Awards for Planning Excellence!!!
Mark and his team weren’t just following the herd - they wanted to do better...
After joining the team in October 2021, I soon noticed the passion behind the faces of Arrow which I had rapidly gained great admiration for. Mark and his team weren’t just following the herd – they wanted to do better, make a difference and to stand out from the crowd. They strived as a small practice to take on large scale projects that you would usually expect from larger consultancies, but with the ability to provide the same excellence in service. I admired the vision Mark projected for the business and the opportunities he presented to his team.
I could see a consistent encouragement for high quality sustainable developments that were considerate to a range of important factors such as biodiversity, renewable energy and creating nourishing spaces for our community.
To my excitement, I couldn’t wait to get the team some well-deserved recognition for their efforts and dedication to our ever-growing communities. One of the great parts of working for Arrow is that your voice has a chance to be heard – nothing is off the table and it’s what I love about the culture here. During our next team meeting we each set our biannual goals, the top of my list was to gain Arrow an award.
“TEAMARROW were inspiring me, they are the desirable team that people want to work with – not just for their knowledge and expertise but for their dedication to strive for the best.”
The Royal Town Planning Institute had recently opened their application window for the 2022 Awards for Planning Excellence. The RTPI awards celebrate outstanding plans, projects and people that demonstrate the power of planning, whilst recognising and rewarding the brightest talent in the industry that help to transform economies, environments, and communities. It was a real pleasure to prepare and submit an entry for a company you feel so proud of, kind of like writing a glowing school report. The only issue I had was how concise it needed to be given all I wanted to shout about.
I submitted our entry into the category for ‘Best Small Planning Consultancy of the Year’ in February, and with thanks from the RTPI they noted “this year had seen a record number of entries of which showed a very high standard, and the competition was very high.”
We were delighted to be shortlisted along with three other regional finalists in the South East. Following this news, we were invited to a formal interview with the very admirable RTPI judging panel. It was important to us to ensure it was a collective team effort to make sure the whole team felt part of the submission, and to impress upon the judges our team ethic. We were, therefore, all involved with the interview and enjoyed the opportunity to talk about our successes and opportunities, not just projects. We also wanted to demonstrate how we work, how we are committed to shaping the team culture into a collaborative one that welcomes challenge and innovation with the hope of inspiring our future generations. We spoke about how we enjoyed taking part in community projects and helping each other develop our careers further.
The awards ceremony was held in Brighton on June 30th and who knew that we would be walking away as winners with a lovely new shiny award! To say we were thrilled would be an understatement, the whole team worked hard, and we deserved this accomplishment for our 5th year in business. A fantastic year for the growth of the team following two years of uncertainty for many. This was not just a small win for us, this was a great sense of achievement for all and one that we are very proud of. We celebrated the evening alongside many reputable companies from the private and public sectors including the members of the judging panel.
As well as such brilliant feedback on the evening we recently received the judges’ citations….
“Arrow Planning stood out within this category for their innovative and collaborative approach to planning.”
It was noted by the judges that Arrow places great emphasis on providing a diverse and inclusive environment within which to work. Underpinning their approach is clear intention to support their young planners providing project experience, APC support and flexibility for the team. Arrow actively encourages all members of their team to improve and build on their business objectives and workplace environment.
The judges felt the submission provided strong evidence of innovative thinking and collaboration which was reflected through their client feedback. Whilst Arrow is a relative newcomer to the industry, their submission presented strong evidence of tackling complex and challenging planning issues as well as working successfully within multi-disciplinary teams.
Arrow Planning are a motivated and committed consultancy producing high quality outputs for both their clients and their staff and the judges are proud to award Arrow Planning Ltd team, the RTPI SE Small Planning Consultancy of the Year 2022.
With elevated spirits we left Brighton on a huge high and ready to continue our legacy of aspiring to be the best small planning consultancy that matches the same quality output of larger practices. We have grown rapidly in the last twelve months and celebrated five years in business this year. I am ecstatic in the knowledge that #teamarrow are now in the spotlight and we are now Finalists for the National RTPI Awards on the 30th November in London.
I think I speak for us all when I say we are very excited for the future of Arrow…
Written by Jemimah
