Tayplan scoops prestigious UK-wide planning award

Original and visionary in scope and style, TAYplan's Proposed Strategic Development Plan scooped the top prize in the Royal Town Planning Institute's (RTPI) National Planning Awards held today (Thursday 23rd February) at the Lancaster Hotel in London. Presented by Clive Betts MP, Chair of the influential Communities and Local Government Select Committee, the Silver Jubilee Cup was awarded to TAYplan, the strategic development planning authority for Dundee, Perth, Angus and North Fife.

Over 130 entries were received from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and 34 projects were shortlisted across 9 diverse categories covering topics as diverse as heritage, rural areas, and planning for business. Entrants were judged by a panel of planning experts who examined written submissions, carried out interviews and conducted site visits.

Colin Haylock, the President of the RTPI, congratulated TAYplan on the award: "Planners make great places, and what TAYplan demonstrate is that it is possible to show people how planners go about doing that. By approaching the need for a long-term strategy in a new way, they have brought planning alive. What is so refreshing is what could be a dry technical document has been made accessible by presenting the information in a much more visual manner. The result is a proposed strategy that is simultaneously written to be easily read and understood by a wide audience, professionally robust, and in line with the Scottish Government's desire for a more efficient planning system."

The judges' report praises the plan: "The originality of the plan lies not only in its forward thinking policy objectives but also in its style. The plan differs from the previous Structure Plan in having a more strategic focus and comprising only 24 pages with 8 policies and 2 proposals. It is more graphical with many ideas communicated through maps, plans or diagrams. It is accompanied by a Proposal Action Programme explaining how the plan will be delivered. This is part of a move towards a more efficient Scottish planning system."

"The plan was delivered on time and to budget, achieved through leadership, strong project management and collaborative partnership working between the agencies concerned. This approach, with strong forward planning of work and the transparency with partners has promoted ownership across the board and ensured understanding and recognition of the plan across the city region."

Scotland was doubly successful in this year's RTPI Planning Awards, with a Scottish winner of the Young Planner of the Year in Nikola Miller. Nikola works for Smiths Gore in Edinburgh.

The full list of winners and commendations is below:

Sustainable communities

• Award - Low Carbon Bath; Centre for Sustainable Energy with the Bath Preservation Trust
• Commendation - Chester Point; Chester & District Housing Trust

City & Metropolitan

• Commendation - PorthTeigr; igloo Regeneration Ltd

Local Regeneration and Renewal

• Award - Saint Anne's Square, Belfast; WDR & RT Taggart
• Commendation - Polkemmet Restoration; West Lothian Council

Rural Areas & the Natural Environment

• Award -  Argyll and Bute Woodland and Forestry Strategy; Argyll and Bute Council
• Commendation - Burnhill Green; Entec UK for The Crown Estate

Planning process

• Award - Site Waste Management Plan Implementation; Brighton & Hove City Council
• Commendation - Blueprint; Winchester City Council

Heritage, arts, sports, culture

• Award - High House Production Park; High House Production Park Ltd
• Commendation - Stubb Mill Restoration Project; Broads Authority

Public realm

• Award - The Better Southend Project; Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
• Commendation - Lime Street Gateway; Glenn Howells Architects

Spatial Strategies

• Award - TAYplan Proposed Strategic Development Plan; TAYplan Strategic Development Planning Authority - SILVER JUBILEE CUP
• Highly Commended - Joint Core Strategy for GNDP; Greater Norwich Development Partnership
• Commendation - Liverpool Green Infrastructure Strategy; The Mersey Forest

Planning for business

• Award - Shaftesbury Villages; Rolfe Judd
• Commendation - The Edinburgh Planning Concordat; City of Edinburgh Council

Judges' Special Award

• Olympic Park Stratford E20; Olympic Delivery Authority.

President's Special Award

• The Northern Ireland Planning Service

Planning Consultancy of the Year Awards

• Planning Consultancy of the Year
  • Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners
• Small Planning Consultancy of the Year
  • Cass Associates
• Planning Consultant of the Year
  • Optimis (Justin Wickersham)

Education and Lifelong Learning Awards

• Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
  • Cardiff University: Dr Jon Anderson, "Integrating Student-Led Film into Assessment: Enhancing Planning through Qualitative Methods"
• Award for Outstanding Student Achievement;
  • Julian Lowther, University of the West of England
  • Commendation: Lucy Atkins, Sheffield University
• Employer Award for Excellence in Learning and Development
  • Savills

Young Planner of the Year

• Nikola Miller
• Commendation: Simon Coop

See all the photos on Flickr