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RTPI/RSPB NI Sustainable Planning Awards
This year’s winners of the RTPI/RSPB NI Sustainable Planning Awards have been announced!
The awards recognise developers and individuals who have followed a 'green' planning process from start to finish. There are four categories: Sustainable Communities and Regeneration, Rural Areas and the Natural Environment, Urban Development and the Built Environment, and a Judges’ Choice award, which was new this year.
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland won in the Urban Development and the Built Environment category. The judges were particularly impressed by the commitment of the team from the outset to achieve a sustainable building, made that bit more difficult by the stringent demands of creating a space suitable for storing and viewing public records.
A private dwelling with associated work space at Leap Mill in County Tyrone won the Rural Areas and the Natural Environment award. This stood out as an example of a small development that has made the utmost effort to fit in with its environment, featuring everything from reuse of buildings to renewable energy generation.
The awards recognise developers and individuals who have followed a 'green' planning process from start to finish.
The proposal for a One Planet Living housing development to fund wider re-development of a former quarry and cement workings at Magheramorne, outside Larne in County Antrim, won the Sustainable Communities and Regeneration category. This is unusual, as there is nothing yet to visit on the ground. But these awards are to recognise achievement across the whole planning process, and the panel was very impressed by the strong connection between the planning team and the local community, which together overcame issues and achieved outline permission.
Finally Castle Espie, the WWT centre on Strangford Lough, won the Judges’ Choice award. This is not for an ‘overall winner’ but to recognise an entry that the judges felt stood out in some way. Castle Espie was the only entry that had put such a focus on the natural environment as part of the whole package in their planning application and approval. The habitat restoration areas are innovative, using tidal exchange to re-create saltmarsh habitats.
Mr David Ferguson, Deputy Secretary in the Department of Social Development, presented the awards at an event in the Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings on 22 March.
The RTPI and the RSPB thank the Department of Social Development as sponsor of the Sustainable Communities and Regeneration Award, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency for additional sponsorship.
More details on each winner are given below, while last year's winners are linked on the right of this page.
Last modified: 21 March 2011
The judges commended the aim to show sustainable development in this unique building, one of only three similar facilities across the UK. The building has already been recognised as being of the highest standard, by meeting the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) Excellent rating, and the judges agree. More... |  |
This family home and workplace impressed the panel as an example of how single dwellings and restoration of old buildings in the countryside can work. The project was a labour of love, but shows that it is possible to design and build an affordable restoration project, maintaining local historical and family connections. More... |  |
This may be considered unusual, as there is nothing ‘on the ground’ to visit at Maghermorne. But these are sustainable planning awards, and the panel were very impressed by the commitment and dedication of the team to overcome planning difficulties by working very strongly with the local community. More... |  |
This was the only entry that had put such a focus on the natural environment as part of the whole package in their planning application and approval. The habitat restoration areas are innovative, using tidal exchange to re-create saltmarsh, reedbed and other habitats. More... |  |