Scottish regeneration projects have come out top in a prestigious UK Award, winning five of eight prizes.
Projects in Dumfries, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow all won awards in the British Urban Regeneration Association's (BURA) 2006 Awards for Best Practice in Regeneration.
Paul Lewis, Director of Competitive Place at Scottish Enterprise, which sponsored the awards in conjunction with other regeneration bodies from the UK said: "I am absolutely delighted that regeneration projects in Scotland feature so prominently in this year's awards. Winning five out of eight awards shows that Scotland's excellent track record in major regeneration projects is continuing and is a ringing endorsement of regeneration opportunities and skills in Scotland.
"Promoting best practice in regeneration is something that Scottish Enterprise has been championing for many years across all disciplines and I know that the lessons learnt from these successful projects are already being passed on to other project teams to ensure their projects are also of the highest standard. This success also shows that Scotland is very much 'open for business' to lots of regeneration and development investment opportunities."
Jon Ladd, Chief Executive of BURA, said: "2006 has been an exciting year for the BURA Awards for Best Practice in Regeneration. We not only had a record response to our call for entries but our independent assessment panel has been amazed by the outstanding quality of submissions.
"It is great to have sponsors from all four countries for the first time including English Partnerships, Scottish Enterprise, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland."
The awards will be presented at a dinner at the Guoman Cumberland Hotel in Marble Arch, London, on 29 November 2006.
Scottish winners of the 2006 awards were:
• Ardler Village, Dundee, Scotland - transformation of a peripheral housing estate. Between 1980 and 1997, the area's population had fallen by almost 50%. Central to this change has been a genuine commitment to empowering local residents to enable them to play their part in the process of change. Ardler Village is setting a standard for area-based regeneration in Dundee and beyond.
• City Park, Glasgow, Scotland – this project provides many lessons to anyone charged with the task of transforming a large and monumental listed building. This derelict and decaying cigarette factory in Glasgow is now a first-class office complex that has attracted prestigious firms such as Dell and Halcrow. By the end of this year, City Park will employ 3,000 people which is almost the same as in its former life as a cigarette factory.
• Crichton Regeneration Project, Dumfries, Scotland – a first-class example of creative regeneration that has transformed a historic legacy of buildings in a landscape setting of outstanding quality into an academic campus, business park and conference/tourist facility, while retaining these special qualities. The project is filling a void in higher education provision and the number of graduates now staying in the area is evidence of the value of what has been achieved.
• Former Sheriff Court, Glasgow, Scotland –a mixed use scheme brought back into productive use including a new theatre and the consideration given to pedestrian movement, including the brave move to cut sensitively through the listed façade to create a diagonal street.
• Holyrood Urban Regeneration Project, Edinburgh, Scotland – the comprehensive regeneration of 10 acres of semi-derelict land in the Canongate area of Edinburgh. The area is an excellent example of how a new 'sense of place' can be developed out of dereliction and decay. It introduces new elements of vitality and interest to what was an area ignored by developers until recently.
The other winners were:
• Phoenix Initiative, Coventry, England – this public realm-led project has re-stitched run down parts of the city. It is a stunning regeneration initiative that will attract new visitors and investment into Coventry as well as instilling a new sense of pride in local people.
• Staircase House/Shawcross Fold, Stockport, England – this is a very effective refurbishment of almost derelict properties and empty sites into an attractive new quarter for Stockport which now boasts a rich mix of uses.
• The Drapers' Towns Partnership Ltd, Northern Ireland - Draperstown and Moneymore in mid-Ulster initially came together in 1997 to address serious problems of dereliction and decay. Two community organisationsbrought about the transformation and regeneration of both towns.
For further press information please contact David Cannon, Senior Media Relations Executive, Scottish Enterprise at david.cannon@scotent.co.uk
