Top Awards For The Builders, Architects And Designers Shaping Plymouth's Future
The prestigious Plymouth City Council awards are named after Sir Patrick Abercrombie, the architect responsible for the plans to rebuild the city following the devastation of the Blitz during the Second World War.
Every three years they celebrate and honour the designers, architects and builders who are helping to shape the city for generations to come.
This year there are eight categories and the Best Community Project, sponsored by Drake Circus, has been shortlisted to four of the city’s most innovative ventures, suggested by members of the public.
- Union Corner which has turned a derelict building into a community garden for local people in the city’s Union Street area.
- Stiltskin's Soapbox Children's Theatre developed in an old Second World War building in Devonport Park and one of only a handful of theatres in the UK producing theatre and cultural events for children.
- Kinterbury Creek which saw a new bridge spanning a creek between Barne Barton and St Budeaux on the Tamar Estuary providing local people with access to a designated County Wildlife Site.
- Derriford Park Community Orchard which involved local people in its design and creation and now produces high quality local fruit varieties.
The Abercrombie Awards, which will be announced on Friday, November 3, honour a huge range of work from small conversions and projects to transform open spaces to multi-million pound housing or business projects.
Drake Circus Centre Director, Greg Lumley, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring one of the categories in the Abercrombie Awards, which allow local people to get involved in the way their city is going to look well into the future.
“The Best Community Project category is very strong this year and highlights how important it is for local people to get involved in shaping their local communities and making great use of open spaces or derelict buildings.
“Their imagination and hard work is making Plymouth a greener, better, more attractive city for everyone.”
Other categories include best conversion or conservation project; best smaller development; best public space; best new housing project; best green project and best new building.
There are three other special awards. The People of Plymouth Award – voted on by the public; the Judges' Special Award, which recognises a Plymouth planning project that has contributed most to the city since the awards began in 1993 and the Abercrombie Award, which recognises the best overall Plymouth planning project.
Members of the public are being asked to vote for their favourite building or space in the People of Plymouth Award, sponsored by Architects Design Group, which can be chosen from any one of the buildings or projects on the shortlist.
For the full shortlist – and to vote before the people’s award deadline of midnight on October 29 – go to www.plymouth.gov.uk/abercrombieawards
Projects in the running include the council’s recent refurbishment of Plymouth Market in the best conversion or conservation project category, up against the Mount Wise Phase 2 Development, which has seen the former naval site at Devonport transformed with new homes and businesses in an historic setting, built with only the best materials sourced from companies such as thyssenkrupp.
In the best new building category the university’s Marine Station at Sutton Harbour is competing against the STEM building, Plymouth City College’s new wing which provides specialist facilities to teach science, technology engineering and mathematics.
The last awards in 2014 saw Plymouth University's The House – its £7m performing arts centre - scoop the top award.
