Member Article

NJL wins inaugural Planning award for Surf Snowdonia project

Manchester based NJL Consulting has picked up the Planning for the Environment Award at Planning Magazine’s inaugural award ceremony (held in London last night).

The NJL team, which is based in Heald Green Manchester, picked up the award for its work with the Surf Snowdonia project, for which NJL delivered the planning on behalf of developer Conwy Adventure Leisure.

The scheme, which will provide the world’s first commercially run artificial surfing lake, was granted planning permission earlier this year and was a partnership between the developer and Conwy County Borough Council. Work on site has now started and the lake is set to open in July 2015.

Juan Murray, senior environmental planner at NJL, commented: “I’m delighted that both NJL, but more importantly, the Surf Snowdonia scheme, has been recognised nationally for its significant environmental benefits. It has been a pleasure working with the project team and it’s an honour to take home this award on behalf of everyone involved.”

Steve Davies, managing director at Conwy Adventure Leisure, said:

“The redevelopment of the former Aluminium factory site at Dolgarrog into the World’s first Wavegarden artificial surfing centre has been a project of monumental complexity. The combination of a century’s worth of industrial contamination, an ecologically sensitive environment, a flood plain, shallow ground water levels, and the sensitivities of the local people who were still feeling the pain of the closure of the village’s principal source of employment, a challenge of quite daunting proportions.”

He added: “It is against this background that NJL are to be congratulated for this richly deserved and highly prestigious award. They can be very proud of their contribution to this literally unique project which will bring significant benefit to the local, regional and national economies.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by NJL Consulting .