Do you know a great new building in the Chilterns?

DO you know a new, restored or extended building in the Chilterns area which you think is worthy of an award? Why not enter it for the prestigious Chilterns Buildings Design Awards, there is one month until the deadline! This competition has been run every year for the past 17 years by the Chilterns Conservation Board and the Chiltern Society to highlight examples of great building design which conserve and enhance all that we love about the Chilterns.

Overall Winner 2015 (Renovation) – Renovation and extension of cottage, Crendon Cottage, Chapel Hill, Speen, Bucks

This year the public, as well as planners, architects and builders, are being asked to let us know about projects that deserve this award. Entries can be new builds, renovations or extensions and can be any sort of use including homes, workplaces, public buildings, farm buildings, bridges etc. They must have been completed during the past three years and should put in practice the principles in the Chilterns Building Design Guide, published by the Conservation Board.

The Chiltern Society and the Chilterns Conservation Board are dedicated to safeguarding what’s best in the Chilterns, one of the most outstanding areas of countryside in England, and to encouraging high standards for new development.

“We want to encourage better building design, and to encourage architects and developers to use traditional, local materials and designs in their work. We are not trying to turn back the clock, but we do believe that new buildings in the Chilterns should fit in with the beautiful countryside that’s around them”, said Lucy Murfett, Planning Officer at the Conservation Board.

Past Oxfordshire winners include a new barn in Britwell Salome near Watlington which received a Special Project Award in 2014 and a new office building near Henley-on-Thames, now housing Bremont Watch company, which received a Highly Commended Award in 2013.

The closing date for entries or nominations is March 1st 2016. The application form is available at www.chilternsaonb.org/annual-design-awards or can be obtained from the Conservation Board office (01844 355500), email: office@chilternsaonb.org) or from the Chiltern Society, White Hill Centre, Chesham (tel: 01494 771250, email office@chilternsociety.org.uk).