• Thirteen winners were announced at the 2025 Planning Awards, with submissions from Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Carlow, Wicklow, Kildare, Offaly, Tipperary and international work in Lesotho recognised by the expert judging panel
• Uisce Éireann took home the overall President’s award for its submission on the Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Irish Planning Institute (IPI), the all-island professional membership body for spatial planners, is delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 Irish Planning Awards.

After receiving a record 80 entries from all around the country, the expert judges selected a winner for each of the 13 award categories, while a further five entries were highly commended by the judging panel.

Uisce Éireann took home the overall President’s Award for its Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant – a €139m project that was the winner of the Infrastructure category. Projects from Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Carlow, Kildare, Offaly, Tipperary and international work in Lesotho were also winners at the 2025 Planning Awards.

The biennial Irish Planning Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements in the planning profession, including projects and plans at a local, county, regional and national level.

The awards aim to promote excellence in the field of planning, encourage sustainable development, foster positive engagement between communities and projects, support economic development through thoughtful planning and honour projects and practices that enhance the environment, conserve architectural heritage or create cultural venues.

Most importantly, the Irish Planning Awards are designed to inspire innovation throughout the planning sector and reflect the level of planning achievement across the island of Ireland.

The 2025 Irish Planning Awards attracted a record 80 entries from all around the country. A panel of expert judges selected the winners from a shortlist of 55 nominees across 13 categories.

The 13 category winners were:

• Plan Making: Community Places – Tullycarnet Place Shaping Plan 2025-2035
• Commercial Project: South Dublin County Council – Work IQ Innovation Centre
• Urban Regeneration – State Led: Tipperary County Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage – Kickham Barracks Regeneration, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
• Urban Regeneration – Private Led: Tom Phillips + Associates – Kennedy Quay Mixed Use Development, Cork South Docklands
• Heritage and Culture: Kildare County Council – The revival of Naas Town Centre – Reimagining the Potato Market
• Climate Action: Land Development Agency – The Land Development Agency Sustainable Development Strategy 2024-2028
• Biodiversity: SLR Consulting, Studio Aula and Haller Clarke – Derryounce Lakes & Trails 10 Year Plan 2024-2034
• Housing or Community: Land Development Agency – Bluebell Waterways
• Infrastructure: Uisce Éireann – Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Research and Innovation: Carlow County Council – Carlow Pre-Planning Enquiry Service: A Research Led Digital Innovation Supporting Early Career Planners and Improving Service Delivery
• Diversity and Inclusion: Action Ireland Trust in conjunction with Fingal County Council (FCC), Portmarnock Community School (PCS) and the Lesotho Town and Regional Planning Institute (LTRPI) – Planning for Diversity and Inclusion in Ireland and Lesotho
• Planning Consultancy and In-House Planning Teams: Brock McClure – We are Brock McClure
• Planning Authority: Kildare County Council – Kildare County Council Planning Authority: Challenging, Progressive, Dynamic

This year’s judging panel comprised Gavin Lawlor MIPI (President, Irish Planning Institute), Brian McCarthy MIPI (Vice President, Irish Planning Institute and Senior Planner, Clare County Council), David O’Connor MIPI (Head of Environment and Planning, TU Dublin), Laura Brock MIPI (Founding Partner, Brock McClure), Robert Keran MIPI (Council member, Irish Planning Institute and Foundation Management Consultants), Deirdre Scully FIPI (Former City Planner, Dublin City Council), Carol Tallon (CEO, Property District), Claragh Mulhern MIPI (Principal Planning Adviser, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage).

The 2025 Planning Awards were sponsored by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, FuturEnergy Ireland, Uisce Éireann, Office of the Planning Regulator, Hacketts, Fehily Timoney and Company, and Wave Dynamics Acoustic Consultants. The climate action award was sponsored by FuturEnergy Ireland, the biodiversity award was sponsored by Uisce Éireann, while the research and innovation award was sponsored by the Office of the Planning Regulator.

Gavin Lawlor, President of the Irish Planning Institute, said:

“I want to congratulate all of our winners and nominees for the 2025 Planning Awards. The biennial awards are a fantastic occasion where we come together to celebrate the creativity and quality throughout the Irish planning sector.

“The quality of entries to the 2025 Planning Awards was a powerful reminder of the innovation, knowledge and expertise of our members in the Irish Planning Institute, who strive every year to deliver high quality projects and sustainable development. The award entries reflect a deep commitment to creating liveable, inclusive places supported by essential services and infrastructure.”

You can read more about the shortlisted and winning entries below and the full list of winning and commended entries is below

2025 Irish Planning Awards Winners

The full list of winners in each category is below.:

Plan Making

Winner:

Community Places – Tullycarnet Place Shaping Plan 2025-2035

Highly Commended:

Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and RPS, A Tetra Tech Company – South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (SC-DMAP)

Kildare County Council and Meath County Council – Two Counties, One Town: Coordinating the Low Carbon Future of Maynooth

Commercial Project 2025

Winner:

South Dublin County Council – Work IQ Innovation Centre

Urban Regeneration – State Led

Winner:

Tipperary County Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage – Kickham Barracks Regeneration, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary

Highly Commended:

Westmeath County Council – Athlone Town Centre Enhancement Project

Urban Regeneration – Private Led

Winner:

Tom Phillips + Associates – Kennedy Quay Mixed Use Development, Cork South Docklands

Heritage & Culture

Winner:

Kildare County Council – The revival of Naas Town Centre – Reimagining the Potato Market

Climate Action – sponsored by FuturEnergy Ireland

Winner:

Land Development Agency – The Land Development Agency Sustainable Development Strategy 2024-2028

Biodiversity – sponsored by Uisce Éireann

Winner:

SLR Consulting, Studio Aula and Haller Clarke – Derryounce Lakes & Trails 10 Year Plan 2024-2034

Housing or Community Project

Winner:

Land Development Agency – Bluebell Waterways

Infrastructure

Winner:

Uisce Éireann – Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant

Highly Commended:

McCutcheon Halley Chartered Planning Consultants – Greenore Port Offshore Wind Energy Operations and Maintenance Facilities

Research & Innovation – sponsored by the Office of the Planning Regulator

Winner:

Carlow County Council – Carlow Pre-Planning Enquiry Service: A Research-Led Digital Innovation Supporting Early Career Planners and Improving Service Delivery

Highly Commended:

Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, Southern Regional Assembly, Northern and Western Regional Assembly, All-Island Research Observatory (AIRO), Tailte Éireann GeoHive Platform – National Census Atlas

Diversity & Inclusion

Winner:

Action Ireland Trust in conjunction with Fingal County Council (FCC), Portmarnock Community School (PCS) and the Lesotho Town and Regional Planning Institute (LTRPI) – Planning for Diversity and Inclusion in Ireland and Lesotho

Planning Consultancy & In-House Planning Team

Winner:

Brock McClure – We are Brock McClure

Planning Authority

Winner:

Kildare County Council – Kildare County Council Planning Authority: Challenging, Progressive, Dynamic

President’s Award

Winner:

Uisce Éireann – Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant