Best Project of the Year Winner
Teachers Close, Needham Market, entered by Ingleton Wood LLP 
The development of the former Needham Market Middle School for 41 affordable homes and a new library is an exemplar of a local authority delivering much-needed social housing, affordable shared-ownership homes and community facilities on a constrained, brownfield site. Identifying a significant need for affordable housing in this area and through the development of a positive, robust and engaging planning strategy, the Council were able to quickly deliver high-quality homes for the benefit of the local community with specific housing needs, alongside a new state of the art library for the benefit of the wider community.
Judges‘ comment: " Their outstanding work in transforming the former Needham Market Middle School into much-needed affordable homes and a new library is truly commendable. This project exemplifies a well-considered, attractive scheme that meets local social needs and benefits the community. Congratulations to the project team for their exceptional vision and dedication to delivering essential social housing and community facilities".
Best Project of the Year Commended
Buntingford First School, entered by Smith Jenkins Planning & Heritage
Buntingford First School opened in September 2023 and is the first net zero carbon school in Hertfordshire, supporting Hertfordshire County Council’s strategy to be carbon neutral by 2030. The school was developed on an allocated former distribution depot and provides significant landscape and biodiversity improvements to a vacant brownfield site. The school is built to Passivhaus standards and improves air quality, reduces carbon emissions and results in lower running costs. The project was completed alongside the retention of The Bury Football Club to provide shared playing field facilities and provide an important new education and community facility for the town.
Judges‘ comment: "This project is an outstanding achievement in developing the first net zero-carbon school in Hertfordshire. The project team's dedication and commitment to incorporating Passivhaus standards while repurposing a former distribution depot exemplify excellence in sustainable design. Their thoughtful approach to integrating historical legacies and existing community uses into the design solution sets a commendable standard for future projects".
Kindly sponsored by Axis Land Partnerships
