RESULTS OF THE RTPI SW PLANNING ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2007

Sponsored by White Young Green Planning

The regional judging process has now been completed and the following awards made:

 Schemes on the ground :

Crediton: Regeneration in a Conservation Area

Submitted by Mid Devon District Council

A scheme clearly of great importance to small Devon market town much in need of regeneration , involving the creation of  a town square and a Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme for the rest of the commercial core.  Much painstaking consultation and co-ordinating work has been carried out, led by the Council’s Forward Planning & Conservation team and a good example of how a relatively small, rural local planning authority can work with its own very modest resources to ‘gear in’ additional funding.

Commended

Tiverton Pannier Market Enhancement Scheme

Submitted by Mid Devon District Council

An ambitious scheme involving multi-agency operation, bringing many different skills to bear, co-ordinated by the Local Planning Authority. Major physical, economic and social benefits have been achieved through the transformation of a grade II listed market building into a venue and space with up to date facilities, with improvements extending to the immediate surrounding area. Care has been taken to produce a sympathetic, exciting design with consideration given to the local sourcing of appropriate materials. Work has been carried out in such a way as to allow the market to continue trading throughout and effective public consultation has been a key feature. The scheme has been included in the Local Plan’s Town Centre Strategy so enabling it to provide a catalyst for the regeneration of a wider surrounding area.  A short-listed finalist for a National award – announced 7 February 08

Best entry in category and overall winner of the Philip Barclay Silver Cup

Priory Gardens Heritage Regeneration Project, Gloucester

Submitted by Gloucester City Council

A clearly defined entry about a project which has seen a neglected urban open space, including the ruins of St Oswald’s Priory, transformed into a valuable edge of city centre public facility, with heritage interpretation, which is an integral part of a planned pedestrian route network and part of the city’s urban design vision. Imaginative landscaping has not only opened up the whole gardens site but has also created a new ‘cloister garden’ seating area. Section 106 developer and other funding sources have been creatively used to produce a sustainable outcome and urban design and project management have been the responsibility of the Council’s Policy, Design and Conservation team. A significant planning achievement in the context of improving the Gloucester city centre public realm.

Commended

OTHER PLANNING WORK:

Mid Devon District Council   Supplementary Planning Guidance – The Provision & Funding of Open Space through Development

Submitted by Mid Devon District Council

This submission, entered under the ‘planning process’ category, deals with a creative approach to ensuring better on-site provision of open space in new developments in a rural context. Planning and funding of provision is carried out on the basis of dividing the District into 28 ‘catchment areas’ with developer contributions through Section 106 Agreements ring- fenced to these. This avoids problems in more traditional mechanisms where pooled resources are often not properly targetted towards local needs. Praise for the scheme has already come from a number of influential external bodies including the Audit Commission and  Sport England. The published SPG is presented in a clear and concise manner. This is an example of the kind of innovation and good practice which seldom makes headlines, but which can prove very important both for the planning of the  particular area involved and as an example to others.

Commended

Gloucester Quays – regeneration scheme planning process

Submitted by White Young Green

A big, ambitious dockland regeneration scheme which is now taking shape on the ground is, in part, the outcome of a planning process which is the subject of this entry. There is clear evidence of an effective process of consultant planner led regeneration delivery featuring a multi-disciplinary approach. Extensive pre-application work involving a clear consultation programme and environmental impact assessment ( EIA) demonstrates good professional practice , with ‘front loading’ involved here before its introduction by government  as a standard requirement. Partnership and proper joined-up working are seen as key to the almost unanimous  support which the scheme eventually received.

Commended and best entry in the ‘other planning work’ category

Gloucester Regeneration Framework

Submitted by Terence O’Rourke Ltd

This urban design based regeneration framework prepared for the Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company is likely to prove to be of fundamental importance to the successful improvement of an historic city centre with a physical image problem. There is plenty of evidence of partnership working and joined-up working with O’Rourkes as lead consultant and although

some of the projects ‘within’ the framework ( including Priory Gardens and Gloucester Quays ) are now coming forward, the true test of the framework’s achievement can probably not be completed for a few more years.

A short-listed finalist for a National award – announced 7 February 08

Commended

Devon Strategic Housing Group – Affordable Housing Master Class

Submitted by the Devon Strategic Housing Group

An interesting and innovative programme of 6 one day seminar sessions entered in the ‘planning process’ and ‘capacity building’ categories. Run by a local authority led strategic partnership in Devon, the programme, dealing with such things as affordable housing viability and Section 106 opportunities, has clearly addressed one of the major issues with the South West Region. At very modest cost, good practice and innovation appears to have been widely disseminated among the ‘major housing players’. The test will presumably be the extent to which the programme has contributed to the delivery of more affordable homes on the ground. Seen as a good example for others to follow.

Commended

Somerset County Council – New Monitoring Fees Regime for Mineral and Landfill Permissions

Submitted by Somerset County Council

This entry, submitted as ‘an example of implementing a new system and achieving excellence’, provides further evidence of proactive work by an experienced and prominent Minerals Planning Authority in response to new legislation on site monitoring fees. As an example of a very professional approach to meeting a particular requirement, including the introduction of new dedicated computer software, with claimed results already in terms of better ‘compliance’ with mineral and landfill planning permissions across the County, Somerset’s approach would seem to be an example of good practice which other MPA’s  might follow.

Commended

Awards presentations

Framed certificates for all entries and, to the overall winner, the Silver Cup and commemorative plaque, were presented at a special event in Tiverton on 3 March 2008, to which representatives of all those submitting entries attended.

Author:

Helen Clarke

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

01-Apr-08

Categories:

Nations & Regions 

Sections:

Events, Awards & Networking

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