Planning trainee Rebecca Oakes will be working alongside world-renowned architect and urban planner Andrés Duany this week after her masterplanning efforts were recognised at the Scottish Quality in Planning Awards.

Rebecca and her five team-mates will have the opportunity to be involved in the masterplanning work being carried out by Mr Duany and his team during the

Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative Charrette Series. Rebecca will be involved when the series comes to Aberdeen next week, where the focus will be on Grandhome in the north of the city.

Thirty students took part in the event at the Lighthouse in Glasgow in February and received two introductory lectures about masterplanning, before being introduced to the "site" they were to prepare a masterplan for.


Each group of six students, from different backgrounds and with different skills, was asked to come up with a selection of plans to illustrate their masterplan idea, and finally present them. Rebecca's was the winning team.

She said: "It was a fun but intensive day of masterplanning, and I was thrilled to have won. We collected our awards at the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning in Edinburgh.

"I will be involved in the masterplanning work underway by Andres Duany and his team during the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative Charrette Series when it comes to Aberdeen [16-23 March].

"This is a fantastic opportunity and I am really looking forward to working with such a renowned group of professionals in my field."

Rebecca combines studying for an MSc in Rural Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Aberdeen with working full-time in the masterplanning and design team in Aberdeen City Council's Planning and Sustainable Development section.

(GK/BMcC)