Morpeth Leisure Centre, which opened its doors in 2023 and integrates leisure, sport, community amenities and banking, has been shortlisted for an Excellence in Planning for Health and Wellbeing at the prestigious Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) national awards.
DPP Planning worked on the project with Northumberland County Council, Active Northumberland, GT3 Architects, and Willmott Dixon. The collaboration set a new standard for public sector buildings, prioritising community-centred design to achieve remarkable results.
President of the RTPI Lindsey Richards was given a tour of the facility by the Director of DPP Planning’s Newcastle office Jo Robison, ahead of the awards ceremony, which will be held in London on November 26th.
Jo and the wider project team have also scooped the national RICS National Award for Community Benefit and UKactive’s New Build of the Year as well as the Project of the Year award at the RTPI’s North East Planning Excellence Awards, and were also recognised in the Design Excellence Award at the North East Property Awards.
Jo Robison, Director of DPP Planning’s Newcastle office, said of the shortlisting:
“Morpeth Leisure Centre was built with people and community at its core, and we’re incredibly proud to see it celebrated on multiple fronts. It was a complex project but is now a transformational facility both for the health and wellbeing of the residents that use it, but also as a focus for the community and a draw into the town.
“I am proud of the role DPP played in delivering this project and it is amazing to see the extent of positive change the building is delivering for the health and wellbeing of the whole community.”
DPP Planning’s Cardiff office also has a project shortlisted for the national RTPI awards, with the Cardiff University’s Spark|Sparc building – the world’s first social science research park – being nominated for an Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy award.
For more information on DPP and its projects, visit: https://dppukltd.com/
