Depot, Lewes Community Screen has been announced as a finalist in the category for Excellence for Planning in Heritage and Culture at the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2018. The RTPI Awards are the most established and respected awards in the UK planning industry. Running for over 40 years, they celebrate exceptional examples of planning and the contribution planners make to society.
The transformation of the former Harvey’s brewery depot in Lewes, a prominent location close to the railway station, into a major arts venue - with a cinema, restaurant and education facilities known as ‘Depot, Lewes Community Screen’ - has already been crowned the overall winner at the RTPI South East Awards for Planning Excellence and has now been shortlisted for a national award.
The previously vacant site is in a prominent, sensitive location within Lewes Conservation Area, the South Downs National Park, and surrounded by numerous listed buildings, which has been sensitively redeveloped to provide a new community 3-screen cinema with a café/bar, restaurant and film education and training facilities. The redevelopment, designed by Burrell Foley Fischer, also includes new green infrastructure including an orchard, wild flower garden and landscaping.
John Acres MRTPI, President of the Royal Town Planning Institute said:
“This year’s finalists reflect the important contribution planners and planning makes to creating great places and tackling the challenges we face across the UK. Planners are taking on new and innovative projects and the finalists show they are succeeding. It’s a huge achievement just to be shortlisted this year given the 6% rise in entries to the awards and the high calibre of entries will make judging very difficult.”
The winners will be announced during a ceremony held at Milton Court at The Barbican, London on 24 May 2018.
Learn more about the finalists here.