St Ann's Valley Centre "Highly Commended"

St Ann's Valley Centre became the latest joint service centre in Nottingham to receive recognition yesterday when it won "Highly Commended" in both the Community Benefit and Regeneration categories in the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) 2013 Awards for the East Midlands.

The RICS Awards showcase the most inspirational regional initiatives and developments in land, property, construction and the environment. The Community Benefit and Regeneration categories recognise outstanding achievement in providing facilities which directly benefit the local community and schemes that have conserved or improved the built or natural environment in a way that has contributed to the viability of the area.

The judges visited St Ann's Valley Centre as part of the judging process. Award winners were announced at a ceremony in Nottingham's Conference Centre last night.

St Ann's Valley Centre was developed and built through a partnership between NHS Nottingham City, Nottingham City Council, Nottingham City Homes and the local community. The building was designed by local architects CPMG and built by construction company Willmott Dixon, which was recently awarded silver in the Considerate Constructors Scheme for its work on the Centre.

St Ann's Valley Centre has also been short listed for Library of the Year in the Bookseller Awards. The winners will be announced on 13 May.

St Ann's is one of several joint service centres in the City. Bulwell Riverside Joint Service Centre was nationally recognised as the Best Community Project in the 2012 Partnership Awards.

Terry Allen, Chief Finance Officer, NHS Nottingham City Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "I am really pleased that our vision to provide modern accessible multi agency facilities in the heart of local communities has been recognised. In the St Ann's Valley Centre we have proactively engaged with partners to provide a "warm welcome" to patients and residents whilst designing and programming complementary services and promotions to improve the health and wellbeing of local people."

Councillor Dave Liversidge, Nottingham City Council's Portfolio Holder for Adult Services, Housing and Community, said: "St Ann's Valley Centre has been an enormous success and I am delighted to see the community's involvement in the Centre recognised. Nottingham City Council knew that local involvement was critical to the Centre's success and we worked hard with NHS Nottingham and our other partners to ensure that citizens helped decide what the centre should look like and how it should operate. It's great that the RICS judges have understood and recognised the strength of community ownership of the building.

"I am also pleased to see the Centre recognised for regeneration. St Ann's Valley Centre is the first part of the regeneration plans for St Ann's. We are now completing feasibility studies on further renewal work in this very deprived area of the city".

Gill Moy, Director of Housing for Nottingham City Homes, said: "We work very closely with our tenants to make sure that we get our services right for them. So we're delighted that the involvement of tenants and other residents in the St Ann's area is being recognised through these prestigious awards."

Mr Anderson from the St Ann's Valley Centre Friends Group, who has been involved in the Centre from the very beginning, said: "Lots of local people had the opportunity to feed into the Centre's design and structure. It's wonderful that it has won Highly Commended. The Centre gives the area a new look and it's a blessing for the people of St Ann's to have something so positive."

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