27 Sep, 2019
Melton Mowbray

We had a great night the Roundhouse in Derby on Thursday 26 September 2019 networking with everyone attending the RTPI East Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence.

RammSanderson were in attendance as sponsors of the “Planning for the Natural Environment’ award category which as you can imagine is a topic we are very passionate about. We were therefore delighted to present the award to AECOM for their work on North & East Melton Mowbray Distributor Road.

In May 2019, Leicestershire County Council voted in favour of the £63.5million scheme, which will see a bypass built around Melton Mowbray. The 7km single carriageway will take traffic on a loop to the north and east of the town, connecting the A606 Nottingham Road, Scalford Road, Melton Spinney Road and the A607 Thorpe Road (A607) before re-joining the A606 Burton Road.  The new road should be open by the summer of 2022.

Commenting on the entry, judges said, “This entry shows the role of planners and skills in consultation and engagement. Carefully negotiated solution involving transposing of SSSI habitat with Natural England. Overall this is a significant transport scheme to improve Melton Mowbray itself but has been achieved with mitigation for its local impacts.”

The other winners of the East Midlands RTPI awards were:

• Young Planner Winner: Emily Anderson, Lincolnshire County Council

• Local Authority Planning Team Winner: Derbyshire County Council

• Small Planning Consultancy Winner: nineteen47

• Planning Consultancy Highly Commended: Marrons Planning

• Planning Consultancy Winner: Fisher German

• Plan Making Highly Commended: Mansfield District Council

• Plan Making Winner: The Leicester and Leicestershire Strategic Growth Partnership

• Heritage and Culture Highly Commended: Planning and Design Practice

• Heritage and Culture Winner: Spenbeck

• Deiver Homes Winner: Blaby District Council

• Natural Environment Winner: AECOM

• Successful Economy Highly Commended: Ashfield District Council

• Successful Economy Winner: Leicester