Past awards

RTPI Yorkshire Planning Excellence Award 2012

Following the strict criteria of this year’s Planning Excellence Award and limited number of entries, unfortunately none of the entries were considered to be the overall winner of the RTPI Yorkshire Planning Excellence Awards 2012.

However the judging panel granted Wakefield Council’s entry a ‘highly commended’ accolade in recognition for their Site Specific Policies Local Plan.

The Site Specific Policies Local Plan (formally called the Site Specific Proposals Development Plan Document) provides a set of site allocations and policies to meet the vision, objectives and development strategy of the Core Strategy. The plan was one of the first local planning authorities in the North to be adopted on 12 September 2012 that complied with the four elements of soundness referred to in the National Planning Policy Framework; positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy.

We look forward to receiving next years entries to the RTPI Yorkshire Planning Excellence Awards 2013.

RTPI Yorkshire Student Book Awards 2012

We are very pleased to announce that the following students have been awarded the 2012 RTPI Yorkshire Student Book Prizes:

• Leeds Metropolitan University: Dawn Parkes
• Sheffield Hallam University: Matthew Reynolds
• The University of Sheffield: Huan Zhu

RTPI Yorkshire Planning Awards 2011: winners

Excellence and innovation in the planning process, worthy of celebrating in the region's planning community. 

The 2011 entries were all of a high standard, which made it difficult for the judging panel to reach a decision.  After much deliberation, we have awarded a joint Excellence Award and two Commendations.

Congratulations to the two joint winners of our 2011 Excellence Award:

• Leeds City Region Green Infrastructure Strategy

The Leeds city region (LCR) comprises of 9 local authorities, county council and two national parks covering 5,000 square kilometres. The Green Infrastructure (GI) strategy identifies a series of strategic projects and programmes to align future investment in GI by the private, public and civic centres within the city region's wider economic regeneration objectives and plans. Projects like 'Fresh Aire', to co-ordinate GI actions with development proposals in the Aire Valley enable the city region's urban areas to become more resilient to the effect of climate change. The judges were impressed by the strategy being 'larger than local' and its development involving local authorities, its partners and key local GI infrastructure agencies acting across the region. The LCR is expected to accommodate growth over the coming decades and the GI strategy moves away from the   previous identification of potential projects which are undeliverable due to financial and technical practicalities. Here, the client, consultees and consulting teams have worked together to agree strategic priorities and establish a deliverable investment programme. The judges liked the way the emphasis is not on the cost of GI, but the value it adds to environmental protection and enhancement, leading to social health and well being as well as economic benefits. The Strategy  sets GI as an essential asset based on evidence, establishes both vision and objectives and uses three types of investment opportunities. Unlike traditional GI projects, the Strategy focuses on investment priorities and understands how and where the planning system will capture development value, also written in a way which non-planners can understand. The judges found this approach and philosophy refreshing not only because the Strategy is designed to be adaptable and the investment focus can change as circumstances demand. 

* Photo: Receiving the Award at the RTPI Yorkshire AGM on 8 December 2011. From l-r: Ian Houlston, LDA Design; Melanie Taylor, Leeds City Region Secretariat; Mick McLoughlin, RTPI Yorkshire Chair.

• Great Places to Live: Creating Successful Neighbourhoods and Sustainable Communities in Sheffield

This joint award celebrates the achievements of the planning and neighbourhood regeneration teams in Sheffield City Council over the years. The HMR programme covers an area of over 4,600 hectares and 72,000 homes made possible over the re-development of authority owned sites. The programmes consisted of demolition of nearly 2,500 homes, refurbishment of 9,300 homes and permission given on over 800 homes to date. The programme was based on sustainable development principles promoting more sustainable lifestyles through the re-development of existing, unpopular housing and urban neighbourhoods. The early development of the programme created a strategic policy fit through a masterplanning programme and site briefs for the council owned sites. The programme area was covered by community endorsed neighbourhood frameworks, now used as material consideration and background evidence in the Local Development Framework now formally adopted in the core strategy. The council teams involved have had a significant role in project management, brief writing, development management and community engagement. The Council specification for HMR development led to the formation of the Developer Manual; setting out the quality standards and environmental performance over and above the requirements of planning policy which impressed the judges. Sheffield is recognised as a centre of excellence in green roof technology as displayed in many HMR projects. The project entry submitted displayed the numerous examples of the types of housing and their design. Not only was there examples of housing, but also schools, supermarkets, public centres and the public realm. As a result of the HMR programme, and still in development is the 'Successful places and sustainable communities' model which is an approach the council has developed to neighbourhood regeneration.  

* Photo: Receiving the Award at the RTPI Yorkshire AGM on 8 December 2011. From l-r: Andy van Vliet, Sheffield CC; Alex Shilkoff, Sheffield CC; Mick McLoughlin, RTPI Yorkshire Chair.

Commended:

• Rotherham Flood Risk Toolkit
• Granary Wharf

RTPI Yorkshire Student Book Prizes 2011

Congratulations to this year's winners:

• Leeds Metropolitan University: Andrew Jones
• Sheffield Hallam University: Joanna Walker
• University of Sheffield: Lucy Atkins

RTPI Yorkshire Planning Awards 2010 

We had a bumper number of entries for the RTPI Yorkshire Planning Award in 2010.  The overall Winner was the University of York Heslington East Campus - Design Brief and Masterplan. A Special Commendation was made to Goole: Haven of Opportunity - A Renaissance Plan and a Commendation was also made to an entry for Castleford Bridge.