Winner - South Ribble Borough Council

SRBC are a professional and hardworking planning team who aim to serve the communities of South Ribble to the best of our ability. They provide a high quality and award-winning planning service which meets the needs of our customers. They are proactive and forward thinking and work effectively with stakeholders to deliver sustainable development, helping to address climate change, provide homes and deliver growth and employment opportunities. They are a friendly and supportive team and are proud of the fact that all their planning officers are either full or licentiate members of the RTPI. 

Judges comments:

The judges praised South Ribble’s planning team as a highly motivated, skilled, and innovative group delivering excellence across policy, development management, and technical support services. Particular recognition was given to the team’s individual and collective contributions in achieving positive outcomes for both the local planning authority and the wider community.

They highlighted the strong support the team receives within the Council, as well as its approachable and customer-focused culture, evidenced by positive user feedback and the success of the agents forum. The team was also commended for consistently determining applications within challenging timescales, successfully defending planning appeals, and demonstrating high-quality decision-making.

The judges further recognised the team’s leadership role in progressing the joint Central Lancashire Local Plan, noting the significant challenge of coordinating a plan across three local planning authorities. In a highly competitive field, they concluded that South Ribble was a worthy winner and an exemplar for other planning authorities.

Commended - Sefton Council

Following the 2024 tragic events in Southport, Sefton Planning Team have demonstrated exceptional compassion, professionalism, and commitment in supporting Southport’s recovery. They worked closely with other Council teams, offered free pre application advice, drop in sessions, and visible on the ground support to help local businesses, developers and investors maintain stability and plan for the future. Through proactive collaboration, focussing on projects such as the Lord Street Living, their Planning and Conservation Teams have worked together to attract funding, sustain investment, encourage regeneration, and reinforce community confidence during an intensely challenging period.