Portsmouth City Council with Karakusevic Carson Architects

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council-owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself. Many councils are seeking to establish a new relationship with local people and local communities. Community involvement and engagement is increasingly important as a way of shaping council thinking, contributing to service design and improvement and to responding to continuing resource pressures. It may also involve direct community involvement in service delivery. This award is intended to showcase the whole range of community involvement.

The Horatia and Leamington Houses community programme is an ambitious and innovative initiative by Portsmouth City Council that is guiding the renewal of Horatia and Leamington Houses Estate, a residential neighbourhood located in Somerstown, just south of the city centre. Through an extensive and bespoke outreach and engagement programme, the council have placed the community at the centre of the design and decision-making process to create a new part of the city that reflects the different needs and aspirations of local people.