Warwickshire News Mine

Both Pride in Camp Hill (PinCH) in Nuneaton and Avon Valley School in Rugby have made it to a shortlist of just seven projects from across the West Midlands battling it out in the final this week.

The PinCH shortlisting is for the new £1.9m Camp Hill Education, Sports and Social Centre, which includes a library, education centre, IT facilities and youth centre.

The centre has been created at the heart of the estate undergoing a major transformation, which will provide a mix of new, affordable homes and shops within 14.5 acres of Camp Hill and incorporate 2.3 acres of parkland or public open space. It is being developed by Lovell.

Warwickshire County Council, Learning Skills Council, Advantage West Midlands and PinCH have jointly funded the Community Building.

PinCH Project Director Colin Ball said: “It’s fantastic news to be shortlisted in the finals of this prestigious awards. It recognises the high quality design and thought put into the creation of this building, which was developed by Lovell as part of the Phase 2 village centre development.”

Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College was constructed on the site of the original school, which was destroyed by fire. The project, costing £18m, used innovative building techniques and was completed in 18 months in time for the August 2007 term.

Head of property services with Warwickshire County Council, Steve Smith,  said: “The scheme has been a complete success on all levels, which undoubtedly is due to the commitment and collaborative approach of all parties. This has truly been a team effort.”

The RICS awards ceremony is taking place on Thursday at Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens, with Nick Owen (BBC Midlands Today) hosting the proceedings.

In judging the awards RICS says the seven finalists represent the best projects in each of the four award categories: Building conservation; Regeneration; Sustainability; and Community benefit.

Link to WCC