Colchester City Council, Tendring District Council and Essex County Council are celebrating after the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community Development Plan Document (DPD) was named a national finalist in the Best Plan category of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2026.
The national recognition follows the DPD’s success as winner of the Best Plan category at the RTPI East of England Awards for Planning Excellence in June. It places the councils’ shared plan among the leading examples of planning practice from across the UK and beyond.
Adopted in 2025, the DPD provides the planning framework for a new 7,750-home Garden Community on the Tendring–Colchester border. It sets out an ambitious, long-term vision for a healthy, sustainable and well-connected place, with homes, jobs, community facilities, green infrastructure and transport planned together from the outset.
Reaching the national final is a major achievement for the officers from all three councils who worked with dedication, professionalism and creativity over several years to prepare the DPD, and for planning consultancy Hyas Associates, which provided specialist expertise and worked as an integral part of the joint team throughout its development. This close collaboration, informed by communities and stakeholders, produced a robust and locally led plan that will guide the Garden Community’s delivery for decades to come.
Cllr Carlo Guglielmi, Deputy Chair of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community Joint Committee, said: “To be named a national finalist is a tremendous honour and a proud moment for everyone who has helped shape this pioneering plan. It is a fitting recognition of the exceptional commitment, expertise and perseverance shown by officers across Tendring, Colchester and Essex, together with the specialist input and sustained support of Hyas Associates. Working as one team, they have turned a bold vision into a clear framework for delivery.
“The DPD puts quality of place, sustainability, infrastructure and the needs of future communities at its heart. Following our success in the East of England awards, we are delighted that this work is now being celebrated on the national stage, alongside the very best in the planning profession.”
The RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence showcase the positive contribution that planning professionals make to communities and quality of life. National winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 3 December 2026.