2021 winners

WINNER - Bus Station, Whitehaven - submitted by Copeland BC

The £6.5m Bus Station development is pivotal in Whitehaven’s transformation. Repurposing Whitehaven’s historic gateway art-deco Bus Station into Cumbria’s flagship digital and creative hub. Comprising of managed workspace, artisan food & beverage offerings as well as flexible workspace, the multi-use Bus Station reflects the post-Covid evolving world of office space. This development brings city-style start-up space to the coast of Cumbria with 24-hour access, digital and prototyping suites and co-located business support services. Together, they deliver a development that will be instrumental in meeting west Cumbria’s biggest challenge: economic diversification for job security and creation.

The judges commented:

The redevelopment of the former Bus Station site has retained and restored the curved 1930's Art Deco frontage to the original bus station and has sensitively constructed the new employment, leisure and community floorspace behind this retained façade. The construction involved some significant technical and engineering challenges, including the need to support the façade during construction, and the need to identify and strengthen a historic culvert running through the site.

The judges were particularly impressed with the commitment and determination of Copeland Council and its partners to retain the existing frontage and to use this as the starting point for the design of the development.  Although the building is not listed, it is within a Conservation Area and the council and its partners recognised the cultural and historic importance of this feature to the local community as a local landmark and meeting point for different generations. The retention of this important feature was supported by the local Civic Trust and this is a good example of how local groups can help to play a part in the positive regeneration of their areas.

The judges were also impressed by the adaptability of the project team when addressing the technical challenges during construction and the determination of the team to fulfil their original objectives and provide a high quality development throughout.

WINNER - Baltic Triangle, submitted by LDA Design

Working alongside Liverpool City Council, in partnership with the Baltic Creative and Baltic
Triangle CICs, LDA Design have developed an ambitious and innovative strategic
regeneration framework for the Baltic Triangle. The SRF defines both a strategic urban
vision and planning framework for this important creative and digital quarter, home to some
of Liverpool’s most exciting businesses and venues. Recent pressure for residential growth
in the area requires clear guidance, framed within a robust and landscape-led vision.
LDA Design worked closely with the community and local businesses to shape the SRF,
creating a shared vision for a liveable and prosperous future.

The judges commented:

The judges felt that this was an excellent plan which was well connected to the site and its context which allowed to focus not only on the areas heritage but its emerging culture of digital enterprise. The judges particularly liked the way in which the plan was driven by bottom-up consultation with the community, particularly the local CICs and aligned with their wider aspirations. It was really interesting to see how the very strong grid of streets had been used as the catalyst for the public realm interventions, setting the scope for how individual planning applications would respond to the places unique historic identity. Finally, it is the way that the document was being used in a development management capacity to achieve better quality planning permission (and renegotiate existing ones) that really elevated this document and its relevance plan making in practice. A worth category winner.  

COMMENDATION - St. Cuthbert's Garden Village, Carlisle - submitted by Carlisle City Council

This Strategic Design SPD amplifies policies in the Carlisle District Local Plan and is created for applicants and development management officers when developing and making decisions on development proposals in St Cuthbert’s Garden Village. It particularly helps to interpret and articulate the Council’s expectations for avoiding piecemeal development and encouraging innovative, high quality, comprehensive, landscape-led, sustainable place making appropriate for a Garden Settlement. In line with current and emerging national guidance, this SPD defines what is meant by ‘beautiful’ development in the context of St Cuthbert’s and has been developed through extensive engagement.

The judges commented:

The judges were very impressed with the overall, vision and aspiration for this project and a commitment by the City Council to deliver something that would, when delivered, be truly transformational for not only for the city, but for the wider region and the borderlands. The work was clearly the product of many years of extensive work, that integrated the project at every level of planning policy culminating with the excellent SPD that has recently been adopted. The work was well written, researched and well supported by technical survey and community engagement – the latter being praised for its innovative methods. Overall a fantastic example of long term, robust policy making. 

WINNER - Bus Station, Whitehaven - submitted by Copeland BC

The £6.5m Bus Station development is pivotal in Whitehaven’s transformation. Repurposing Whitehaven’s historic gateway art-deco Bus Station into Cumbria’s flagship digital and creative hub. Comprising of managed workspace, artisan food & beverage offerings as well as flexible workspace, the multi-use Bus Station reflects the post-Covid evolving world of office space. This development brings city-style start-up space to the coast of Cumbria with 24-hour access, digital and prototyping suites and co-located business support services. Together they deliver a development that will be instrumental in meeting west Cumbria’s biggest challenge: economic diversification for job security and creation.

The judges commented:

The redevelopment of the vacant and derelict former Bus Station site in Whitehaven town centre was completed and opened in Spring 2021.  It provides flexible employment and co-working space for local business supported by the Barclays 'Eagle Lab' programme, along with 'The Peddler' café and restaurant.  The development was a partnership between local developers BEC, Copeland Council, the Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners and Sellafield Ltd.  Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, take up of the flexible working space has been very strong and is one of Barclays best performing 'labs' in the country. 

The judges felt the project was an excellent example of partnership working that is delivering positive benefits to the West Cumbria community, parts of which suffer from high levels of deprivation.  The development team have also worked to ensure that the project provides wide ranging benefits to the local supply chain, including sourcing local food for its restaurant. The Bus Station development is already acting as a catalyst to investment with further developments being brought forward as part of the wider North Shore Regeneration programme.  

The judges were also impressed with the passion and pride of the whole development team and the determination of Copeland Council and its partners to deliver a scheme that met the needs and aspirations of the local community.

WINNER - Halton Council

20 years ago Halton appeared in the book 'Crap Towns'. The Council was already committed to shedding the legacy of the chemical industry that were the first origins of the Borough's centres. Through a series of Local Plans, planners backed by a strong mandate from local councillors, have changed perceptions. In 2019 Runcorn was highlighted by Rightmove as the fastest housing market outside London. In 2020, The Times listed Widnes in its list of Top 20 suburbs. Halton's Planning Service maybe small in number, but big in ambition, showcasing some big infrastructure, sites, and the Borough's fifth Local Plan.

The judges commented:

The judging panel was enthralled by the breadth of work covered by Halton Council’s planning team. What made the submission even more impressive is the amount of work being produced by this small local authority team. It is evident that the teams across different disciplines, including highways, support each other very well and form a tightly knit unit that takes pride in their work. Halton continued to progress their emerging Local Plan during the Pandemic where many others opted to put their Plans on hold. They successfully completed their virtual public hearing sessions earlier this year, which was a first for all involved in it. The Development Management Team maintains good performance numbers whilst being proactive in negotiating improvements to schemes rather than just refusing applications. The work of the team over many years now has had a significant positive impact on how the settlements in Halton are perceived. Worthy winners of this tightly contested awards category.

COMMENDATION - Rochdale Council

The Development Management team has played a critical role in helping Rochdale Council deliver their place making agenda and they are recognised in the industry for providing a highly professional, commercially focused service. Over the last 12-18 months they have also seen an unprecedented rise in demand for the service and recognised this meant doing things differently. It started with a belief things could be better and a sustained effort by the team turned that belief into an outstanding service for customers with tremendous benefits for Rochdale. Through their commercial focus, and use of PPA’s, they have boosted non-statutory fee income, reduced costs to the tax-payer and improved investor experience. The team are processing applications in record-time helping them to enable development. Customers rarely need to chase for updates meaning more time for officers to spend on meaningful, productive work. The team’s diversity in skills, experience and background played a key role in this successful transformation project whilst the mix of public and private sector experience has created a truly commercially focused, business minded approach to service delivery and place making. Rochdale is also a diverse borough, and the workforce reflects this with 25% having BME backgrounds. 

The judges commented:

Through their submission and presentation Rochdale’s Development Management Team has proven the art of the possible by the transformation in the delivery of their Development Management services. The judging panel understand very well the challenges that would have been involved in persuading seniors officers to invest more money into the service under difficult financial conditions and to bring about a true cultural shift is such a large and established organisation as the Council. The data and client reviews speaks volumes of what the team has a achieved in a reasonably short period of time. The judges were particularly impressed by the manner in which staff were empowered to re-invent the way they work to improve efficiencies and are allowed to manage their own workloads. The focus has shifted from the statutory timescales for dealing with applications to a more customer focussed approach whilst also generating much needed additional income to help sustain the new enhanced level of service delivery. The judging panel thank Rochdale for their submission and the team can rightly be proud of what they have achieved and is highly commended accordingly.

WINNER - Nexus Planning

Nexus Planning is an independent consultancy managed by Chartered Town Planners. Its Manchester Planning team delivers planning solutions across a number of key development sectors. For the private sector, Nexus Planning delivers planning permissions for significant mixed-use, residential, employment, education, retail and leisure, and energy developments. For the public sector, it prepares town centre strategies and feasibility studies, and advises on the compliance of site-specific proposals with planning policy. Through diversity of expertise and experience, Nexus Planning provides a ‘whole life’ service from initial strategy, through to stakeholder engagement and the negotiation of planning permissions, and beyond to project implementation.

The judges commented:

The Nexus Planning Manchester Team currently comprises seven professional planners working across both the public and private sectors. The knowledge and experience of the team is wide ranging with projects underway in various development sectors, most notably retail and residential. Junior members of staff are actively encouraged to get involved in different workstreams in order to develop their expertise.

The judges were impressed with whole team approach to the presentation and it shone through that the team are close knit and supportive of each other. Nexus has a range of internal working groups covering sustainability, social value and diversity to name a few. It was refreshing to see that all members of the team, regardless of level, are actively involved in these to help set the direction of the business and encourage continual development. The judges enjoyed a snippet of the “Nexus: Year in Review” series and it shows that the team are engaging and passionate about what they do. The growth aspirations of the business were evident with two additional professional planners due to start in the coming months to expand the team and respond to increased workload.

Nexus stood out to the judges as a consultancy which is professional, works hard to achieve positive outcomes for their clients and proactively engages staff to help shape the Nexus of tomorrow. A worthy winner of this tightly contested category.

COMMENDATION - Avison Young

Avison Young’s Manchester planning team was formerly the independent consultancy, HOW Planning, established in 2001, and developed a reputation for providing a high quality and commercially focused service to a diverse client base. In 2018, HOW was acquired by GVA, and GVA HOW Planning was created. GVA subsequently merged with Avison Young and on 1 February 2019 we combined under the unified brand of Avison Young - the only privately held, Principal-led, global, full-service commercial real estate services firm. We continue to be very proud of our reputation as a leading planning consultancy both in the North West and nationally.

The judges commented:

The submission from Avison Young was a particularly strong one. In recent years the team has embraced a move from an independent planning consultancy, How Planning, to being part of one the world’s largest global real estate companies, Avison Young. Despite becoming  part of a much larger organisation, the team has been able to retain its own distinctive identity, and to develop its distinctive approach to team working whilst taking advantage of the broader skills within Avison Young as a whole. Indeed it is clear that the larger organisation has gained from the positive team working culture of its planning team. 

The submission demonstrated real pride in the people who make up the team, and the support on offer to develop team members right from the start of their planning careers and then as their careers developed through to becoming leaders. The judges took note of the comments of a planning graduate who had recently joined the team, and the support which she was offered from the get go. Team members are actively encouraged to think and work “outside the box”, and the judges were impressed with the overall team support of individuals, allowing them to develop and broaden their skills as planners. A culture of active collaboration and partnership was evident in the submission, as was a strong commitment to social and economic value in local communities. Avison Young are involved in some of the north west’s biggest projects, and it is clear that excellent team working lies at the heart of their success over the last turbulent year. 

WINNER - Olivia Pemberton

Olivia is a chartered Senior Planner at Eden Planning. She is passionate about being an
advocate for those considering a career in planning, in particular empowering women at the
beginning of their careers and guiding those still in education. Olivia is currently the Chair of
RTPI North West Young Planners having served on the committee for three years and having
previously acted as Vice Chair and Social Media Lead. Olivia's approach to planning is
influenced by her love of problem solving, and her interests lie in accelerating the delivery of
homes across the North West.

The judges commented:

The judges thoroughly enjoyed meeting Olivia and hearing about her career to date. In only five years, she has already achieved so much; with demonstrable experience in both the public and private sectors, alongside her longstanding commitment to volunteering with the RTPI NW. We decided to award Olivia RTPI NW Young Planner of the Year 2021, as she outlined how she would continue to be a great champion for other Young Planners in our region and use the opportunity as a platform to raise the profile of planners more generally. 

WINNER - Sam Stafford

The RTPI Regional Chairs Award is an opportunity for the Chair to highlight a project, team or person that reflects the theme they have set out for their year as Regional Chair. For his year as Regional Chair, Ian Gilbert's overarching aim was for us to find our feet again and re-energising our industry whilst we adjust to new ways of working and learn to live with the Coronavirus. The key to that recovery has always laid with the drive and enthusiasm of the people and personalities in our industry that make the difference to our profession and our lives within it.  

Chairs comment:

It gives me great pleasure to present this award to Sam Stafford at Barratt Developments for his outstanding contribution to our industry and in promoting the planning profession. Sam has contributed to many of the events hosted by the RTPI through lockdown and brought with him an original insight and enthusiasm for planning which would be impossible to forge. Sam has continually brought planning issues to bare through his planning quizzes on Twitter and with his 50 Shades of Planning Podcast and done so in a light hearted way which is both accessible to, and enjoyed by, a wider audience than planning professionals; an incredible feat amongst a wider media in which planning often plays the villain… or certainly the villains weapon of choice! And when Sam isn’t putting the planning world to rights, he has kept us entertained with his national Property Professional FIFA Tournament. 

Bus Station, Whitehaven - submitted by Copeland BC

Judges comments:  The judges felt that the Whitehaven Bus Station redevelopment is an exemplar project that has been planning-led and which has been completed to a high standard despite a number of challenges.  It has clearly been designed to meet the needs of the local community and has been delivered through an effective and successful partnership.

The development shows what can be achieved with strong local leadership, community support, the right development and funding partners, and critically the involvement of planners at all stages.  

The judges commented:

The judges felt that the Whitehaven Bus Station redevelopment is an exemplar project that has been planning-led and which has been completed to a high standard despite a number of challenges.  It has clearly been designed to meet the needs of the local community and has been delivered through an effective and successful partnership.

The development shows what can be achieved with strong local leadership, community support, the right development and funding partners, and critically the involvement of planners at all stages.

Nick Hayhurst, Head of Planning and Place at Copeland BC said:

“It is fantastic news that the Bus Station has been recognised by the RTPI as an exemplar development at a regional level. The award reflects the hard work and determination by the Council, BEC and partners to secure a sympathetic development that retained the historic façade of the building yet delivered a dynamic and flexible space for both leisure and business uses. The completed scheme has made a huge impact to this part of the town and sets the standard for future development within Copeland.”