The first Exemplar phase of the NW Bicester eco-town led by developers A2Dominion has been highly commended at the recent national Placemaking Awards, which recognises projects, people and organisations that are making places better.

Coming a close second place for the sustainability award, judges praised NW Bicester as a scheme with 'fantastic environmental credentials', with 'innovative design' and said it would be 'interesting to see these issues being addressed at an area scale'. The A2Dominion team was highly commended and presented with a certificate.

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The Placemaking Awards, in association with Regeneration, Renewal and Planning, showcase projects in planning, regeneration, economic development, urban design, sustainable development and community development.

The Exemplar, which will consist of 393 highly energy efficient homes, is the only large scale development in the UK to be built to true zero carbon. Preparation work on site has now begun, with delivery of completed homes phased over the next five years.

Its methods to achieve environmental integrity have already been recognised by BioRegional's One Planet Living status, which is a framework of ten principles designed to ensure people everywhere can enjoy a high quality of life within the resource capacity of our one planet. Only seven developments in the world have achieved this benchmark.

(CD/MH)