The Nottingham office of White Young Green(WYG)finished in Europe’s Top Ten at the recent awards ceremony in Prague for the best urban and regional planning projects in Europe.
The award of a place in the top ten projects in Europe follows the success of the Ashby Woulds Forum in winning the premier national planning award – the Royal Town Planning Institute Silver Jubilee Cup – that led to eligibility for the European competition.
The Ashby Woulds Regeneration Forum was awarded a Special Mention and Certificate in the European Urban and Regional Planning Awards 2004 for its innovative approach to the regeneration of the Ashby Woulds area.The European jury considered 126 of the best schemes in Europe over recent years and identified four winning schemes and five schemes for Special Mentions.The jury for the awards highlighted the Ashby Woulds entry for:“The thorough and daring approach to giving derelict land a new future”.
Members of the Ashby Woulds Forum carried out a range of social, environmental and economic projects over a ten year period beginning in 1995 with the publication of the Ashby Woulds Regeneration Strategy.The WYG team worked on the central £20 million regeneration project of the Ashby Woulds Strategy;the integrated development of three separate British Coal sites: Bath Yard,Marquis Colliery and Rawdon Colliery.This project culminated in the opening by Princess Anne of the award winning £8million Conkers Visitor Centre in 2001.
David Hunter of WYG Nottingham says: “This has been a great team effort and is the second time that WYG have been invited to celebrate achievements in the Ashby Woulds. We previously attended a House of Commons Reception to recognise the progress made in the creation of the National Forest.WYG projects have contributed more than 100 acres of new woodland in the Ashby Woulds.We are now active in the heart of the National Forest Project – a major tourism development that aims to create 1000 acres of new recreational countryside in the Ashby Woulds area.”
