The Council was selected as one of eight councils to lead a pathfinder project to explore ways to enhance digital planning services. The £150,000 project, funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), will see the Council work with its existing software provider to improve its development management software, so that it supports the vision set out in the Government’s Planning for the Future White Paper. January 2022
For more information on the Council trialling a new planning software
Colchester Castle won the Engagement and Collaboration Award for its ‘Decoding The Roman Dead’ exhibition. This exhibition showcased the research that Colchester Museums conducted with archaeologists and specialists from the University of Reading to decode the hidden stories of Colchester’s earliest inhabitants and unlock clues about Colchester’s Roman past - December 2021.
Dead Interesting: Uncovering Roman Britain in Old Museum Collections.
View the award article
CBC’s Bethany Jones won the RTPI’s East of England Young Planner award.
This summary highlights the impressive breadth of reasons for this success, which range from her professional experience across Minerals and Waste, Development and Flood Risk, and Planning Policy through to heavy involvement in Local Plan preparation/examination; and also from sharing her insight and knowledge and inspiring other planners through her blogs and ‘Plan Pals’ series through to innovative ways to engage with the public during the pandemic - November 2021.
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Castle Park, High Woods Country Park and Colchester’s Cemetery and Crematorium have received Green Flag Awards. Green Flags set a benchmark of standards for management and maintenance of publicly accessible urban and countryside parks, and they promote the community value of green spaces. As well as receiving its nineteenth Green Flag award, Castle Park has also once again been awarded Green Heritage Site status, which recognises its work to promote its historic surroundings. October 2021
The North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) won three national awards for organisations that have made a significant contribution to improving parking. The NEPP was also shortlisted in the Communications category for its dedicated coronavirus webpage to keep residents informed, three videos including showing the benefits of using contactless MiPermit payments and work on social media highlighting the Positive Parking Agenda (PPA) and Selfish Parker campaigns.
All 20 CBC-owned car parks across Colchester borough have retained national Park Mark awards for their safety, accessibility and quality management for the thirteenth consecutive year.
Last year, CBC’s Priory Street Car Park was only the second car park in the country to receive Park Mark Plus status, and it has retained this elite award in 2021. The award recognises only the highest-quality car parks, and assesses a range of criteria, including services, operations, design and build. To qualify for the award, car parks must already have the British Parking Association’s Park Mark award and meet the Disability Parking Accreditation criteria. September 2021
Colchester Borough Council was shortlisted in two categories - Best Service Team of the Year, and Best Community and Neighbourhood Initiative – from more than 320 submissions to APSE.
Team of the Year category - CBC’s Waste Management and Recycling Service was shortlisted in recognition of the efforts to provide an outstanding service throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and the team’s continual improvement to develop a sustainable service for the future.
Best Community and Neighbourhood Initiative category - the 'Together We Grow Communities' project was shortlisted in the in recognition of the partnership work with not-for-profit social enterprise Together We Grow CIC.
The partnership has worked together planting trees in communities as part of the Colchester Woodland and Biodiversity Project - August 2021.
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Community Impact Award - Colchester and Ipswich Museums (CIMS) won this category for their Museum From Home activity packs for children, launched during the pandemic. The judges said: “With long-standing, personal relationships and an approach which ensured access to digital wasn’t a barrier, the winner’s quick-thinking made a real difference to hard-to-reach communities”.
Covid special recognition award – Colchester Museums Manager Pippa Pickles was in a national shortlist of six from hundreds of nominations for this award. It recognises Pippa’s contribution to the pandemic by not only opening Colchester Castle safely following the first lockdown, but for all her hard work in leading Colchester Council’s team in supporting the NHS vaccination programme. July 2021
Find out more about the museum and heritage award nominations.
Legal Services have been re-accredited following the Lexcel standard’s annual inspection, for the 21st consecutive year. Lexcel is the Law Society's legal practice quality mark for excellence in legal practice management and excellence in client care. June 2021
Colchester was proud to be the first Park Active scheme in the UK, which supports the environment and encourages active travel to build healthier communities. The scheme allows people to leave their car at a Park Active location and then walk or cycle for the rest of their journey. In Colchester, motorists pay a discounted parking rate for doing so. April 2021