The pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan is nominated for prestigious planning industry award

The Plan was developed by a working group consisting of Marine Scotland, Highland Council and Orkney Islands Council who are a finalist in the category for Excellence in Plan Making Practice at the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2017. The RTPI Awards are the most established and respected awards in the UK planning industry. Running for 40 years, they celebrate exceptional examples of planning and the contribution planners make to society.

The pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan sets out an integrated planning policy framework to guide marine development, activities and management decisions, whilst ensuring the quality of the marine environment is protected.

Tracy McCollin of Marine Scotland said “The working group would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the commitment and input of the local people in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters area. Their valuable range of expertise and knowledge has been a vital asset during the process of delivering this pilot Plan and we are delighted that this has been reflected by this nomination”.

Stephen Wilkinson, President of the Royal Town Planning Institute said:“The finalists represent some outstanding contributions to planning which are making a positive impact for the community and environment. The judges will find it difficult choosing the winners given the high calibre of entries this year.”

This year saw a nearly 40% increase in entrants and the judges have shortlisted 90 finalists across 14 categories with an overall winner awarded the Silver Jubilee Cup. The winners will be announced during a ceremony held at Milton Court at The Barbican, London on 15 June 2017

Andrew Jones, Practice Leader Design Planning + Economics, AECOM said:

“AECOM is proud to once again be a headline sponsor of this year’s RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence. The finalists are a diverse mixture of outstanding examples of planning, which demonstrate the impact the profession has on quality and delivery in the built environment.”

David Jackson, Head of Planning, Savills said:“Savills is delighted to be a headline sponsor of the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence. The finalists reflect the positive impact planning has on our communities across the UK, Ireland and internationally through projects, plans and people.”

Tickets to the ceremony go on sale on 7 February.

The RTPI champions the power of planning in creating prosperous places and vibrant communities. It is the only body in the UK that confers Chartered status to planners, the highest professional qualification sought after by employers. We support our members – 23,000 worldwide - throughout their careers.