Celebrating Planning Excellence
North East Region Awards for Planning Excellence Winners
The North East Awards for Planning Excellence continue to recognise and highlight the positive contribution planning professionals make in the communities we serve around the world.
Congratulations to the North East Awards for Planning Excellence winners 2024 who were announced at the annual Awards Dinner on Friday 28 June at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Newcastle.
- Best Plan – Gateshead Examplar Neighbourhood SPD submitted by IDPartnership
- Best Project – Morpeth Leisure Centre submitted by DPP Planning
- Best Project - Commended - Stephenson Building, Newcastle University submitted by ELG Planning, NORR and Newcastle University
- Young Planner of the Year – Josh Murphy submitted by Dominic Waugh, Fairhurst Group DDP
- Small Consultancy of the Year – Origin Planning Services Limited submitted by Emily Andrews, Origin Planning Services Limited
- Chair’s Award – Bank House submitted by Avison Young, Ryder Architecture and Newcastle City Council
- Best in Region - Project Darlington, the Darlington Yards Project submitted by ELG Planning , Darlington Borough Council and Nicky Peacock.
A stepping stone to our national celebration
These winners become national finalists except for Young Planner of the Year who will be judged by the national judges in September. The top five will become Young Planner of the Year national finalists.
All the shortlisted entries from the project categories* will be judged for the national finalist list. The remaining five direct to national categories** are also judged to complete the national finalist list of a total of 15 categories.
The national finalists will be announced on 16 October and the winners will be announced and celebrated on 26 November 2024 in London at the national ceremony. Details will be announced here.
*Project categories:
- Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy
- Excellence in Planning for Health and Wellbeing
- Excellence in Planning for Heritage and Culture
- Excellence in Planning for the Natural Environment
- Excellence in Planning for Communities (small schemes under 50 homes)
- Excellence in Planning for Communities (large schemes of 50 homes or more)
**Direct to national categories:
- Excellence in Digital Planning Practice
- International Award for Planning Excellence
- In-house Planning Team of the Year
- Planning Consultancy of the Year
- Inspirational Leader of the Year
Thank you to the judges
Thank you to our volunteer judges who took the time out of their busy schedules to appraise this year's entries.
For more information
For questions about the shortlisting and celebration event please visit the awards hub or contact Kim Walker, North East Coordinator.
Award Sponsors
Thank you to this year's Award Sponsors.
Banks Property and Homes
Banks Property and Homes
With decades of expertise in developing land across the North East and Yorkshire, Banks Property (part of the Banks Group) is dedicated to promoting high-quality, much-needed homes for people in the places where they want to live. We prioritise working with communities and landowners throughout the development fostering local social, economic, and environmental benefits through every project. This is what we call development with care.
Elevating modern living, Banks Homes is a regional house builder that create homes designed by life. Placed for perfection and combining style as standard with innovative sustainable design to seamlessly blend elegance, quality, and practicality.
EDF Renewables UK and Ireland
EDF Renewables UK and Ireland
EDF Renewables UK and Ireland is part of one of the world’s largest electricity companies and our investment and innovation in renewable energy projects is reducing costs for consumers and bringing significant benefits to communities.
EDF Renewables has an experienced team bringing complex development projects to fruition, across various renewable technologies, including onshore and offshore wind, solar, battery storage and hydrogen with more than 550 colleagues across the UK.
Hedley Planning Services
Hedley Planning Services
Hedley Planning is an award winning town planning consultancy, with a strong regional focus and a track record for unlocking complex sites and securing implementable planning permissions for clients.
Operating from two north east offices, our highly experienced staff advise a range of clients for housing, commercial and industrial developers and investors. Our experience sets us apart from our peers, we bring commercial knowledge to all schemes to ensure clients have clear, sound direction.
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP
The Planning team at Womble Bond Dickinson is ranked as a national leader, outside London, and advises on the full range of planning and highways matters, including compulsory purchase order work. The team acts for a national client base including developers, local authorities, landowners, house builders and energy companies and specialises in advising on major development schemes and nationally significant infrastructure projects. The team represents clients in planning litigation and planning inquiries, advises on a significant number of complex compulsory purchase matters, and has promoted 25 Development Consent Orders (DCOs) to date across the energy, waste and transport sectors.
