Beverley shortlisted for town award

Beverley has been shortlisted for a prestigious ‘Great Town’ Award by the London-based Academy of Urbanism.

As one of three finalists, a team of five assessors from the academy will spend a full day in Beverley on Monday 11 August. The academy uses its annual awards to identify and promote places that have positively improved their economic, social and physical environment, particularly over the past 10-20 years.

Beverley was nominated for the way it has adapted to change and managed housing growth whilst retaining its character and heritage and developing a vibrant town centre with independent retailers and assets, such as the racecourse and its churches, market squares and commons.

During the full day programme, the assessors will visit a number of locations in and around the town centre and meet representatives from Beverley Renaissance Partnership, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Beverley Town Council, developers, traders and cultural and community groups. They will see how areas such as Beckside and Eastgate have been transformed from industrial sites into attractive housing developments that enhance historical gems, such as Beverley Minster and Beverley Friary.  

The assessors are also visiting the other two finalists, Bury and Aberystwyth, and the overall winner will be announced at an awards event in London on 14 November.

Councillor Jane Evison, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economy, Investment and Inequalities, said: “We are really pleased with this nomination and welcome the academy’s assessors to Beverley. It is important to recognise just how much Beverley has changed, but still feels familiar and loved by residents and visitors. By working proactively with developers, we have achieved high-quality developments which have added to Beverley’s character.”

John Bird, chair of Beverley Renaissance Partnership, said: “We know that Beverley is a great place to live and visit, but getting further recognition is always welcome. The partnership will be able to show the benefits of having a town plan, which is shaping the town’s future, and how events, such as September’s Georgian Festival, honour its rich history. These things only happen by working together and partnership working has been the key to success.”

The Academy of Urbanism Awards process seeks to identify and recognise the best, most enduring or most improved urban environments at various levels of scale and to understand better the processes by which they are nurtured, used and enjoyed.

The Great Town (UK/Ireland) Award is one of five categories and an annual Call for Entries is launched in the spring of each year and by early summer 15 finalists (three in each category) are announced. An assessment visit is then made to each of the places by a team of academicians, who compile a report based on the following criteria:

Leadership and governance – is the finalist well managed, inclusive, fair?

• Local character – to what extent does the finalist provide a distinctive sense of place, identity and cultural resonance?
• Amenity – to what extent is the finalist an attractive, safe and enticing place for people to live, work, play, visit and enjoy?
• Commercial success and viability – to what extent does the finalist provide a conducive environment for wealth creation and distribution and is it able to support the maintenance and improvement of its urban environment?
• Environmental sustainability – to what extent does the finalist exhibit and promote environmental sustainability?
• Community, health and wellbeing – to what extent does the finalist exhibit and promote civic behaviour, social cohesion, health and wellbeing?
• Connectivity – to what extent does the finalist provide transport and access options to an appropriate range of urban services?

Informed by the assessments, the academy then votes and the winners are announced at the end of the year at the prestigious awards ceremony.

Beverley Renaissance Partnership is one of seven renaissance partnerships across the East Riding. Led by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, they bring together public sector, private sector and community groups to promote the town, secure economic development and overcome social inequalities.

The Beverley Town Plan was commissioned by the council, Beverley Town Council and Molescroft and Woodmansey Parish Councils and completed in 2009. It has informed the vision for Beverley set out in the Submission Local Plan for East Riding and its action plan has been recently updated.

Beverley regularly features in the Sunday Times Top Ten Places to Live in the North and in 2007 came out top in the Royal Bank of Scotland ‘Affordable Affluence’ Index.