Sunderland City Council’s in-house Landscape Design team has been shortlisted for two awards in a prestigious national awards scheme.
The team has been nominated for its work on Sunderland’s seafront and on St Peter’s Church, Monkwearmouth, in the Landscape Institute awards which are seen as the Oscars of the industry.
This latest nomination comes just months after the Landscape design team won the Northern Design Awards Commercial Landscape category for the fourth consecutive year
Saint Peter’s Church has been shortlisted for the Improvements in the Heritage and Conservation Award while Sunderland Seafront has been shortlisted for the Adding Value Through Landscape Award.
Work at the seafront has included transforming traditional seafront promenades into naturalistic coastal gardens with more than 150 species of plants, attractive seating areas and decorative wrought iron railings that twist and swirl, framing the beautiful beaches beyond.
While at St Peter’s, which dates back to the founding of a monastery on the banks of the river in 674 by Benedict Biscop, new landscaping includes informal seating positioned within the Monastery footprint, new footpaths and resurfacing of existing footpaths, a new main gateway, new parking areas, new lighting, improved signage.
There are also new links to the riverside, the planting of semi-mature trees and shrubs, and the creation of wildflower areas.
Cabinet Secretary Councillor Mel Speding, said “We’re immensely proud of our landscape team and the work they do. You only have to compare how the seafront looks today to how it looked 10 years ago to see what a transformation they have achieved.
“The seafront has gone from being one of the areas of the city residents most wanted to see improved in 2007 to being a jewel in its crown today. Every year it attracts people in their hundreds and thousands – whether it’s just to enjoy a day out at the seaside or to attend events like the Sunderland Airshow and Illuminations.
“The transformation of the landscape around St Peter’s, which was designed to increase public awareness of the historical importance of the site, has been no less dramatic. So even if they don’t win just being shortlisted is in itself a huge achievement.”
The LI awards shine a spotlight on the work of landscape professionals including landscape architects, designers, managers, planners and researchers. They are presented to landscape professionals in recognition of their outstanding work, and to encourage excellence.
The landscape team will find out next Thursday 23 November if they have been successful.