We are absolutely thrilled to win the Chair’s Award for 2020 in the RTPI SW awards (sponsored by Stride Treglown and White Young Green Planning) for our ‘Conservation Through COVID – Adapting to New Ways of Working’ project.

In response to COVID and the closure of BPT’s offices, the organisation’s planning team along with its professional Architecture Planning & Place Committee has adapted to new ways of working remotely to maintain high standard services and range of functions in line with BPT’s charitable objectives to ensure the continued conservation of Bath’s historic environment. BPT has continued to support local planning processes including; consultation on planning policy and planning applications, planning committee, stakeholder engagement, pre-application and listed building advice, heritage and local heritage expertise, and has also been proactive in engaging the public in local planning issues through rapidly moving to using multiple social media platforms. BPTs successful adaptation to new ways of working has contributed to the continued conservation of Bath’s historic environment through unprecedented times.

The judges commended BPT for “an impressive response by a third sector player, to the COVID lockdown situation which has enabled it to extend its on-line activity to maintain its planning and advocacy work as well as its educational outreach work.”

2020 has been a year of change, and we have been required to stop, reflect and change.  This special award recognises how well our work has responded and has been praised as benchmark exemplar for other third sector groups in the south west and elsewhere.

You can read our full entry here.