

6 December  2021 

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## **URBAN DESIGN GROUP STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2021** 

||**Notes**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Funds**|**Funds**|**Totals**|**Totals**|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**INCOMING RESOURCES**||||||
|Incoming Resources from Charitable|Activities|||||
|Subscriptions||98,320|-|98,320|113,911|
|Publications & Awards|2|31,864|-|31,864|7,225|
|Conference Fees & Sponsorship||-|-|-|23,916|
|London Events||331|-|331|3,488|
|Events Income (online)||6,192|-|6,192|-|
|Study Tours||-|-|-|1,807|
|Recruitment Services||2,750|-|2,750|21,750|
|Miscellaneous Income||750|-|750|-|
|Activities to Generate Funds||||||
|Interest Received||86|-|86|85|
|||––––––|–––––|––––––|––––––|
|**TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES**||140,293|-|140,293|172,182|
|||––––––|–––––|––––––|––––––|
|**RESOURCES EXPENDED**||||||
|Charitable Expenditure||||||
|Publications & Awards|3|41,717|-|41,717|42,425|
|General|4|117,582|-|117,582|107,472|
|Conference Expenditure||621|-|621|15,183|
|Governance Costs|5|1,630|-|1,630|1,740|
|||––––––|––––––|––––––|––––––|
|**TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED**||161,550|-|161,550|166,820|
|||––––––|––––––|––––––|––––––|
|**NET (EXPENDITURE)/INCOME**||||||
|**FOR THE YEAR**||(21,257)|<br>-|(21,257)|<br>5,362|
|**FUND BALANCES BROUGHT FORWARD**||247,699|-|247,699|242,337|
|||–––––––|–––––––|–––––––|–––––––|
|**FUND BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD**||£226,442|£         -|£226,442|£247,699|



14 



## **URBAN DESIGN GROUP BALANCE SHEET AT 28 FEBRUARY 2021** 

|||**2021**||**2020**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**FIXED ASSETS**(Note 6)||1||1|
|**CURRENT ASSETS**|||||
|Cash at Bank|||||
|NatWest Current Account|144,083||156,147||
|Scottish Widows Account|85,522||85,436||
|Cash Float|59||59||
|Debtors (Note 7)|38,580||34,740||
||–––––––||–––––––||
||268,244||276,382||
||–––––––||–––––––||
|**CURRENT LIABILITIES**|||||
|Creditors Falling Due Within|||||
|One Year (Note 8)|41,803||28,684||
||––––––||––––––||
|**NET CURRENT ASSETS**||226,441||247,698|
|||–––––––||–––––––|
|**TOTAL ASSETS**||£ 226,442||£ 247,699|
|Represented by:|||||
|**ACCUMULATED RESERVES**|||||
|Restricted Funds||-||-|
|Unrestricted Funds||226,442||247,699|
|||–––––––||–––––––|
|||£ 226,442||£ 247,699|
|Approved by the Trustees on [Date]|||||
|and signed on their behalf|||||



..................................................................... ..................................................................... Janet Tibbalds Christopher Martin, Treasurer, UDG 

6 December 2021 

15 



## **URBAN DESIGN GROUP NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2021** 

## **1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES** 

- _(i) Accounting Convention_ The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to these accounts. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011. 

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. 

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern. 

- _(ii) Depreciation_ 

   - Equipment is depreciated at 25% on a straight line basis. 

- _(iii) Incoming Resources_ 

   - All incoming resources are included on the Statement of Financial Activities when the Charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. Subscriptions are recognised when due and not when received. 

- _(iv) Resources Expended_ Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. 

- _(v) Taxation_ 

   - The Charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities. 

|**2.**|**PUBLICATIONS INCOME**|**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|**£**|
||Sales of Journal|2,564|1,792|
||Journal Sponsorship|1,150|1,500|
||Urban Design Awards|-|3,783|
||Urban Design Directory|28,150|150|
|||–––––|–––––|
|||£ 31,864<br>|£ 7,225|
|**3.**|**PUBLICATIONS EXPENDITURE**|||
||Journal Production & Printing|28,458|42,425|
||Urban Design Awards|1,100|-|
||Urban Design Directory|12,159|-|
|||–––––|–––––|
|||£ 41,717|£ 42,425|



16 



## **URBAN DESIGN GROUP NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2021 (Contd)** 

|**4.**|**GENERAL CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES EXPENDITURE**|**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|**£**|
||London Events|3,282|1,376|
||UrbanNous|2,000|2,000|
||Expenses for Regions|601|2,885|
||Events Online Expenses|91|-|
||Consultant Director's Fees|30,929|30,407|
||Salaries & Pension Costs|51,015|47,898|
||Rent, Rates, Light & Heat|9,588|9,480|
||Telephone & Broadband|868|812|
||Postage, Stationery & Office Supplies|549|1,187|
||Website|5,489|1,940|
||Insurance|454|892|
||Bank Charges|1,319|1,606|
||Payroll Admin|260|230|
||Accounts Consultancy|250|200|
||Miscellaneous|-|804|
||Bad Debt Provision|10,887|5,755|
|||––––––|––––––|
|||£ 117,582|£ 107,472|
|**5.**|**GOVERNANCE COSTS**|||
||Independent Examination Fees|£1,630|£ 1,740|
|**6.**|**FIXED ASSETS**||**£**|
||Cost of Equipment|||
||As at 1.3.20||5,766|
||Additions||-|
||||–––––|
||As at 29.2.21||5,766|
||||–––––|
||Depreciation|||
||As at 1.3.20||5,765|
||Charge for the Year||-|
||||–––––|
||As at 28.2.21||5,765|
||||–––––|
||Net Book Value|||
||As at 29.2.20||£ 1|
||As at 28.2.21||£ 1|



17 



## **URBAN DESIGN GROUP NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2021 (Contd)** 

|**7.**|**DEBTORS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR**|**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|**£**|
||Subscriptions|6,979|3,279|
||Urban Design Services Ltd|30,286|30,286|
||Sundry Debtors|1,315|1,175|
|||––––––|––––––|
|||£ 38,580|£ 34,740|
|**8.**|**CREDITORS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR**|**2021**|**2020**|
|||**£**|**£**|
||Trade Creditors|30,375|7,924|
||Other Creditors|11,428|20,760|
|||––––––|––––––|
|||£ 41,803|£ 28,684|
|**9.**|**TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION**|||
||No Trustee received any remuneration or expenses during the year, nor were||any expenses|
||reimbursed.|||
|**10.**|**STAFF COSTS**|**2021**|**2020**|
|||**£**|**£**|
||Salaries|49,341|43,432|
||Social Security|489|3,015|
||Pension Costs|1,185|1,451|
|||––––––|––––––|
|||£ 51,015<br>|£ 47,898|
||The average number of employees was|1.7<br>|1.7|



18