THE regeneration of RAF Burtonwood at Omega Warrington, has been shortlisted as a finalist at the annual RTPI Awards 2021 for planning projects focusing on heritage and culture.
Submitted by Miller Developments Limited the redevelopment of RAF Burtonwood, situated just to the north of Warrington town centre, into a sustainable, mixed-use development has been shortlisted in the Heritage and Culture category at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence.
The site is set within a network of landscaped woodland, parkland and wildlife areas, including a 35 acre ‘Green Heart’, and also features a rare example of an underground ‘Pickett-Hamilton’ fort, dating back to the Second World War.
It is competing against exceptional examples of planning projects that have breathed new life into historically important sites, including buildings and bridges.
Other Finalists in the Heritage and Culture category include:
Illuminated River, submitted by Montagu Evans LLP
On completion, the Illuminated River concept will be the largest public art installation in the world, using the latest LED and software technology to paint 15 of London’s bridges with light. Named as a finalist in the Heritage and Culture category at the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence, the project spans seven London boroughs and involved the coordinated submission of 47 applications for planning permission and listed building consents.
The BIS, submitted by Hartlepool Borough Council
Hartlepool Council has been named as a finalist in the Heritage and Culture category at the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence for its regeneration of the town’s derelict Grade 2-listed General Post Office building into The BIS, a vibrant and flexible workspace for established and new business start-ups. The project has saved an important heritage asset for Hartlepool while shifting the perception of the local area away from one of decline into a progressive, evolving and dynamic quarter.
Smith’s Dock, submitted by Urban Splash and Places for People
The regeneration of Smith’s Dock, a former ship repair yard overlooking the mouth of the River Tyne in North Shields, has been named as a finalist in the Heritage and Culture category at the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence. Key components of the overall masterplan include more than 800 homes, including 24 modular town houses, 10 modular ‘Fab Houses’ designed by TV architect George Clarke, and 80 ‘Smokehouses’, waterfront apartments which take inspiration from the area’s industrial heritage.
Royal Liver Building, Liverpool, submitted by CBRE Ltd
Work by CBRE to bring back to life Liverpool’s iconic Royal Liver Building has been shortlisted in the Heritage and Culture category at the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence. As well as improved office space, the reimagined Grade 1-listed building now features a restaurant, publically-accessible rooftop with spectacular views across the city, and a visitor attraction which gives the local community and tourists the opportunity of learning about the varied history of one of the UK’s most recognisable landmarks.
Lady Matheson’s Seminary, submitted by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
The redevelopment of this long derelict 19th century girls’ school in the heart of Stornoway’s Conservation Area into six affordable flats has been shortlisted in the Heritage and Culture category at the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence. Restoration of the distinctive corner site raised community spirits and bolstered civic pride during lockdown gloom, with local residents cheering as the building was unveiled from a shroud of scaffolding in 2020.
Bicester Heritage, submitted by Bicester Motion Limited
The UK’s first Centre of Excellence for historic motoring enterprise, on the former RAF Bicester site in Oxfordshire, has been shortlisted in the Heritage and Culture category at the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence. Over forty specialist businesses now operate from the site’s 1920s and 30s buildings, and further facilities include a 50,000 sq ft indoor events venue, an automotive test track and an active airfield complete with historic aircraft.
The RTPI’s annual Awards for Planning Excellence are the longest-running and most respected in the UK planning industry. The awards celebrate exceptional examples of planning and the contribution planners make to society not just throughout the UK but internationally.
The climax of the ceremony, which will take place on virtual platform, The Awards Room by Evessio, on 29 April, will be the presentation of the Silver Jubilee Cup, awarded to the project adjudged best overall.
In total, 93 projects, teams and individuals across 15 categories have been selected by the independent judges this year. A new category for this year is Planning Heroes in a Pandemic, recognising the innovative work of planners in response to Covid-19.
The judging panel in 2021 will be chaired by Dyan Currie HonMRTPI, chief planner at Brisbane City Council, Australia and immediate Past President of the Commonwealth Association of Planners.
RTPI President Wei Yang FRTPI said: “For more than 40 years, these prestigious awards have celebrated the exceptional work undertaken by town planners. In the middle of a global pandemic, I believe they are more relevant than ever before as we showcase the very best of our profession from all the RTPI’s regions and nations and from countries around the world.
“I am particularly pleased to see this year a new category has been created to recognise the incredible commitment and dedication of planners who have risen to the challenge of responding to the impacts of Covid-19 on the planning system.
“I wish all the finalists the very best of luck at the ceremony.”
Sarah Elliott MRTPI, UK&I Town Planning Lead for Buildings and Places at headline sponsor AECOM, said: “AECOM is proud to once again be a headline sponsor of this year’s RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence.
The finalists are a diverse mixture of outstanding examples of planning, including new responses driven by the pandemic and climate change. Once again this demonstrates the breadth of the impact the profession has on quality place making and delivery in the built environment, alongside our resilience to evolve and adapt.”
The former airbase in 1944
