On Thursday 3 July, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council was awarded “Best Plan” at the Royal Town Planning Institute’s South East Awards for Planning Excellence for its Epsom Town Centre Masterplan.

The Masterplan, which underwent two public consultations and was approved by the council’s Licensing and Planning Policy Committee last September, was shortlisted alongside Mole Valley’s Local Plan and Levitt Bernstein and Gravesham Borough Council’s Design for Gravesham Supplementary Planning Document. The Masterplan sets out clear and comprehensive guidelines for the development of Epsom Town Centre.

Judges praised the team’s strong desire to make Epsom a better place. They noted the commitment to a participative approach and high standard of engagement, utilising digital consultation tools, and their recognition as being a national trailblazer in the digital planning space.  The judges were also impressed with how the planning team ensured that there was sustainability at the plan’s core.

Councillor Peter O'Donovan, Chair of the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee, said:

“This award is reflective of the hard work and expertise the council’s planning policy team put into developing and delivering the Epsom Town Centre Masterplan. The future of Epsom town centre is of great importance to our residents, the number of responses to the consultation and the high percentage of respondents who took part in a council consultation for the first time, are testament to this fact. The desire to improve the town centre, encourage growth and make Epsom an even better place was at the heart of the plan and I’m glad the judges recognised that.”

The Royal Town Planning Institute’s South East Awards for Planning Excellence’s judging panel said:

“Epsom Town Centre Masterplan was considered by the judges to be an excellent entry demonstrating the Council’s commitment to taking a plan lead approach which aims to bring together stakeholders and create a vision for the town centre’s future.

“The judges felt it demonstrated excellence from the initiation of the project, as a non-statutory plan the driver for the initiative arose not from a requirement, but a strong desire to make a better place. Addressing a significant issue that was important to local residents, businesses and for the town’s night time economy.

“The Council’s commitment to a participative approach ran through the whole project. A collaborative non statutory masterplan project born out of a desire to progress development of the town centre in the absence of an up to Local Plan.

“The judges were impressed with how the planning team ensured that there was sustainability at its core, it enabled a high standard of engagement, utilising digital consultation tools, eventually being recognised as a national trailblazer in the digital planning space. More importantly, the project resulted in roughly double the national average (approx. 1% of a borough's population according to a Royal Town Planning Institute’s blog), taking part in the consultation (nearly 2,000 people), with over half saying they'd never taken part in a planning consultation before.”

As a winner of the “Best Plan” category in the region, Epsom Town Centre Masterplan will now automatically be entered as a National Awards for Planning Excellence finalist. This expected to be formally announced on 16 October and the ceremony will take place on 26 November.