PROPERTY development in the North East is in rude health, the chairman of the Royal Town Planning Institute in the North East has said.
Martyn Earle, also an associate planner at Newcastle-based planning consultancy Barton Willmore, pointed to a legacy being created for the region through current schemes coming to life.
Following the recent RTPI North East Awards for Planning Excellence, Martyn noted the range and quality of schemes coming to fruition in the North East reflected the buoyant mood of the planning and development sectors.
He said: “There is a lot of optimism in the air at the moment, and we’re seeing that translate into some substantial, innovative schemes on the regional map.
“It’s fantastic to see a legacy being created in the North East – including important housing, commercial and cultural schemes that will shape life here for years to come.
“We’re beginning to see this optimism realised as delivery of schemes. The adoption of Local Plans such as the Newcastle Gateshead Core Strategy and Core Urban Plan is an important marker of this progress.”
Martyn recently led RTPI president Phil Williams on a tour of the region’s outstanding planning projects – including Middlesbrough College’s STEM Centre, Wynyard Gardens and Visitor Centre and Northumberlandia.
The developments were among the shortlisted entries at the RTPI North East awards evening, which celebrated outstanding regional projects that demonstrate the power of planning.
Martyn added: “It was a real pleasure to show Phil all the North East has to offer.
“He was suitably impressed with the ingenuity and ambition behind the developments we visited – all great flagships of the region in their own right.
“It’s important for planners to take stock of what we’ve achieved, and how this can inform the next generation of development.”
The Tees Valley fared well in this year’s awards as winners included Middlesbrough College’s STEM Centre, The Curve in Middlesbrough and Wynyard Gardens and Visitor Centre.
Winners were announced at the recent RTPI North East’s Annual Gala Dinner and Regional Awards evening at Newcastle’s Assembly Rooms.