These categories reward excellence specifically in professional planning activity. 

AWARD FOR PLAN-MAKING

This award will go to the entry that best demonstrates how a masterplan, neighbourhood plan, local development plan or sub-regional plan has had, or is likely to have, a positive impact on the physical or environmental quality of a place or the economic or social well-being of its community. For the purposes of this award, we define master plans as plans for an area of development or regeneration which could be, but need not necessarily be, part of a development plan document.

AWARD FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING

The award will go to the professional planning team (or individual planning professional) that can most clearly demonstrate how their excellence in infrastructure planning (such as planning for transport, waste, energy, water, education or health) has led or is likely to lead to improvements in the physical or environmental quality of a place or places and/or the economic or social wellbeing of a community or communities. (Entry to this category is restricted to professional planners – entrants who wish to seek recognition for outstanding legal work on infrastructure planning are encouraged to enter the law firm of the year award).

AWARD FOR PLANNING FOR INCREASED HOUSING DELIVERY

This award will go to the team or project that can most clearly demonstrate how its professional planning work has helped to increase delivery or likely delivery of planned-for homes that have improved or are likely to improve the physical or environmental quality of a place or the economic or social well-being of a community. Among the kinds of work that judges will be looking for will be: approaches to seeking or granting of site allocation that maximise the chances of planned-for, good quality new homes being promptly delivered; approaches to seeking or granting of planning permission that maximise the chances of planned-for, good quality new homes being promptly delivered; planning work that seeks to help new or smaller players in housing provision (such as small building firms, purpose-built private rented sector developers, local authorities and others) to contribute more to housing delivery; planning work that seeks to help the use of new construction techniques that enable faster delivery (such as modular construction) and planning work that seeks to de-risk delivery for providers through land assembly and other measures.

AWARD FOR PLANNING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

This award will go to the team or project that can most clearly demonstrate how its professional planning work has helped to increase provision for below market cost housing that has improved or is likely to improve the physical or environmental quality of a place or the economic or social well-being of a community .Such housing could include: social rented housing, affordable rented housing, discounted market housing and intermediate housing for sale or rent.

AWARD FOR PLANNING FOR THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

This award will go to the team,plan or project that the judges feel most clearly demonstrates how professional planning work has been used to improve or protect the natural environment, or create the likelihood of it being improved or protected.

AWARD FOR USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN PLANNING

This award will go to the team, plan or project that the judges believe is the most outstanding example of how digital technology has been used by professional planners to improve the functioning of the planning system or maintain its effectiveness in challenging circumstances.

PLANNING LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

This award will go to the law firm that can most clearly demonstrate how one or more elements of its planning legal work has/have enabled clients to have a positive impact - or a likely positive impact - on the physical or environmental quality of a place or places and/or the economic or social well-being of a community or communities.

AWARD FOR PLANNING CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR

This award will go to a consultancy that can most clearly demonstrate how its planning work has helped clients to have a positive impact - or a likely positive impact - on the physical or environmental quality of a place or places and/or the economic or social well-being of a community or communities.

LOCAL AUTHORITY PLANNING TEAM OF THE YEAR

In association with the Planning Officers Society

This award will go to the local planning authority team that most clearly demonstrates outstanding service to the local community. This could be through demonstrating the positive impact that one or more aspects of its work has had on the physical or environmental quality of a place or places and/or the economic or social wellbeing of a community or communities, or the likelihood of such impact in the future. Entries could come from teams responsible for plan-making, development management or enforcement, or a combination of these. 

PLANNING PERMISSION OF THE YEAR

This award will go to the applicant who has received a full or outline permission that the judges consider to be most likely to have the most significant positive impact on the physical or environmental quality of a place or places and/or the economic or social well-being of a community or communities. The judges will be looking in particular for objective evidence, whether from the local planning authority or other independent source, of the likely positive and significant impact of the permission. Please note that the permission must have been granted during the eligibility period (see above) that applies to all the Planning Awards categories.

AWARD FOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN PLANNING

This award will go to the entry that best shows how stakeholders (such as elected members, statutory consultees, interest groups, community groups, property owners and/or the general public) have been engaged in plan preparation or preparation, consideration or determination of a planning application.

NEW! AWARD FOR PLANNING TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE

This award will go to the team or individual that can most clearly demonstrate how one or more aspects of their professional planning work has helped, or is likely to help, to address climate change. 

Among the outcomes, or likely outcomes, that judges will be looking for include: reducing greenhouse gas emissions (such as by improving energy efficiency or supporting renewable or low carbon energy generation), effective mitigation (such as by planning to mitigate flood risk or coastal change) and increasing greenhouse gas storage (through either natural or technological techniques)

These categories reward excellence in planning-related activities such as placemaking, urban design, economic development, housing, regeneration, legal advice, environmental consulting and property development, as well as in professional planning work.

AWARD FOR BEST HOUSING SCHEME (FEWER THAN 500 HOMES)

This award will go to the housing scheme of fewer than 500 homes that most clearly demonstrates a positive impact or expected positive impact on the physical or environmental quality of a place or the economic or social well-being of the community. New build and conversion schemes are both eligible. Entries need to make clear how many housing units a project has provided or plans to provide, the mix of tenures, and whether it already has planning permission (and if not, the stage it has reached in the planning process).

AWARD FOR BEST HOUSING SCHEME (500 HOMES OR MORE)

This award will go to the housing scheme of 500 homes or more that most clearly demonstrates a positive impact or likely positive impact on the physical or environmental quality of a place or the economic or social well-being of the community. New build and conversion schemes are both eligible. Entries need to make clear how many housing units a project has provided or plans to provide, the mix of tenures, and whether it already has planning permission (and if not, the stage it has reached in the planning process).

AWARD FOR PROMOTING ECONOMIC GROWTH

This award will go to the entry that most clearly demonstrates how a project, plan or organisation has helped to generate, or is likely to help to generate, sustained economic growth in a place or community without negative effect on its environmental quality.

AWARD FOR BEST USE OF ARTS, CULTURE OR SPORT IN PLACEMAKING

This award will go to the entry that best demonstrates how a project, plan or organisation has used arts, culture or sport in a way that has improved, or is likely to improve, the physical or environmental quality of a place or the economic or social wellbeing of a community.

AWARD FOR BEST USE OF HERITAGE IN PLACEMAKING

This award will go to the entry that best demonstrates how a project, plan or organisation has used a place or community’s heritage in a way that has improved, or is likely to improve, the physical or environmental quality of the place or the economic or social well-being of the community. To be eligible, a scheme must either involve the conservation/preservation of historic buildings or a wider area, or in other ways capitalise on the history of a place and/or community.

AWARD FOR PARTNERSHIP WORKING

This award will be given to the initiative, project or plan that can best demonstrate how drawing on individuals and teams from different organisations, backgrounds and disciplines will enable or has enabled improvement to the physical or environmental quality of a place or the economic or social well-being of a community. Entries must be able show the roles of the partners, and demonstrate how the project or plan has or will achieve something that would not be possible if the partners were to be working alone.

AWARD FOR REGENERATION

This award will be given to entry that most clearly demonstrates how an initiative, scheme or organisation has improved, or is likely to improve, the physical or environmental quality of a deprived or rundown place or the economic or social wellbeing of its community. The entry needs to be clear about the measure by which the place or community in question is deprived or rundown, and the evidence that the project will help improve or is already improving the area, community and/or place.

AWARD FOR DESIGN EXCELLENCE

This award will be given to a project or plan that can best demonstrate how it has used or is planning to use high quality design to improve a place or create excellent prospects for improvement. When considering what additional material to provide to support the entry, please note that judges find plans (such as ground floor plans, typical upper floor plans, and site plans for context) helpful.

AWARD FOR FOSTERING A HEALTHY TOWN CENTRE

This award will go to the entrant that can most clearly demonstrate how a planning or placemaking team or strategy has improved, or is likely to improve, an individual town centre for occupiers and local people.

AWARD FOR MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT

This award will go to the mixed-use project or plan that most clearly demonstrates its positive impact, or its likely positive impact, on the physical or environmental quality of a place or the economic or social well-being of a community.

BEST USE OF BROWNFIELD LAND IN PLACEMAKING

This award will go to the entry that best demonstrates use, or planned use, of brownfield land to improve the physical, environmental, economic or social attributes of a place.