Previous winners
Click on each box to learn more about previous winners and commended entries. Case studies are included so you can read more about their entry.
Why should you enter the Awards?
Let's hear from our 2024 and 2023 winners:
Climate Emergency DPD entered by Cornwall Council - RTPI South West Best Plan of the Year and Best in Region for 2024. Plus Winner of the Best Plan category in the National RTPI Awards 2024.
Cornwall Council's Planning Policy Team are honoured that the Climate Emergency DPD won both Best Plan and Best in Region and then Best Plan in the final National Awards too. Produced collaboratively during the challenges of the Covid 19 Pandemic and a less than certain national policy context, this document squarely targets carbon emissions, the effects of global warming as well as fuel poverty whilst ensuring that much needed homes can continue to be delivered.
The team is dedicated to helping to standardise best practice in policy making, in a pragmatic way that recognises the social benefits for Cornwall’s residents. Winning these awards is a real boost to our ongoing work of implementing our policies and supporting our customers as well as our efforts to share experience with other authorities and help standardise best practice, including on net zero homes. Being recognised by the RTPI in this way helps to highlight the importance of plan-making continuing to push boundaries, embrace new learning curves and keep tackling challenging issues on behalf of our communities, wildlife and landscapes.
South Gloucestershire Council – RTPI South West Planning Authority of the Year 2024
South Gloucestershire Council planning team are absolutely honoured to have been awarded the RTPI South West Planning Authority of the Year award. The award has really allowed the planning team, and indeed the wider Council, to stop and reflect on all that is positive and think about the impact we have on South Gloucestershire. We are a friendly, helpful and forward-looking team that try to adopt a positive ethos. Having our efforts and hard work recognised by the RTPI is a real morale boost that has re-enforced the teams drive to continually improve and develop. We were honoured to have been able to celebrate all the good that we achieve, with team members at all levels within the service coming together to put forward quotes and comments that we used in our submission. Planning is all to often seen as the ‘red tape’ of many projects, but it is far from that! We are proud of all we achieve and how far we have come on our improvement journey over the last few years. South Gloucestershire Council Planning Team
Bath and North East Somerset Council Planning, RTPI South West Planning Authority of the Year and Best in Region 2023
BaNES Planning Team are a hard working local authority who strive to set the standards for LPA’s locally. The RTPI awards seek to recognise Planning ‘excellence’ and this is something that really resonates with the team ethos at BaNES. At a time when Local authorities are under increasing financial pressure, winning the award for South West Local Planning Authority of the Year was a morale boost that has reinforced and motivated the team’s belief in themselves. It was a real pleasure to be able to evidence the competence of the team to the wider council in this way, and the recognition has also improved relationships externally with agents and customer who view the award with respect.
Hall for Cornwall entered by Burrell Foley Fischer/Cornwall Council – Winner of South West Best Project of the Year and the South West Chair’s Award for Design in 2023
Embarking on a huge refurbishment project is always a leap into the unknown, but Hall for Cornwall benefitted from strong client leadership and support from the Cornish community and a long cast list of funders and stakeholders. In revitalising the listed buildings, BFF were asked to design a theatre that was representative of its location and culture; a space that was open to all, without barriers to attendance or participation.
Winning the RTPI Awards was a fantastic acknowledgment of the skill of the design team, the support of the local planning authority and the efforts of all those involved in the project. It gave us the opportunity to showcase to a wide audience that even on constrained sites buildings can be refurbished and remodelled to meet contemporary standards and to illustrate how good design and positive proactive planning can contribute to the regeneration of our high streets.