Charnwood Borough Council - Leading in Leicestershire

Charnwood Design Awards aim to stimulate interest in and appreciation of good design in the Borough's built environment, and to encourage higher standards of design from developers and designers working in the area. The Awards are made every two years in five categories:

• New Building: for a single building or a group of buildings or an extension;
• Conservation: for the restoration of a historic building or a sympathetic new use for a building;
• Landscape: for planting around a new or existing building or group;
• Streetscape: for improvements to any urban space, street, square or park;
• Special Award: for community based projects or publications that have encouraged a better appreciation of or improvements to Charnwood's towns and villages, its buildings, spaces and places.

The Awards Scheme has made a valuable contribution to increasing local public awareness of design and conservation issues and has brought together professionals from outside the local authority, local Councillors and officers to share experiences and approaches. Many Award winning schemes have been the product of positive liaison between developers and the Council at the application stage.

Awards made in 2008

There were about 60 nominations for awards in 2008. They were shortlisted to 18 schemes for the judges who included local councillors and experts in architecture and landscape. They decided to change the Streetscape category to Townscape to recognise the urban qualities of the nominated schemes.

New Build

• Music School, Loughborough Endowed School - Award Winner
• Park View, Bradgate Road, Anstey - Award Winner
• Loughborough Magistrates Court - Highly Commended
• Shepshed High School - Commended
• Epworth Court, Quorn - Commended
• Mountsorrel Library and Access Centre - Commended
• 26 Station Road, Cropston - Commended

Conservation

• Goscote Hall, Birstall - Commended
• Carillon Dental Practice, Baxtergate, Loughborough - Commended

Landscape

• Park View, Bradgate Road, Anstey - Award Winner
• Our Ladys convent, Garton Road, Loughborough - Commended

Townscape

• Loughborough Magistrates Court - Highly Commended
• Loughborough Wharf - Commended

Special Award

• Statue at Rothley Lodge - Commended