2022 winners

Jonathan Bell is the best strategic thinker in Plymouth City Council. He has personally led a number of award-winning initiatives that have pushed the boundaries of creativity and innovation in how planning can help improve people’s lives and create great places. Jonathan has a keen philosophy for planning which embraces personal championing of quality outcomes. Jonathan is an incredibly caring and thoughtful manager, always looking for positive outcomes for staff, the council and the city. Never afraid to take on new challenges, Jonathan embraces the opportunity to think differently and creatively, providing opportunities for his team to shape new ideas.

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In judging Jonathan Bell as the ‘South West Head Planner of the Year 2022, the Judges Panel was impressed with the following:

• His enthusiasm and positivity in relating how he had faced and tackled substantial challenges during his work with Plymouth City Council in particular his recent leadership on the corporate Plymouth Plan, the Climate Emergency Strategy and the Plymouth and South West Devon Local Plan.
• The clear evidence that he had, and was continuing to have, a key role in the development and implementation of corporate policies and initiatives across the City Council with ‘planning’ at the core.
• His priority in maintaining productive relationships with stakeholders, communities and elected members.
• Boundaries of creativity and innovation have and are currently being pushed by him with an eye to learning lessons and continuous improvement – not just for himself but for his colleagues, the City Council and the wider community.
• In summary, the Judging Panel concluded that Jonathan is a credit to the planning profession.

Jess is a Chartered Town Planner, recently appointed to Senior Planner at Pure Town Planning, based in Bournemouth. As an active member of the Dorset Young Planners since December 2019, and Chair of the group since July 2021, her enthusiasm shines through, buoying other young planners who are lucky enough to work alongside her or meet her in passing. The Dorset Young Planners are proud to be represented by such a professional planner who understands the technical aspects of planning.

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In judging Jess to be the ‘South West Young Planner of the Year 2022’ the Judges Panel was impressed with the following:

• Her enthusiasm and commitment relating to a wide range of planning issues; this was illustrated by her recently taking a week’s leave to volunteer at another consultancy to increase her knowledge of heritage issues.
• Her commitment to the Planning profession in particular though RTPI SW as a former Chair of the Dorset Young Planners Steering Group, the organisation and hosting of CPD events and involvement in wider initiatives including ‘Chief Planners of Tomorrow’, the SW Engagement Network and SW pilot mentoring scheme.
• Her broad experience in a relatively short career and that she is passionate in her engagement with others to ensure best outcomes for all.
• She is currently illustrating that you can take a career break while young and has set up her own consultancy while away to stay in touch with planning while currently travelling the world.
• She has clear career aspirations, the Panel concluding she is a role model for future young planners.

St Sidwell’s Point, is the first UK leisure centre built to Passivhaus standard and is a demonstration of Exeter City Council’s vision for the future of the city, which includes developing a high quality and accessible built environment to encourage healthy, active lifestyles.
The building is an ambitious low energy, high value project that delivers its high-bar brief to provide a highly energy efficient building of striking architectural quality, innovative design and world leading technology, with a person friendly environment, for years to come.
St Sidwell’s Point is an exemplar for planning and leads a legacy for future delivery

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In judging St Sidwell’s Point as a Joint Winner of the ‘Projects’ Category, the Judges Panel was impressed with the following:

• A clear planning input to the project over many years through visioning, master planning, policy and delivery with extensive collaboration, particularly with accessibility groups.
• That the City Council has embraced Passivhaus as a general construction standard, St Sidwell’s Point being the first Leisure Centre in the UK to be delivered to this standard exemplary in terms of contribution to action on climate change.
• A state of the art healthy and highly energy efficient building with strong environmental credential incorporating high quality materials selected as much for their health and well being benefits as their aesthetics and resilience.
• The Passivhaus construction process that has enabled an up-skilling of the workforce; engagement is planned with schools with St Sidwell’s Point used as a case study in delivering environmentally responsive development.
• The St Sidwell’s Point Leisure Centre reflects two ambitions of the City Council: the redevelopment of the poor standard large out of date bus station sited close to the Princesshay shopping complex and the provision of new modern leisure facilities in the city centre accessible to residents of both the city and the surrounding sub region. The City Council’s funding of the new bus station immediately adjacent to the Leisure Centre represents excellent use of the site at the same time providing excellent sustainable transport opportunities for the Centre’s users.

Chairs Award

Julie O'Rourke, Chair of RTPI South West considered that there was clear collaboration between the Council, Sports England, the local community and local businesses and a clear emphasis on health improvements. This is an excellent scheme where there are multiple benefits and clear collaboration to achieve a development which will promote health going forward.

The Box brings together museum, archive, local studies, film & photographic collections within a new building crafted from three listed-buildings and organised around a dramatic new extension and piazza below the precious jewelled archive box. At its heart the ethos is conservation, heritage and preservation of Plymouth’s rich history and heritage, bringing together six outstanding national collections in a new and sustainable home. This rich blend of collections will enable the stories of international and local significance to be told through immersive experiences and amazing objects. Temporary galleries are integrated enabling both contemporary and heritage exhibitions of internationally significant scale.

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In judging The Box as a Joint Winner of the ‘Projects’ Category the Judging Panel was impressed with the following:

• Planning being at the core of both conception and delivery of this project and central to collaborative working both across the City Council and with other bodies. The Box is the culmination of a 15 year planning journey involving a wide range of stakeholders and funding bodies.

• Substantial actual and potential further economic benefits for the City and sub-region, in particular as a tourist and cultural attraction.

• Imaginative and sensitive design including the refurbishment and integration of the Art Gallery listed buildings within a single Conservation Management Plan – accessibility issues key in the design.

• The apparent broad Inclusive appeal of the facility across a range of diverse communities and age groups underpinned by free entry to the building.

• The wide ranging, imaginative and continuing community engagement.

Chair's Award

In assessing the project Julie considered that there was clear collaboration between the Council, Sports England, the local community and local businesses and a clear emphasis on health improvements. This is an excellent scheme where there are multiple benefits and clear collaboration to achieve a development which will promote health going forward.

*The Chair’s Award is an discretionary award selected by the Chair of the Region. This year Julie O'Rouke theme was collaboration and community engagement in the planning process. Therefore this year she was looking for projects and plans that demonstrate how these issues resulted in planning excellence. The winning entry needed to show how collaboration between different sectors and disciplines, along with innovative engagement led to community empowerment and better places now and in the future. Julie was was particularly interested to see collaboration between local planning authorities, communities and the private sector to deliver development.

The Devonport Market Hall is a world-class centre for digital innovation, enterprise and education, with a state-of-the-art 15m diameter immersive dome, the first of its kind in Europe. It is located in the heart of Devonport, Plymouth and is the final phase of the masterplan for the former MoD South Yard Enclave site. As well as rescuing a listed building at risk and opening it up to the local community for the first time since World War II, the project has provided a successful new destination use and a major regeneration catalyst as envisaged by the Area Action Plan

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In judging this Project as being ‘Highly Commended’, the Judges Panel was impressed:

• That this planning led project by the City Council featured a good level of stakeholder and community engagement, the aim being its development as a catalyst for, and key element in, the regeneration of Devonport.

• With the very high standard of the restoration of the interior of the original market hall building, particularly the metal staircases/railings and also with the successful design and integration of a modern extension with the historic listed building.

• The creation of flexible spaces for use by small businesses and community groups, a vital feature for its growing role as a focus for the on-going enhancement of the Devonport economy.

• The 15m diameter 360” immersive video dome, the first of its kind in Europe used by community groups and schools.

Chair's Award*

Julie O'Rourke, Chair of RTPI South West was impressed by the level of stakeholder and community engagement and the principle of working closely with and becoming a part of the community. It is considered that the partnership working of Plymouth City Council and Real Ideas resulted in a development which will provide social and economic benefits for the wider community now and in the future.

*The Chair’s Award is an discretionary award selected by the Chair of the Region. This year Julie O'Rouke theme was collaboration and community engagement in the planning process. Therefore this year she was looking for projects and plans that demonstrate how these issues resulted in planning excellence. The winning entry needed to show how collaboration between different sectors and disciplines, along with innovative engagement led to community empowerment and better places now and in the future. Julie was was particularly interested to see collaboration between local planning authorities, communities and the private sector to deliver development.

Jojo is a positive, proactive and professional Young Planner with a strong focus on communication and collaboration and the belief that a phone call can be worth a thousand emails. She has a passion for supporting and developing the next generation of planners, the future of our industry, and for promoting planning as a career as it’s still a little-understood profession outside its own four walls. What we require of our built environment and how we experience it is ever changing and, as planners, we have an exciting role in this constant evolution

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In judging Jozie as being ‘Highly Commended’ Judges Panel was impressed that:

• Her experience to date had resulted in a good understanding of the role of all participants in the planning process and also of the need to develop communication skills in finding resolutions to the many issues that arise.

• Her relative lack of public sector experience, compared with some planners at this stage in their career, is not a significant issue as she has good knowledge of planning policy issues.

• She is clearly focussed and career driven with particular aspirations as a chartered young planner for developing the needs of young planners, demonstrated by her role as the Chair of the Devon, Cornwall and Somerset Young Planners.

• She is keen to raise awareness of planning issues in primary and secondary school children; as an RTPI Ambassador she already goes into schools as she said ‘to enthuse the next generation’.

• Her stated overall wish is to engage broadly, to help those starting out and to break down barriers and improve relationships between the public and private sectors.

Delivering against ambitious city Green Infrastructure Plans, this Council led, partnership project delivered high quality community facilities for accessible sport, natural play, recreation and public engagement, which responded to and enhanced the natural setting, in the heart of Plymouth’s Central Park. The process catalysed the involvement of more diverse partners, communities and social enterprise to co-design and manage a new café, community sports hub and events space that support the financial sustainability of the park; created a city exemplar for wildlife friendly management practice and environmental volunteering and generated new investment into nature based solutions for health and wellbeing.

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In commending this Project, the Judges Panel was impressed that: 

• There was a ‘golden thread from Strategic Planning through a Master Plan, providing an overarching vision, to implementation on the ground - the planning process being key throughout.

• The Joint Local Plan, in identifying the Park as a strategic allocation, has secured political prioritization and S106 money.

• Excellent community engagement had ensured that the Hub’s evolution/implementation was secured without significant opposition.

Millie is Co-Chair of the Dorset Young Planners and has recently been appointed as an Urban Planner, Researcher and Studio Manager at Feria Urbanism, an award-winning design studio, based in Bournemouth. With experience in various areas of planning, she’s always the first to volunteer for a challenge. Her previous colleagues, Co-Chair and her manager feel that she’s one to watch!

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In commending Amelia the Judges Panel was impressed with:

• Her good understanding of planning policy and the planning system through practical work in the public and private sector.

• Her recognition of the importance of collaborative working between the public and private sectors.

• Her commitment to the profession in particular being the Co-Chair of the Dorset Young Planners

Climate Positive Planning is the tool through which Somerset West and Taunton Council have effectively integrated their declaration of Climate and Ecological Emergencies into planning. This Statement is not policy itself but seeks to provide guidance and signposting to support adopted planning policies, national guidance and legislation in the interim period pending the adoption of future Local Plan(s). It underlines that the Climate Emergency is a material consideration and identifies how requirements of development plan policy may be viewed in assessing proposals, to inform effective decision making and improve standards of new development with immediate effect.

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Image credit: Richard Guise 

In commending this entry, the judges recognised that there was a strong statement of intent produced over a short time, in house and on a small budget. A welcome response to a critical issue paving the way for more robust planning policies in a future Local Plan.