The Royal Town Planning Institute Cymru (RTPI) writes:<\/p>\n
Aberaeron, the picturesque seaside resort town on Wales\u2019 west coast, has today been crowned the winner in\u00a0Wales\u2019 Best Places competition. The nationwide competition, organised by the\u00a0Royal Town Planning Institute Cymru, celebrates the places protected, carefully planned or improved by the planning system for communities.<\/p>\n
Nearly 5,500 people voted on a shortlist of 10 places, with Aberaeron emerging as the most popular place.\u00a0 Tenby, the walled coastal town in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Gower, the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Britain are second and third respectively.<\/p>\n
Presenting the award to the Mayor of Aberaeron today, RTPI President Phil Williams said:\u00a0 \u2018Aberaeron is a truly deserving winner of the title \u2013 \u2018Wales\u2019 Best Place\u2019. The impact of planning is obvious here as you walk through the town which has been carefully planned in the Georgian style around the harbour. Planners have been important guardians of this town\u2019s character as it has changed over the last 200 years \u2013 from small fishing village, to a thriving trading port and ship building town to today\u2019s bustling business centre and tourist hot spot. As a Welshman I\u2019m proud to have shone a spotlight on the outstanding range of places in Wales that have been protected, carefully planned or improved by planners.\u2019<\/p>\n
Mayor of Aberaeron, Rhys Davies, said:\u00a0 \u2018I am so pleased that Aberaeron has won this very special award by the RTPI. It is something the residents of Aberaeron can be proud of, a place we all care deeply about.\u00a0 Aberaeron is a gem of a town, it’s beauty cannot fail to capture the hearts of visitors. It is one of the most photographed towns in the UK, yet maintaining Aberaeron as a popular visitor destination takes hard work and I would like to thank the business community and all our residents who maintain their properties so well, and which greatly benefits our tourist trade. We of course will make full use of the recognition we have been given by all who voted for us and by further promoting our town on a national and international stage, which not only benefits Aberaeron but Ceredigion as a whole.\u2019<\/p>\n
Peter Lloyd, Chair of RTPI Cymru said:\u00a0 \u2018Congratulations Aberaeron, affectionately known as the ‘Jewel of Cardigan Bay’. It\u2019s no surprise this charming seaside town, dotted with brightly coloured cottages around the harbour is the public\u2019s favourite. This competition has reminded us just how important planners and the planning system are in ensuring places are protected, shaped and improved.\u2019<\/p>\n
Councillor Elizabeth Evans, County Councillor for Aberaeron Ward said, \u2018I am delighted that Aberaeron has won the RTPI Wales\u2019 Best Places award. We were in a very tough shortlist of great places, which makes the winning all the more special. I would like to thank everyone who voted for our beautiful town and I know that the residents of Aberaeron will be as proud as I am, that our town has received this award. We of course have to thank the Rev Alban Gwynne, the man who made it all possible back in 1807, for having the vision to plan such a lovely place. Today, we are merely custodians of his legacy; this great town, Aberaeron.\u2019<\/p>\n
Aberaeron is one of Wales’ first planned towns and since then has been developed and managed by the planning system to be a popular tourist destination and providing services to communities in its large rural hinterland. The planning of the town by Colonel Alban Gwynne and architect, Edward Haycock, earned it the reputation of being \u2018one of the best examples of a planned township of small scale in Wales.<\/p>\n
The\u00a010 finalists are: Aberaeron, Ceredigion; Caernarfon, Gwynedd; Cardiff Bay Inner Harbour, Cardiff; Denbigh, Denbighshire; Gower, Swansea; The Hayes, Cardiff; Llandudno Promenade and Mostyn Street, Conwy County Borough; Merthyr Tydfil Town Centre, Merthyr Tydfil; Snowdonia, Conwy and Gwynedd and Tenby, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.\u00a0 A similar competition was successfully run in\u00a0England (2015)\u00a0and\u00a0Scotland (2014).<\/p>\n
View the press release<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The winner of the The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) award for best place in Wales has been announced as Aberaeron on the west coast. The Royal Town Planning Institute Cymru (RTPI) writes: Aberaeron, the picturesque seaside resort town on … Continue reading