Julian Lowther, a town planning graduate from UWE Bristol, has received an award for 'outstanding student achievement' from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

The award was presented to Julian at a high profile ceremony in London. He was chosen from a short list of five candidates from across the country.

Julian's nomination followed his highly successful response to a brief that required students to prepare proposals for the redevelopment of a prominent site in the centre of historic Salisbury. The judges commended Julian's approach to presenting the proposals through a comprehensive design and access statement which was felt to offer a perceptive grasp of spatial planning and the challenges of developing in an historic environment. "It was especially relevant to planning practice, with application of critical skills of analysis and evaluation," they decided.

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After receiving his award, Julian said: "I'm delighted to receive this national award at such a prestigious event. The Salisbury project provided an excellent opportunity to apply detailed knowledge and expertise gained through lectures and study at UWE Bristol within a realistic scenario, and to appreciate the complex challenges that planners have to manage and overcome in the workplace.

"We are really pleased that Julian has won this prestigious award which provides an excellent finale to four years of study", said Nick Smith, leader of the Master of Planning programme. "Julian has worked consistently hard, achieving excellent results in everything he has approached. As a mature student, who has had to balance study with other competing demands, he exists as a fantastic role model for others to follow. I must thank my colleague Mike Devereux and his module team for creating an exciting and innovative brief that enabled the enthusiasm and imagination of our students to be successfully realised."

The Department of Planning and Architecture journal, Project, was also shortlisted for an award in the category 'excellence in teaching and learning'.

(GK)