Wallasea Island Project Shortlisted for RTPI Award (UK)

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has announced that the RSPB’s Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project, the largest coastal habitat restoration project of its type in Europe, is one of four projects to be shortlisted in the Best Planning for Natural and Built Heritage category of this year’s RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence.

Projects on the shortlist have been recognised for their national contribution to planning and demonstrate how major schemes can be delivered speedily through the planning and other consents systems.

The Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project is a national “flagship” coastal habitat creation project which demonstrates how visionary planning can help vulnerable low lying coasts and communities adapt to rising sea levels whilst also providing a novel example of how to positively recover “waste” material that might otherwise go to landfill.

Sir Terry Farrell, Chair of judges, said: “Our shortlist reflects the very best planning projects, strategies and processes that are helping to make great places for people to live and work in. The breadth and standard of entries to the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence is once again extremely impressive and a credit to the profession. Each demonstrates the positive impact and benefits of good planning.”

Bill Cooper, Managing Director, ABPmer said: “ABPmer played a lead role in the design and assessment for the scheme and continues to work in partnership with RSPB and Crossrail to bring this inspiring project to fruition. Designing this scheme presented new challenges and required innovative solutions and we are pleased to have brought ABPmer’s expertise in managed realignment to the project. This has been a major team effort and we are pleased to have helped develop a scheme that can be considered a national ‘Flagship’ project and one that will have such a range of flood protection, environmental, economic, recreational and educational benefits”.

The Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project was awarded planning permission by Essex County Council in July 2009 and won the 2012 RTPI East of England Regional Planning Achievement Award.

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Press Release, April 21, 2013