Crickhowell Town Council in partnership with Abergavenny based Chris Jones Regeneration has been shortlisted for the National Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) awards to be held in London this week

The Crickhowell Place Plan won the RTPI Cymru Awards for plan-making practice in June this year, with it now competing against nine other shortlisted organisations.

The work centred on piloting a place plan approach in Crickhowell within Bannau Brycheiniog National Park taking place for 18 months during 2023 and 2024 and focussed on collaborating with residents, businesses, and community organisations, as well as other neighbouring towns and villages, to identify areas of concern, need, and achievement. By utilising local people’s knowledge and understanding of place and environment the aim was to make the strongest possible Place Plan.

Back in June, the RTPI Cymru judges commented on the award stating “The entry presents a thoughtful and inclusive planning approach, clearly outlining project aims, stakeholder engagement, and the planners’ pivotal role. It excels in community involvement, using diverse methods to achieve impressive engagement levels. The plan addresses climate and nature emergencies with well-developed policies and demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusivity.”

The Place Plan was supported by Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, with Chris Jones Regeneration working alongside Newport based Roberts Limbrick architects/urban designers,

A Crickhowell Town Council spokesman said :“Once again, we are delighted the Royal Town Planning Institute has recognised the work that has gone into making the Place Plan for Crickhowell, and to be nominated for such a prestigious award. At its heart, the project was all about close collaboration and inclusivity. By working closely and attentively with the residents of Crickhowell, we are extremely proud to have developed a plan for the future of our wonderful town. Already we have been awarded grants for nature recovery initiatives, and important heritage work to be undertaken on the Castle, amongst other projects. We’d like to thank everyone involved, and the RTI for giving us this opportunity to celebrate our work at a national level.”

One of the key partners in the place planning process was Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority and a spokesman commented: “This is a great example of place planning in action, with professional consultants helping the local community to articulate their views to produce a plan which has been co-designed by everyone, and which will form the basis of what happens in the town in the years to come. As well as producing a plan for their community the work done will help us to work with other communities who wish to develop their own plans. It’s great to be recognised and shortlisted for a national planning award.”

Speaking about the announcement Chris Jones Regeneration and Roberts Limbrick jointly stated: "It was great to have won the RTPI Cymru Award, but to also go forward to the national awards is just wonderful. We will be proudly flying the flag for Wales and are pleased that we are being recognised for positive planning and place-making, whatever the outcome”. To find out more on Crickhowell Place Plan, visit https://www.crickhowellplaceplan.org/