Winner RTPI Silver Jubilee Cup 2000
The Crichton Regeneration Project in Dumfries is directed by long-serving Scottish Quality in Planning Awards judge Gordon Mann, and has not been entered for these Scottish Awards. But in London in February 2001 it was awarded the Royal Town Planning Institute's highest accolade, the Silver Jubilee Cup.
In 34 hectares of well-kept parkland and gardens, this former hospital site contains a collection of magnificent Edwardian sandstone buildings. At the initiative of the local authority, through the creation of a Trust and Development Company, it has been transformed into a university campus and business park with state-of-the-art digital telecommunications infrastructure. Amongst the thousands of mature trees are large surface car parks and a range of business, educational, conference, leisure and sports facilities.
On 19th May 2000 HRH Prince Charles visited The Crichton to inspect the progress of the regeneration project and unveil a statue of the Crichton Royal Hospital's founder, Elizabeth Crichton.
" Can I say what a real pleasure it is for me to come back here to The Crichton after five years. I am one of those people with a passion for not wasting beautiful assets from our built heritage.....to see what is happening now and the kind of renaissance with these buildings is truly encouraging. I want to congratulate all that have been involved in putting this great site together."
Five years earlier, just after the Dumfries & Galloway Regional Council had bought the estate, Prince Charles paid a flying visit to the site and was briefed on the Council's hopes and plans for its protection and regeneration. Now there are over 700 students on the Crichton University Campus. It is the first multi-college campus in the UK, with the Universities of Glasgow and Paisley, Dumfries & Galloway College and the Bell Nursing College established in refurbished buildings. There are over 400 new jobs in the business park and campus. Companies predict that on-site jobs will rise by 50% over the next 2 to 3 years. The public assets of the scheme include the second largest auditorium in the south of Scotland, fully equipped for conferences, and a listed cathedral-like church. Both are available for a wide range of functions and events. There is a range of sports facilities, including a sports club with swimming pool, squash courts and gymnasium, playing fields, a golf club and 34 hectares of public parkland.
Project leaders: Crichton Trust and Crichton Development Company Ltd (Gordon Mann MRTPI, managing director; Wendy Macleod MRTPI, development manager; Kate Denholm MRTPI, development manager; John Edwards, property manager; Andrew Inglis, grounds manager).
Main consultants: Redevelopment Opportunities Appraisal 1995 (Ironside Farrar Ltd, DTZ Debenham Thorpe, Campbell & Arnott), Crichton Master Plan 1997 (Park & Park architects, Robert Potter & Partners, Ian White landscape consultant), Crichton Economic Impact Assessment 1998 (Roger Tym & Partners), Crichton Historic Landscape Survey 1998 (Land Use Consultants with Patricia Thomas and GUARD), Vehicular Circulation and New Parking Facilities 1998 (Land Use Consultants, Mouchel Consulting Ltd).
The Crichton Development Company's managing director, Gordon Mann says: "We are absolutely delighted with the speed of the project. If anyone had suggested when we started that we would be in this position now I would have been amazed. We have simply responded to the huge interest of the community in seeing the Crichton with a worthwhile future.
The RTPI National Awards judges commented: "What we found at our visit, less than five years after regeneration commenced, was nothing less than astonishing in terms of the progress made and the very high standards achieved. The five-year targets originally set are already being overtaken... The quality of the conversion and adaptation of the four refurbished buildings is outstanding. In one case two buildings have been linked through an innovative modern extension which complements and enhances features of the original... The speed of implementation of the masterplan proposals by the Crichton Development Company, led by a small group of planners, has been achieved by a partnership approach informing and involving all relevant agencies. Major funding has been achieved totalling £13.2 million from the European Regional Development Fund, Scottish Higher Education Council, Scottish Telecom, Dumfries & Galloway Enterprise and Dumfries & Galloway Council.... The enthusiasm and pride in what has been achieved is very evident..."