Success At Regional Planning Awards 2010

Dover District Council has welcomed news that outstanding work by the planning team on the Dover Sea Sports Centre and the Local Development Framework has been recognised with two prestigious awards at the Regional Planning Awards 2010.

The Dover Sea Sports Centre won in the Arts, Culture, Sports and Education category at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South East Branch awards, and the LDF Core Strategy won a commendation in the Spatial Strategies section.

Judges were impressed with the short amount of time taken to report and recommend the Dover Sea Sports Centre application to Planning Committee. This showed the importance of pre-application discussions and developing a close working relationship between officers and the architect. The Panel was impressed with the Council's responsive approach to matching the demands of grant funding and the planning process, and the clever use of building materials that enhanced the beach and safeguarded the setting of neighbouring listed buildings.

The Panel also acknowledged that the Core Strategy is founded on growth and provides long-term certainty for developers. The Forward Planning team worked with both the public and private sectors to prepare a solid evidence base, and worked closely with the local community. Judges were impressed with this collaborative approach. They praised the Council for the excellent use of graphics and illustrations, the overall presentation of the Core Strategy, the flexibility that had been built into the strategy to look beyond 2026, and the well-argued case for growth. The Core Strategy is also on the shortlist for an RTPI national award.

Cllr Paul Watkins, Leader of Dover District Council, said: "This is a great result and we are very pleased to see the outstanding professional work of our planning team recognised in this way by the Royal Town Planning Institute. Investments are already being attracted to the district, and these awards recognise the strong foundations for future success, as DDC continues to work hard for the area."