Praise for planners at awards ceremony

Planners in the public sector have been congratulated for their work, effort and commitment in coping with the "unprecedented pressure" from "an explosion in the number of planning applications".

This acknowledgement of their role by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, at the presentation yesterday of the National Planning Awards, followed a decision by the planners' union, IMPACT, to suspend threatened industrial action this week.

Planners in the Dublin and Cork local authorities were due to begin a work-to-rule tomorrow to protest at the proposed abolition of the posts of city or county planning officers. The action would have affected the processing of thousands of applications.

However, after receiving a written assurance from Mr Dempsey's Department that it was not pressing for the posts to be abolished, saying this was a matter for each local authority's management, IMPACT suspended the action.

The Planning Achievement Award, sponsored by Boots, was presented to Cork County Council for its willingness to develop a Coastal Zone Charter for Bantry Bay, in collaboration with the local community. The South Dublin Urban initiative was the runner-up.

Waterford Corporation won the Urban Design Award for its new pedestrianised civic space in front of the city's Catholic cathedral, designed by landscape architect Mr Bernard Seymour. ??????un Laoghaire. The Conservation Award was presented to Dublin Corporation and Dublin Civic Trust for the Historic Heart of Dublin pilot project, which involves restoring historic buildings. Earlier, at a ceremony in Dublin Castle, it was announced that Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow, had won the Green Town 2000 environmental award for the development of a millennium park.

The award scheme, sponsored by the National Millennium Committee, involved a national competition among Tidy Towns committees to mark the millennium by developing projects aimed at promoting the concept of a sustainable environment at local level.

Apart from Leighlinbridge, which won £20,000, regional awards worth £10,000 each went to Tidy Towns committees from Castlebar,Co Mayo; Coolaney, Co Sligo; Emly, Co Tipperary; Ennis, Co Clare; Lusk, Co Dublin; Newtowncashel, Co Longford and Rathbarry, Co Cork.