Winner:
Town Centre Masterplan entered by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council
A collaborative non-statutory masterplan project born out of a desire to progress development of our town centre in the absence of an up-to-date Local Plan. With sustainability at its core, it enabled a high standard of engagement, utilising digital consultation tools, eventually being recognised as a national trailblazer in the digital planning space.
More importantly, the project resulted in roughly double the national average (approx. 1% of a borough's population according to an RTPI blog), taking part in the consultation (nearly 2,000 people), with over half saying they had never taken part in a planning consultation before.
Judges' citation:
Epsom Town Centre Masterplan was considered by the judges to be an excellent entry, demonstrating the Council’s commitment to taking a plan-led approach, which aims to bring together stakeholders and create a vision for the town centre’s future.
The judges felt it demonstrated excellence from the initiation of the project. As a non-statutory plan, the driver for the initiative arose not from a requirement, but from a strong desire to make it a better place - addressing a significant issue that was important to local residents, businesses and for the town’s night-time economy.
Commended:
Mole Valley Local Plan entered by Mole Valley District Council
The Mole Valley Local Plan includes a number of firsts: One of the first 20% Biodiversity Net Gain policies in the country, the first zero carbon policy in Surrey, the first authority in Surrey to make provision for a carbon offset fund and the first Racehorse Training Zone for Epsom.
In addition, the plan provides over 6,000 homes in a highly constrained district where 76% of the area is green belt. It was also the first full Local Plan to be adopted by Mole Valley District Council for nearly a quarter of a century.
Judges' citation:
The judges commend Mole Valley for getting a positive, proactive, and forward-thinking Local Plan in place under challenging circumstances, with so much of the district protected. They also noted their strong approach to biodiversity and considered the plan to be well composed and were particularly impressed with the reference to planners as leaders, collaborators, and mediators.
The novel approach to consultation was noted (the duck race showed great personality and an engaging way to raising awareness of the consultation), and the success of the consultation was demonstrated with facts and figures. Overall, this was a robust submission which demonstrated a great deal of pride in its composition, which reflects the efforts of many planners within the council.
Shortlist:
Design for Gravesham entered by Levitt Bernstein and Gravesham Borough Council
Design for Gravesham is a comprehensive design code developed by Levitt Bernstein and Gravesham Borough Council to establish design quality standards across the borough. Adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document in 2024, it addresses both urban and rural contexts, with sustainability embedded as a core principle rather than a standalone consideration.
The code was shaped through extensive community engagement, generating over 17,000 pieces of feedback. It provides clear guidance for achieving the borough's net-zero targets while preserving local character and heritage. The framework balances prescription with flexibility, creating planning certainty while allowing creative responses to Gravesham's diverse contexts.