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Presentation Ceremony for 2003 Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning

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The presentation ceremony for the Seventh Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning was held at the Hub in Edinburgh on 11 March 2004

At the ceremony, which was attended by over 150 people, Margaret Curran MSP, Minister for Communities, presented prizes to the winners of the 2003 Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning (SAQP) and the urban design award for students, the "Designing Places Award". On behalf of the Sir Patrick Geddes Memorial Trust, the Minister also presented prizes to the winners of the Trust Award.

There were 46 applications to the 2003 SAQP, which is run by the Scottish Executive in association with the Royal Town Planning Institute, and the Minister presented 4 Awards and 12 Commendations. A Special Commendation and a Commendation was presented to the Designing Places winners.

In presenting the Awards, Margaret Curran said:

"I was pleased with the high quality winning entries last year and I am no less impressed this year by the array of good and excellent examples of quality in planning. We are here today to recognise and celebrate with those authorities, students and others who have won a prize for their sterling efforts and I am sure that they are all proud of their achievements.

I am certainly heartened by what I have seen and if this type of quality can be replicated more widely it would help give planning a more positive profile. That can only be to the good. The contribution that planning can make to improving the quality of life of all the people of Scotland is very significant.

I sometimes think that Planning hides its light under a bushel and more could be done to raise its profile in alerting people to what planners and the planning system can do to deliver a quality service. The COSLA Excellence Awards are one way that Planning could raise its profile within local government. I am sure that some of the initiatives we have recognised today have the potential to be recognised in this wider forum.

The judges have again commented that the quantity and quality of submissions confirms the value attached to the planning awards by planning authorities, their partners and the planning and design professions. I am sure that everyone here concurs with that view and I look forward to seeing the same high quality applications being entered for the 2004 Awards. I hope that the RTPI will continue to act as our partners in these Awards. I will also be running a 2004 Designing Places Award and I hope that we will see more entries next year."

OVERALL WINNER

For the first time since the Awards were launched, there was an Overall Winner. This accolade went to The Highland Council, Royal Sun Alliance and ISIS Property Asset Management for:

The Eastgate and Falcon Square Shopping Development (Phase II), Inverness.

This project involved the regeneration of a large strategic site comprising former railway land, disused building (some listed and falling into disrepair) and a former cattle mart. The judges found this a hugely impressive project which demonstrated urban design, project management, partnership and community consultation. They had no doubt that this is one of the most impressive planning projects in Scotland in recent years.

The four Award winners were:

In the Development Control and related category

The City of Edinburgh Council forThe Edinburgh Standards for Urban Design

A clear statement of expectations for urban design in Edinburgh, as well as a process of change to bring greater effectiveness into the development control process.

CAPS Solutions and Stirling and Edinburgh Councils forPublic Access E- Planning System as Implemented in Stirling Council and the City of Edinburgh Council

Development of web enabled modules so that access to data held in the UNI-form system can be extended to a wider audience.

In the Development Plan and related category

The City of Edinburgh Council and Communities Scotland forPolicy Framework for Delivering Affordable Housing

This project involved the development of planning policy to secure the delivery of an element of affordable housing within private development sites. On the basis of the process which had been carried out to achieve this policy, the judges recommended an Award.

In the Development on the Ground and related category

North Lanarkshire Council, Glenboig Environment Group, Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire, Central Scotland Forest Trust and SNH forGlenboig Village Park

With the Council, the community have developed a highly imaginative solution to create a safe and pleasant area.

The twelve commendations were:

Development Control

Business Friendly Development Control (Aberdeenshire Council) and Development Briefs for Local Plan Housing Sites (Midlothian Council).

Development Planning

East Ayrshire Opencast Coal Subject Plan (East Ayrshire Council), Greenspace Audit (East Dunbartonshire Council), The Clydebank Plan 2003-2008 (Clydebank Re-built), Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership - Helping to Develop Sustainable Communities (Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership) and Countryside Access (Stirling Council, SNH and Stirling Area Access Forum).

Development on the Ground

Burghead Headland Trust Visitor Centre (The Moray Council, Burghead Headland Trust, Historic Scotland and Aberdeenshire Archaeology Services), Multrees Walk, St Andrew Square (CDA, Coal Pensions Properties Ltd, City of Edinburgh Council and Harvey Nichols), The Drum (Phase 2), Bo'ness (Ogilvie Homes Ltd and Vernon Monaghan Architects), Dundee Façade Enhancement Grant Scheme (Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise Tayside) and the Cairngorm Funicular Railway Project (The Highland Council and SNH).

DESIGNING PLACES AWARD

A Special Commendation went to Nick Brown (Joint Distance Learning Consortium) for his project Reinvigorating Peterhead.

Margaret Walker, a first year student at the University of Dundee, received a Commendation for her Townscape Analysis.

Each Award and Commendation was introduced by Jim Mackinnon, Chief Planner

The 3 Judges of the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning were: Paul Gregory, Director of Economic Development and Environmental Planning, Scottish Borders Council; Barbara Illsley, lecturer in planning at the University of Dundee and Joan Burnie, Associate Editor of the Daily Record.

The judges of the Designing Places Award were: Rob Cowan, Morag Bain and Jim Mackinnon.