Wokingham wins at National Planning Awards

The Wokingham Town Centre Regeneration scheme has won the "Making Development Viable" award at the National Planning Awards 2016.

Led by Wokingham Borough Council and supported by Wilson Bowden Developments, the award recognises excellence in professional planning work.

The regeneration project itself focuses on reorganising existing green space, whilst delivering a new formal town park framed with 100 four-storey townhouses and apartments offering views into the park from the outside.

The development will create homes for a range of residents from one bedroom apartments to four storey grand urban villas. Materials have been used sensitively to reference local characteristics seated within the 'arts and crafts' movement.

The Judges revealed that the Wokingham Town Centre Regeneration scheme perfectly matched the awards criteria. They continued to explain further that the award was to go to a scheme which demonstrated...

...the most outstanding example of planning work that has helped to bring forward development, the viability of which had been threatened, while maintaining as much of possible of the social, economic and/or environmental benefit that was originally anticipated.

Ben Flippance of Architects IPD, whom form part of the regeneration delivery team said:

"I'm delighted for the whole team that this transformational project has been recognised for such a prestigious award."

"It's the culmination of a lengthy design development process with detailed engagement with the local community, politicians, local authority stakeholders and the developers."

"Judges said they were looking for entries that had improved or were likely to improve the physical or environmental quality of a place or the economic or social well-being of a community."

"That is exactly what we have tried to do throughout the process – design a town centre expressly for its residents and work with the community to create something they want to use and experience."

Work is expected to begin next year. It is due for completion in by mid-2019.

To see a list of all the winners at this years awards please follow this link

For further information about the site, please contact Will Robinson| T: 01530 276202 | E: will.robinson@wilsonbowden.co.uk