Fermanagh and Omagh District Council nominated for prestigious planning industry award
26th February 2019
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has been named as a finalist in the category for Excellence in Tech Within Planning at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2019.
The RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence are the most established and respected awards in the UK planning industry. Running for over 40 years, they celebrate exceptional examples of planning and the contribution planners make to society.
The Council has been named as an awards’ finalist for its ‘Digital First’ approach for the publication of its Local Development Plan 2030, draft Plan Strategy which, when complete, will guide the future use of land and set out the policy framework that is used to determine development proposals in the Fermanagh and Omagh area.
Using a ‘Digital First’ approach, the draft Plan Strategy was made available to members of the public in an interactive and accessible version with direct links to related documents and resources. Online mapping software was used to provide visual spatial representation while the consultation form was also published online to ensure the online portal acted as a single resource for all users.
Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Howard Thornton, said:
“The Council’s Local Development Plan team developed a number of the applications in-house to provide a value-for-money solution to publishing and consulting on the draft Plan Strategy. This digital first approach created an online platform for members of the public to view and submit comments on the draft Plan Strategy at a time and location convenient to them.
It is hoped that this approach will help to improve understanding on the plan-making process and provide more opportunities for members of the public to influence the draft Plan Strategy in an innovative and user-friendly way.
We are delighted that the innovative work undertaken by the Council’s Local Development Plan team has been acknowledged by the RTPI through its Awards for Planning Excellence.”
RTPI President Ian Tant MRTPI said:
“Many congratulations to all this year’s finalists, who demonstrate outstanding contributions to planning, producing a positive effect on our communities, the economy and the environment. They have shown how planners can use their passion and skills to meet needs, deliver high quality design and tackle environmental challenges – they should all be proud of their role as a force for good in society.”
The winners will be announced during a ceremony held at Milton Court Concert Hall in central London on 24 April 2019.
Andrew Jones MRTPI, Practice Leader Design Planning + Economics at AECOM, said:
“AECOM is proud to once again be a headline sponsor of this year’s RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence. The finalists are a diverse mixture of outstanding examples of planning, which demonstrate the breadth of the impact the profession has on quality place making and delivery in the built environment.”
David Jackson MRTPI, Head of Planning at Savills, said:
“Savills is delighted to be a headline sponsor of the RTPI Awards for PlanningExcellence. The finalists reflect the positive impact planning has on our communities and wider society across the UK, Ireland and internationally through exemplary projects, plans and people.”
The RTPI champions the power of planning in creating prosperous places and vibrant communities. It is the only body in the UK that confers Chartered status to planners, the highest professional qualification sought after by employers. It supports its members – over 25,000 worldwide – throughout their careers.