PRESS RELEASE Civic Voice announces shortlist of 18 schemes for Civic Voice Design Awards

Civic Voice announces shortlist of 18 schemes for Civic Voice Design Awards

Shortlist includes a housing development in a World Heritage Site, creative re-use of a set of historic underground tunnels and a treetop walkway

Civic Voice, the national charity for the civic movement, has today announced the shortlist for the third annual Civic Voice Design Awards. 18 schemes from across England have been shortlisted by the expert judging panel for their high-quality design and positive impact on the local community. The awards are sponsored by British Land and Farrells. 

Unique in England, the Civic Voice Design Awards give communities the opportunity to nominate and celebrate well-designed new build, housing, heritage and public realm projects in their local area, that they are proud of. The Civic Voice Design Awards were introduced in 2013 following a vote by Civic Voice members to demonstrate that civic societies and other community groups will accept new development when it responds positively to the local area.

The judging panel includes: Max Farrell, Project Leader for the 2014 Farrell Review of Architecture and the Built Environment; Tracy Meller, Associate Partner at Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners; Rob Cowan, Director of Urban Design Skills; Sophia de Sousa, Chief Executive of The Glass-House Community Led Design and; Russ Hamilton, Design Partner at Farrells and John Walker, community representative from the Ramsgate Society.
The judges felt that each project made a significant contribution to the quality of life in their communities. They include a housing development in a World Heritage Site, creative re-use of a set of historic underground tunnels and a treetop walkway at Westonbirt Arboretum.

The Civic Voice Design Awards 2017 shortlist is: (The shortlist and available images can be accessed via
http://mailchi.mp/civicvoice/civic-voice-design-awards-shortlist-press-release-version)

Housing

  • 'New Ground' Cohousing, Barnet
  • Symonds Close, Winchester
  • Western Terrace, Bath Western Riverside, Bath

New Build

  • Cedars Hall, Wells
  • Remembrance Centre, National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas
  • STIHL Treetop Walkway, Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire
  • Warwick Hall Community Centre, Burford

Public Realm Category

  • Balham High Road, Balham
  • Barton Beck restoration, Barton-upon-Humber
  • Grey to Green (Phase 1), Sheffield
  • Grylls Monument Walk, Helston

Restoration Category

  • The Bandstand, Sandown, Isle of Wight 
  • Dronfield Hall Barn Project, Dronfield
  • Quay Place, Heritage & Wellbeing Centre, Ipswich
  • Sunbridge Wells, Bradford
  • Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, West Yorkshire
  • The White Hart Hotel, Retford
  • Winton Chapel, University of Winchester

Joan Humble, Chair of Civic Voice, announcing the shortlist said, “How exciting that the Civic Voice Design Awards are back again this year. I have seen a lot of restoration projects and programmes over the years, but the sheer variety, commitment and range of these projects astonished me last year. These 18 schemes all demonstrate that civic societies and communities are saying yes to high quality development. It is great to hear the stories of how communities have shaped the final developments by only accepting the best for their area.”.

Max Farrell, partner at Farrells, shared his enthusiasm saying, “I was thrilled to chair the Civic Voice Design Awards once again. They align so well with the recommendations of the Farrell Review of Architecture and the Built Environment published in 2014. It is great to hear the community stories behind the nominated projects and to see architecture and urban design having a tangible positive impact on the lives of people throughout the country.”
The awards ceremony, which will announce the winners of each category, will be held in Parliament in the summer 2017.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Sarah James, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) 07815832277

The shortlist and available images can be accessed via
http://mailchi.mp/civicvoice/civic-voice-design-awards-shortlist-press-release-version

About Civic Voice Design Awards
The Civic Voice Design Awards are the people’s choice for architecture and the built environment. Unique in England, the awards are a national celebration of well-designed housing, new build, heritage and public realm projects nominated by local community organisations. What makes the awards different from other industry awards is that they recognise those buildings, places and spaces that are loved by local people, for both their high-quality design and positive impact on the local community.

About Civic Voice
Civic Voice is the national charity for the civic movement in England. Our mission is to develop a society where everyone can say “I care about where I live”. We promote civic pride through our network of over 75,000 individual members. 
Civic Voice Design Awards 2017 Shortlist

HOUSING
'New Ground' Cohousing, Barnet (Greater London) – The first senior cohousing community to be established in the UK, ‘New Ground’ - a mixed tenure building of 25 apartments with shared amenities - was developed and is managed by the residents as a way of “staying in charge of our own lives”.
Nominated by OWCH (Older Women's Cohousing) Barnet
Architect: Pollard Thomas Edwards

Symonds Close, Wincheser is shortlisted for a Civic Voice Design Award for its demonstration of high quality design in a council housing scheme. 

Winchester City Council commissioned T2 Architects to design a scheme for the site, including family homes and smaller homes suitable for downsizers. A planning application was made in June 2014 for 12 new council homes and permission granted August 2014.  The project started on site in April 2015 and completed on 22 June 2016.

The design team and Council officers undertook a series of consultation events with the local community. A focus group with potential downsizers helped shape the design and layout of the smaller homes. A community drop-in event at the initial design stage to which the wider community were invited, informed the overall design of the scheme and the individual dwellings. This was followed up with a leaflet drop distributed to a wide area explaining how comments had been incorporated and inviting residents to look at the plans online or at a display in the local community centre. 

The community also contributed to decisions regarding improvements to other open spaces in the area to mitigate for the loss of the open space for the new housing. The team ran a workshop with pupils from the local secondary school to gain their views on the type of improvements teenagers would like. This was followed up with two further events with the wider community to finalise the proposals for improvements.  Improvements were subsequently made by the Council to two open spaces in the area. An ‘outside gym’ and new benches were installed at Dean Park, whilst a trim trail was built around the edge of St Matthews Field.  

The dwellings are designed to high quality standards to reflect the Council’s demanding requirements. All the homes are designed to meet lifetime homes criteria which allow them to be easily adapted to enable a resident to remain in their home as their mobility needs change. The development has been very successfully designed by T2 Architects to make excellent use of space. The site was formerly a garage site and an underused area of open space, which the local community reported felt closed in and uninviting. The garages were in poor condition with some vacancies. The design of the homes and materials used, together with the creation of a communal green with seating and a ‘play street’ have created an inviting place with a sense of community.

The crisp, modern design and the use of a buff brick, slate roof and small blocks of colour on the houses, together with the paved play street and communal green help to create a place which is light and airy.
Nominated by Winchester City Council
Architect: T2 architects

Western Terrace, Bath Western Riverside, Bath (South West) – Forming the eastern corner of a much wider Crest Nicholson regeneration project to redevelop former industrial land into a new residential quarter, Western Terrace was conceived as three ‘variations’ on the Bath Crescent housing typology, consisting of 14 large family houses, six mews houses, six apartments, and a cafe.
Nominated by Bath Preservation Trust
Architect: Alison Brooks Architects

NEW BUILD
Cedars Hall, Wells (South West) – A state of the art performance, teaching and learning centre built within the ancient footprint of Wells Cathedral School, providing a 350-seat recital auditorium for both pupils and the wider community to enjoy the thrill of live music.
Nominated by Wells Civic Society
Architect: Eric Parry Architects

Remembrance Centre, National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas (West Midlands) – A new £15.7m Remembrance Centre designed as a group of ‘pavilions in the landscape’ which provides a gateway into the 150-acre arboretum and is home to exhibition, interpretation, retail and café spaces and a learning centre.
Nominated by Ride to the Wall
Architect: Glenn Howells Architects

STIHL Treetop Walkway, Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire (South West) – The Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum raised £1.9m to build a new high-level walkway which, using the natural topography of the land, allows visitors to view and experience the Grade I listed Westonbirt Arboretum, one of the finest tree collections in the world.
Nominated by Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum
Architect: Glenn Howells Architects

Warwick Hall Community Centre, Burford (South East) – A bold redevelopment project to extend and adapt the Grade II listed Warwick Hall to create a new, modern, flexible and multi-functional community facility within a unique and historically sensitive church setting.
Nominated by Burford Town Council
Architect: Acanthus Clews Architects

PUBLIC REALM
Balham High Road, Balham (Greater London) – A collection of public realm and public art improvements within the town centre to create a vibrant market and café strip, help link Balham’s public spaces, promote its identity and encourage visitors to explore the area.
Nominated by Balham Partnership
Architect: Metropolitan Workshop

Barton Beck restoration, Barton-upon-Humber (Yorkshire & The Humber) – A locally driven project to restore a badly neglected and overgrown historic spring fed pond, the Barton Beck, back to life in the heart of the town.
Nominated by Barton -upon-Humber Civic Society

Grey to Green (Phase 1), Sheffield (Yorkshire & The Humber) – A new approach to transforming redundant road space in the city centre into a network of green and public spaces, including meadows and rain gardens, providing sustainable drainage.
Nominated by Sheffield Civic Trust
Project lead: Sheffield City Council

Grylls Monument Walk, Helston (South West) – A series of public realm improvements to enhance the setting, interpretation and understanding of the Grylls Monument, a key historical landmark in the centre of Helston, Cornwall.
Nominated by Helston Town Council
Architect: MeiLoci Landscape Architects

HISTORIC BUILDINGS
The Bandstand, Sandown, Isle of Wight (South East) – The restoration, refurbishment and conversion of an early 20th century bandstand, which had sadly become a derelict eyesore, into a thriving restaurant and potential catalyst for wider regeneration of Sandown seafront.
Nominated by The Isle of Wight Society
Architect: Modh Design

Dronfield Hall Barn Project, Dronfield (East Midlands) – A locally driven mission to rescue the crumbling Grade II* listed Dronfield Hall Barn, the oldest surviving domestic building within the town, into a community and heritage centre - a 15th century building with 21st century facilities.
Nominated by Dronfield Civic Society & The Architectural Heritage Fund
Architect: mitchellproctor Architects 

Quay Place, Heritage & Wellbeing Centre, Ipswich (East of England) – A £5.1m scheme, led jointly by the Churches Conservation Trust and the mental health charity, Suffolk Mind, to rescue the Grade II* listed medieval church, St Mary at the Quay, transforming it into an inspirational wellbeing and heritage centre.
Nominated by The Ipswich Society & The Churches Conservation Trust
Architect: Molyneux Kerr Architects

Sunbridge Wells, Bradford (Yorkshire & The Humber) – A unique project which has brought a long-forgotten network of historic tunnels underneath Bradford city centre back to life, into a subterranean leisure complex of independent boutique shops, café bars and craft market stalls.
Nominated by Bradford Civic Society

Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, West Yorkshire (Yorkshire & The Humber) – Sympathetic restoration of a series of historic mill buildings into a mixed-use employment hub and creative quarter, which draws upon the creative ethos of the mill when it was in use, providing flexible office space for small businesses, cafes, restaurants and an art gallery.
Nominated by Leeds Civic Trust
Architect: KPP Architects

The White Hart Hotel, Retford (East Midlands) – Painstaking rescue and restoration of a 18th century former coaching inn, with a characterful history associated with Dick Turpin, has given the once neglected, vandalised and vacant historic building a new lease of life and is an important addition to Retford’s Heritage Trail.
Nominated by Retford Civic Society

Winton Chapel, University of Winchester (South East) – A contemporary renovation, re-ordering and extension of a Victorian Gothic Revival chapel, to create a modern and multi-functional place of worship, social and meeting space designed to sit as a small ‘jewel’ in the heart of the university campus.
Nominated by The City of Winchester Trust
Architect: Design Engine Architects