Scott Brownrigg Planning has been recognized at this year’s Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence. The annually held awards celebrate the very best in planning practice and process.

Their planning application for Oldfield Primary School in the heart of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead has been shortlisted for the “Excellence in Planning for the Community and Wellbeing” Category. 

The application addresses the need to expand Oldfield Primary School to provide sufficient capacity for current and future demand. The identified development site was subject to a number of technical constraints including it’s siting with a Flood Zone 3, within a designated Green Belt and its adjacency to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Local Nature Reserve/Local Wildlife Site, which required exceptional planning skill and negotiation.

The exploration of the constraints facing the development site has been applied in a manner where significant educational opportunity can be utilised. The connection between good quality education and the natural environment is no more apparent than in the use of the site for outdoor learning and extra-curricular activity. The Green Belt and SSSI offer a unique opportunity for children to learn about the importance of Green Infrastructure and biodiversity. The utilization of the site’s environmental credentials formed one of the development’s fundamental principles.

The inclusive nature of this £10m project has also been central to the development’s success. The local community has genuinely shaped the nature of the development proposals, from site selection, the form and design and other considerations such as access and parking. The development safeguards the future of an “Ofsted Outstanding” rated educational facility for years to come.

The RTPI represents 23,000 planning professionals worldwide and promotes spatial planning, shapes policy and raises professional standards. The Awards for Planning Excellence have been run by the RTPI for over 30 years to recognise planning excellence. Chairing the panel of 24 expert judges is the Rt. Hon Nick Raynsford MP, Member for Greenwich and Woolwich and former Minister for Housing and Planning.

Janet Askew, President of the Royal Town Planning Institute said: “The shortlist reflects the very best planning projects, strategies and processes that are helping to make great places for people to live and work. The 80 finalists highlight exceptional examples of planning that have made an impact and brought considerable benefits. It will be a tremendous challenge picking individual category winners from such a high quality field.”

Projects on the shortlist have been recognised for their national contribution to planning and demonstrate how significant schemes can be delivered speedily through the planning and other consents systems.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held at the Pullman London St. Pancras on 6 July 2015.