London planning excellence recognised at RTPI Awards 2021

Projects and planners from across the capital are in the running to win at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2021, it has been announced.

Finalists from London at this year’s RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence are

101 George Street, Croydon, submitted by HTA Design LLP (Large Housing Schemes)

Scheme in the heart of Croydon town centre has created 546 new homes for rent including affordable housing on a site that has been vacant for over 20 years

AEC (Planning Heroes in a Pandemic, Small Planning Consultancy of the Year)

Planners at AEC have worked on a range of major and micro-projects, from transportation, regeneration, consultation, residential and nationally significant energy projects, to smaller sustainable eco-developments and architectural redesigns

Collective Planning (Small Planning Consultancy of the Year)

Collective Planning has worked on various innovative projects including warehouse living, coliving, modular homes, co-working and ‘meanwhile’ uses

Daniel Wilson – HGH Consulting (Young Planner of the Year)

Beyond his professional work, Dan is Chair of the West Midlands Young Planners Committee and is a Planning Aid England volunteer

Deloitte Real Estate (Planning Consultancy of the Year)

Deloitte Real Estate has extensive experience delivering planning permissions for complex projects and understanding and influencing planning and environmental policy

Density Study, submitted by MICA Architects and The London Legacy Development Corporation (Excellence in Plan Making Practice)

Provides a readily accessible tool for the local community to understand the intensity of development in the area, allowing it to engage more effectively with the planning process

Hackney London Borough Council (Planning Authority Team of the Year)

In 2020, Hackney’s Planning Service adopted a new borough-wide local plan, implemented a new IT system for managing planning applications and determined numerous applications of strategic importance

HTA Design LLP (Small Planning Consultancy of the Year)

Niche consultancy integrated within a multi-disciplinary design practice, specialising in residential-led regeneration and infill projects, complemented by research and thought leadership

Hybrid Planning & Development Ltd (Small Planning Consultancy of the Year)

Female-owned and managed, Hybrid specialises in urban, mixed-use sites, working collaboratively and championing inclusivity throughout the entire planning process

Iceni Projects (Planning Consultancy of the Year)

Multi-skilled consultancy which prides itself in being disruptive and doing things differently – but doing it in the right way

Illuminated River, submitted by Montagu Evans LLP (Heritage and Culture)

One of the world’s most ambitious public art installations, this project will span up to 14 iconic and historical bridges along 4.5 nautical miles of the River Thames

Jacobs (In-house Planning Team if the Year)

The team at Jacobs are experts in town and country planning, marine planning, Local Plans, city-wide strategies, Socioeconomic Assessments and masterplanning

London Borough of Barnet (Planning Authority Team of the Year)

Barnet’s planners have committed to making planning enforcement a truly innovative, collaborative, prompt and decisive service, working with and for the people of the borough

National Design Guide, submitted by Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design with Design Council and MHCLG (Plan Making Practice)

As Planning Practice Guidance, the Guide provides a framework for local design guidance and for assessing design quality

NTR Planning (Small Planning Consultancy of the Year)

In a challenging COVID-19 environment, and a changing planning system, NTR Planning continues to deliver meaningful change and improvements to the built and natural environment throughout the UK and Ireland

Planning Insight (Small Planning Consultancy of the year)

Priding itself on its honest and personal approach to planning issues, Planning Insight takes time to understand a client’s needs and tailors advice to satisfy their requirements

Planning London Datahub – Greater London Authority, submitted by Atkins Limited (Tech Within Planning Practice)

Collaborative project between all of London’s Planning Authorities to build a single open data set of development proposals in the planning process to enable monitoring of how our City is changing and develop a shared understanding of the data

RedHill Court, Burnt Oak Broadway, Barnet, submitted by HTA Design LLP (Small Housing Schemes)

Redevelopment of the former Burnt Oak Registry Office, the project received unanimous approval in 2018 and is part of a successful programme of infill sites for Barnet Homes

Savills (UK) Ltd (Planning Consultancy of the Year)

The largest planning practice in the UK, Savills promotes planning at all education levels, in schools and through graduate and apprenticeship programmes, and has increased paths into planning to address diversity in the profession

WSP (Planning Consultancy of the Year)

One of the largest planning consultancies in the UK, WSP develops creative, comprehensive and sustainable solutions for a future in which individuals and society can thrive

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.